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Major in Health, Science, and Society (B.A.)

Policy makers seated around a map of community green spaces.

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Health is a human right

When we think about health, we often imagine doctors, nurses, clinics, and medical interventions. But what actually makes a person, community, or society healthy? Who is healthy and who is not? Why? We know the conditions we need to flourish, but how do we create healthy communities—with safe housing, healthy and nutritious foods, and access to green spaces? From crosswalks to controlling toxic chemicals, every decision we make has the potential to shape human health. The world needs health professionals—from doctors to community activists to policy experts—who collaborate on coordinated, equity-oriented actions to build healthy communities.

As a student in Clark’s health, science, and society major, you’ll reimagine the way you think about health. You’ll see how the biomedical sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities each offer important lenses through which to tackle complex health challenges and promote health equity. You will work with faculty from more than five departments who are engaged in a range of domestic and international research activities. You will gain a broad and holistic foundation in health sciences, and many ideas about how to pursue to launch yourself for a variety of careers in health.

Catalog Requirements for:

Major
Minor

Why study health, science and society at Clark?

  • Make a difference in the well-being of others: Clark is a leader in the creation of innovative, interdisciplinary programs that prepare students to become leaders and drivers of societal change.
  • Gain practical experience working collaboratively with communities in Worcester, Ethiopia, Puerto Rico, and beyond. You’ll be part of a close community of scholars and practitioners dedicated to fostering health equity and well-being in communities around the world.
  • Your classes will draw from a diverse range of disciplines that will provide you with a rich, complex understanding of health and prepare you for a wide range of domestic and international careers.

Health, science, and society

Featured Courses

ID108

What is Public Health?

Students will be introduced to the field of public health as a mode of inquiry that focuses on population health and as a government institution that is designed to protect the public’s wellbeing.

SSJ308

Health (in)equity: social determinants and policy solutions

Students will examine links between social, economic, political, and environmental factors that affect health; the use of indicators; the main methods of assessing social determinants; and how diseases are patterned

SSJ30282

Community Based Health Research

Students gain an overview of community health by conducting “hands on” research in the field, integrating theories and methods from medical anthropology, community and population public health, and medicine.

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The health, science, and society path

You’ll take foundational courses to learn many approaches to health. In methods courses, you’ll learn to ask and answer questions to understand health challenges and find solutions to those problems. You’ll deepen your understanding of health challenges and promising solutions by completing three elective courses.

The major includes a practicum or internship where you can work in a clinical, laboratory or community health setting in Worcester, elsewhere in the US, or during study abroad. During your senior year, you’ll synthesize and present the knowledge you’ve gained through a capstone project or Honors Studio.

Skills you will learn include:

  • Build a foundation in key disciplines that provide understandings of health.
  • Develop an understanding of quantitative and qualitative approaches to studying health, measuring health patterns across populations, and understanding how social and cultural factors shape illness experiences.
  • Gain practical experience deepening and applying these skills through a required internship or research project working in a clinical, laboratory or community health setting in Worcester, elsewhere in the US, or on study abroad.
  • Deepen your understanding of community and global health, health psychology, public health, the sociology of health and medicine, and STEM approaches to health.
  • Present your capstone experiences or research.
  • Develop materials to launch your career.

Building your foundation

The Clark Experience

The Clark Core allows students to take courses across diverse disciplines, helping them develop critical thinking skills and respect for other cultures and perspectives. You’ll connect classroom learning with action through world and workplace experiences.

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Explore the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice

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