The HMS Program

The challenge of meeting the increasingly complex health needs of growing and aging populations is moving to the forefront of national and international concerns in the 21st century. The Health, Medicine, and Society Program focuses on the social scientific and humanistic dimensions of health and medical care to develop an understanding of the impact of health, illness, and medical care on individuals, families, and societies. This program is intended to serve students who wish to be involved in some aspect of the health care industry or health policy and also students who are interested in communications, the pharmaceutical industry, law, business, agency work, and other careers where understanding health care is essential.

Program Learning Objectives

Students who major or minor in HMS upon graduation will be able to:

  • 1. Identify factors, processes, and structures of power that affect:

    • a. a person’s health status and experience of health,

    • b. the health care system.

  • 2. Distinguish among different scholarly approaches to understanding health, including:

    • a. social science approaches,

    • b. humanist approaches,

    • c. natural science approaches.

  • 3. Explain how health-related research is conducted and provides insights into understanding health and healthcare.

  • 4. Analyze the relationship between social justice and health.

For a quick overview of the HMS Program, please refer to our informational slick by clicking here...

Contact Info

Lorenzo Servitje
Director: Health, Medicine, and Society
los317@lehigh.edu
610-758-3322

or

Office of Interdisciplinary Programs at 610-758-3996 or incasip@lehigh.edu

 


Major in Health, Medicine and Society

HMS Entry in Lehigh Course Catalog

Major Declaration Form

Course Map (a helpful guide to the HMS major)

For a summary of the information listed below, click here...

 

The Bachelor of Arts in Health, Medicine and Society requires a minimum of 30-32 credits completed in the following categories.

Foundational Core Courses (12 credits)

Students choose one course from each of the three core categories.

  • Core course in Health Humanities (Choose 1 of the following)

    • HMS 116: Bioethics

    • HMS 170: Medical Humanities

  • Core course in Social Science Approaches to Health (Choose 1 of the following)

    • HMS 130: Introduction to Health Psychology

    • HMS 160: Medicine and Society

    • HMS 180: Introduction to Public Health

  • Core course in Research Methods in Health (Choose 1 of the following)

    • HMS 120: Ethics & Values of Community-Engaged Research

    • HMS 349: Participatory Action Research

    • HMS 375: Community-Based Participatory Research

Depth Concentration (11-12 credits)

Students choose one of the following concentrations.

  • Health Humanities: Students choosing a Health Humanities concentration take 12 credits of HMS courses that have a Humanities (HU) designation. Possible courses that fit this concentration are found in departments such as English, Religion Studies, Philosophy, and History.

  • Social Science Approaches to Health: Students choosing a Social Science concentration take 12 credits of HMS courses that have a Social Science (SS) designation. Possible courses that fit this concentration are found in departments such as Psychology, Sociology/Anthropology, Journalism, and Economics.

Additional HMS Coursework (6-8 credits)

Students take 4 credits of HMS coursework that has an attribution (HU, SS, or NS) that does not match their concentration.

 

Students take 4 more credits of HMS coursework in any designation.

Additional Requirements for Completing the HMS Major

  • The HMS major requires students to declare a second major outside of HMS. The second major can be from any department or program at Lehigh.

  • No more than 2 courses in the Depth Concentration and Additional HMS Coursework can be cross-listed with the home department/program of a student’s second major.

  • At least 3 courses in the Depth Concentration and Additional HMS Coursework must be taken at the 300-level.

  • There is no sequencing in the HMS major, meaning students can take the needed coursework in any order.

 


Minor in Health, Medicine and Society

HMS Entry in Lehigh Course Catalog

Minor Declaration Form

Minor Drop Form

For a summary of the information listed below, click here...

 

The HMS minor is a 16-credit minor program, completed in the following categories.

Foundational Core Course (4 credits)

Students choose one of the following courses.

  • HMS 116: Bioethics

  • HMS 130: Introduction to Health Psychology

  • HMS 160: Medicine and Society

  • HMS 170: Medical Humanities

  • HMS 180: Introduction to Public Health

Additional HMS Coursework (12 credits)

Students take 12 credits of additional HMS courses. These courses can come from any HMS listed course, including additional core courses.