Pre-Med Course Offerings

Pre-Med Course Offerings in Sociology

The Department of Sociology has implemented a Pre-Med Course Offerings program in response to the recent and significant changes that the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has adopted for identifying and selecting the best possible candidates for medical training.

While a solid background in the natural sciences continues to be highly desirable, it is now regarded as no longer sufficient; the AAMC now seeks candidates with exposure to sociology and psychology.

Specifically, the AAMC has concluded that candidates for admittance to medical school must possess basic knowledge of sociological principles and of the social factors that impact the health of Americans and that often result in significant and systematic disparities in its distribution.

To this end, the Department of Sociology has expanded its offerings in its Medical Sociology program by creating additional courses and cognates that provide students in the Pre-Med program the opportunity to become well versed in the sociological theories, paradigms and research efforts that are directly pertinent to the incidence and distribution of illnesses in American society and to their effective treatment.

Pre-Med students who have a personal interest in the importance of social factors on the incidence and treatment of diseases should consider a major or minor in Sociology.

The Department of Sociology offers two different groups of courses for students in the Pre-Med Program:

• The first group includes courses that offer most of the basic elements covered in the social science component of the MCAT.
• The second group includes courses that specifically address health and are offered by the Medical Sociology specialty area of the Department.

GENERAL SOCIOLOGY

SOC 101  Introduction to Sociology

SOC 210  Introduction to Social Research

SOC 211  Quantitative Methods in Sociology

SOC 302  Social Psychology

SOC 303  Social Inequalities

SOC 335  LGBTQC

SOC 350  Sociology of the Family

SOC 380  Sociology of Gender

SOC 387  Race & Ethnic Relations

MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY

SOC 320  Social Epidemiology

SOC 321  Applied Health Policy

SOC 375  Sociology of Mental Health and Illness

SOC 377  Sociology of Drug Abuse

SOC 381  Aging in Society

SOC 384  Medical Sociology

SOC 480  Health Disparities in the US

In addition to these courses, the Department of Sociology administers six People and Society cognates that may be of interest to Pre-Med students; one of them (Sociology for Pre-Med Students) is designed specifically for Pre-Med students:

Introduction to Social Sciences

Poverty and Wealth

Race and Ethnic Relations in the US

Research Methods in Sociology

Social Institutions

Sociology for Pre-Med Students