Degree Information and Forms

Program Description and Four Year Plan. The Health & Society Major at SMU is an inter-disciplinary program for students interested in the practice and study of health in global and cultural contexts. Through this plan of study, students engage in broad and diverse ways with the problems of illness and health care in human societies. With its major emphasis on interdisciplinary study, the major fosters graduates who are well prepared to perform and collaborate in health care occupations by viewing health as part of dynamic systems with symbolic, material, ethical, and historical factors. The program will help students meet a greater variety of post-baccalaureate goals, including employment or graduate admission to schools and programs of medicine, dentistry, public health, nursing, health care administration, psychology, medical anthropology, medical sociology, law, and others.

Read more:
Application Overview and Admissions Considerations
Interest Form
Admissions Data Health and Society (Historical)
Health & Society Four-Year Plan
Health & Society with MCAT Four-Year Plan

Capstone Guidelines. Each Health & Society undergraduate career will culminate in a Capstone experience requiring the student to synthesize and integrate a body of work within this major, and in conjunction with an upper-level course that emphasizes an inter- or multi-disciplinary way of knowing. The two normal options for this capstone are ANTH 4318 “Health in Cross-Cultural Perspective” or ANTH 4343 “Biomedicine, Culture & Power”. Providing undergraduates with an opportunity for reflection and sustained focus, this experience will employ skills, knowledge and methodologies taught throughout the undergraduate major. The Capstone experience ends with an essay, proctored late in the term by the Program Director. The Capstone instructor has the authority to deny admittance to any student for their course. Read more on the Capstone Guidelines.

Distinction Process. The Health & Society Program offers Majors with outstanding academic records the opportunity to apply for Distinction.  If awarded, graduation with departmental distinction is designated on the diploma.  An H&S Distinction project is a substantial investment of time, typically no less than 3 semesters, and involves original research. Read more on the Distinction Process.