Medical Sociology B.S.

Sociology B.S. | Medical Sociology Track

Health begins long before a patient enters a doctor’s office. Study the conditions that shape who gets sick, who receives care, and how people live with illness.

Work, families, neighborhoods, public policy, and healthcare institutions all influence health. UCF’s Medical Sociology Track connects these questions with training in research methods and data analysis. You’ll investigate health problems, evaluate evidence, and complete an original research project.

Start with a Spring 2027 Course

Interested in health and healthcare? Explore these Spring courses as you consider the track or look for a course that complements your current major.

Use Class Search in myUCF and select Spring 2027 to check sections, availability, prerequisites, and enrollment restrictions. Ask your advisor how a course applies to your major or the Medical Sociology Track.

Find Spring Courses in myUCFExplore Track Requirements

The Track at a Glance

Understand Health. Learn to Investigate It.

You’ll study how income, work, family life, culture, policy, and institutions shape health and access to care. You’ll also learn how to turn a question about health into a researchable problem, select an appropriate method, analyze evidence, and explain what the findings support.

The research sequence gives you work you can discuss with employers and graduate programs: the question you investigated, how you studied it, what you found, and why it matters.

What You’ll Learn to Do

• Explain sociological theories of health, illness, and healthcare.
• Investigate the social determinants of health and differences in health outcomes.
• Conduct independent and collaborative research using ethical standards.
• Interpret quantitative and qualitative evidence.
• Use findings to inform discussions of health policy and practice.
• Write clear research reports and communicate findings to academic and professional audiences.

Where This Preparation Can Lead

Build a foundation for work in health research, community health programs, healthcare organizations, health policy, and nonprofit organizations. The track also supports preparation for graduate or professional study in public health, sociology, social work, health administration, medicine, and related fields.

Students pursuing clinical professions should plan for the additional science prerequisites and admissions requirements of their intended professional programs. Career requirements vary by role and may include further education or credentials.

Track Requirements

The overview below helps you plan your pathway. Use the official UCF program information and your degree audit with an advisor to confirm the requirements for your catalog year.

Official UCF Program RequirementsUndergraduate Advising

Basic Core | 3 Credit Hours

The program’s basic-core list includes the following alternatives. Confirm the appropriate selection with advising, particularly if you are transferring credits.

• SYG 2000 – Introduction to Sociology (3)
• SYG 2010 – Social Problems (3)

Advanced Core | 14 Credit Hours

Complete all four courses:

• SYA 3400C – Applied Social Statistics (4)
• SYA 4300C – Research Methods (4)
• SYO 3530 – Social Power and Inequality (3)
• SYO 4400 – Medical Sociology (3)

Medical Sociology Electives | 21 Credit Hours

Complete seven approved courses. SYO 4402 – Sociology of Health and Illness Behavior is a track elective and is offered online in Spring 2027. Other areas of study include:

See the official program requirements for the approved elective list and consult advising before choosing a course to fulfill this requirement.

Advanced Methods | 3–4 Credit Hours

Complete an approved methods option. Choices include spatial analysis, qualitative research, GIS applications, applied sociology, and social network analysis. The published program also includes selected methods courses in other disciplines and approved research-based options. Check the official list and prerequisites with your advisor.

Data Analysis: Capstone | 4 Credit Hours

SYA 4450 – Data Analysis: Capstone (4)

Bring your research training together through analysis and an original research project.

Interdisciplinary Health Study

Combine sociology with health-related coursework in another field. The program identifies a 15-credit interdisciplinary requirement, with approved health-related minors or certificates and an alternative of 15–18 credits outside sociology, subject to Undergraduate Program Director approval.

Possible complementary areas include Health Sciences, Medical Anthropology, Health Communication, Aging Studies, Health Services Administration, and Human Services. Plan this component with advising; courses may not double count between the Sociology major and the selected minor or certificate.

Ready to Explore Medical Sociology?

You can start by discussing a Spring course, reviewing how your completed coursework fits the track, or planning a change of major. Undergraduate advising can help you compare the options and build a workable degree plan.

Talk with Undergraduate AdvisingChange of Major Information

Questions About the Track?

Dr. Angela Vergara
Sociology Undergraduate Program Director
Angela.Vergara@ucf.edu

Department of Sociology
Howard Phillips Hall (HPH), Room 403
407-823-3744
sociology@ucf.edu

Department of Sociology