University of Alabama At Birmingham

Medical sociology looks at how a person's culture, feelings, and other social factors play a role in their health-care choices. A medical sociology degree can help prepare you for a career in health care, research, government data analysis, or other industries.

To begin your education, you'll take courses in medical sociology, medical social theory, and research methods/statistics. You'll then move on to electives on special topics that interest you, such as Death and Dying, Biology and Society, and Minority Aging. We know, some of these topics can get a little heavy—but they're important. And when you pair them with a pre-professional medical program, you'll have insights to social behaviors that can be invaluable to you throughout your career.

• Medical sociologists made an average annual salary of $86,840 in 2016 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
• The UAB Department of Sociology is home to the Social Determinants of Health Core of the Mid-South Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center, which is investigating the health of African Americans in the mid-South.