PhD in
Medical Sociology
overview
The graduate program in Medical Sociology admitted its first class in 1993. The program is designed to provide students with the coursework and research experiences necessary to be leading researchers and practitioners in medical sociology.
The curriculum requires 90 semester hours of credit: 60 hours of substantive coursework and 30 hours of thesis and dissertation research. The extensive research requirements are designed to encourage students to publish their work and to take advantage of research opportunities in UAB's many medical care settings. Our students are highly competitive in the job market. A distinctive feature of the program is its emphasis on both quantitative methods (demographic and survey methods, and statistical analysis) and qualitative methods (direct observation, content analysis, discourse analysis and contextual analysis).
The curriculum includes a strong core of sociological theory, research methodology, and basic medical sociology courses encompassing the organizational, societal, and interpersonal dimensions of health, illness, and medical care. Students study the social and cultural bases of health beliefs and behaviors, the role of context in health, organizational structures of health care, and the demography of health and aging, to name just a few examples. Students acquire expertise in theory formulation, data analysis, and theory construction. By developing a systematic line of research in collaboration with one or more faculty mentors, doctoral candidates complete requirements for the Ph.D. Students may enter the program with either a bachelor's or master's degree. Under the direction of faculty mentors, students not already holding a master's degree complete a research project leading to a master's thesis during the first two years of the program. Most students complete the program in five years.
Through a core curriculum in sociological theory, research design/statistics, and social medicine, students develop a solid foundation in qualitative/quantitative methods, theory, and current research in medical sociology. Since the advancement of medical sociology as a science and the long-term solution of applied, clinical problems require contributions from a variety of disciplines, training occurs in an interdisciplinary context.
The department's history of external funding includes grants from the AARP Andrus Gerontology Center, the National Institute of Aging, National Institute of Mental Health, the Department of Energy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Science Foundation.
UAB's nationally-ranked medical center and its associated graduate and professional schools provide an exciting, dynamic atmosphere for interdisciplinary graduate study. For a unique interdisciplinary class room and research experience, the medical sociology program collaborates with numerous other UAB centers and departments:
Additionally, the Department of Sociology co-sponsors the Center for Social Medicine and Sexually Transmitted Diseases with the Department of Medicine.
The department has been host in recent years to post-doctoral fellows from China, Germany and Japan. In addition, we are establishing an international exchange program in medical sociology thus enhancing opportunities for multi-national studies.
Graduate students in medical sociology are supported by university stipends and research assistantships. Students are strongly encouraged to apply for individual student research grants for dissertation support.
