Care, Health & Society
Bachelor of Science
Quick Facts
Top 3%
Online Bachelor's
Program in the Nation
- U.S. News & World Report, 2025
TOP 25
Public Flagship
University
- U.S. News & World Report, 2024
The Care, Health & Society BS is an innovative, interdisciplinary degree program offered by the School of Sociology. This degree provides you with a unique opportunity to focus your undergraduate studies on the social dimensions of health and health care. Our core faculty members represent a range of disciplines and perspectives on health, including medical sociology, nursing, social work, public health and gerontology. The degree is applied because it requires a semester-long internship in a health-related organization.
Upon graduation, you will be well prepared to work in medical and health care support, public and social services, administration, human services, and community outreach. This major also provides excellent preparation for graduate studies in a range of health programs.
This College of Social and Behavioral Sciences major requires a minor (or double major).
*Residents of some U.S. Territories may not be eligible. Please see our Eligibility & State Authorization page for more information.
The curriculum for this program includes:
Introduction to the U.S. health care system and a range of health professions.
This course examines ethical dilemmas common to paid care professionals.
Introduction to the sociological study of health disparities. The core focus is the social patterning of health. Specific topics include socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, aging, family, and religion.
This class will look at the devastating effects that healthcare fraud has on the financial resources of the United States. We will review healthcare fraudulent schemes and methods to detect these schemes. Methods of investigation will be explored to look at how to prevent fraud with current laws, task forces and compliance efforts.
Introduction to the quantitative analysis of health disparity data. The course covers statistical analyses, analysis of biomarkers, and self-reported health disparity data.
Outcomes
Skills
Earning your Bachelor of Science in Care, Health & Society will build core skills, including:
- Budgeting
- Case management
- Collaboration
- Communication skills
- Fitness
- Health information management
- Mental health
- Patient care
- Staff management
Potential Career Paths
Graduates of the Care, Health & Society BS program will be prepared to pursue the following careers:
Jason O'Day - Student Spotlight
Care, Health & Society graduate, Jason O'Day, received the SBS Outstanding Senior Award for fall 2021. Read about his journey in becoming a helping professional.
