Overview of HSSP requirements for BA degree:
- Required courses: Sociology 191, HSSP 100b, HS 104B or LGLS 114a, and BIOL 15b, BIOL 22b or BIOL 42a.
- Four elective courses: One elective course each from Focal areas A, B and C plus one additional elective;
- Hands on experience: HSSP 92a/b (internship), HSSP 98a/b (research), or HSSP 99d (senior thesis)
- HSSP 110a; Integrative senior seminar
Detailed Requirements
Bachelor of Arts Major
The BA major requires 10 courses overall: 4 core courses, 4 electives, a research project or internship, and a senior integrative seminar.
Core. The four core courses provide students with a foundation in the biological, social, economic, and political dimensions of health and illness. These courses are designed to be introductory and do not require prerequisites.
BIOL 15 (Human Biology): The course provides an introductory overview of the biology of the cell, mechanisms of heredity and human physiology.
Students interested in more advanced biology may substitute BIOL 22b (Cell Structure and Function) or BIOL 42a (Human Physiology).
SOC 191a (Health, Community, and Society): Interrelationships among society, health, and disease are explored, emphasizing the social causes and experience of illness.
HS 104b (American Health Care): This course examines and critically analyzes the United States health care system, , emphasizing the major trends and issues that have led to the current sense of "crisis".
As an alternative, students may take LGLS 114a (American Health Care: Law and Policy): The course highlights issues of access, quality, and cost. Laws and regulations affecting every aspect of American health care from planning and finance to patient treatment are discussed.
HSSP 100b Introduction to Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Population Health: This course will provide an orientation to the science of epidemiology, the quantitative foundation for public health policy. As a comprehensive survey course, HSSP 100 introduces students from varying academic backgrounds to biostatistics, major epidemiological concepts, and provides training in their application to the study of health and disease in human populations. Case studies examine how environmental, physical, behavioral, psychological and social factors contribute to the disease burden of populations.
Electives. Among their 4 elective courses, students must choose at least one from “Focal area A” (i.e., biological sciences), one from “Focal area B” (i.e., social sciences) and one from “Focal area C” (i.e., policy and practice).
Hands-on Experience. Each student is required to complete one of the three following options for the major.
Option 1: HSSP 89a (Internship Seminar). This course combines a biweekly seminar and a supervised internship in a health care or policy organization. The internship placement must be arranged through the course instructor and should focus on some aspect of health and public service. This could include work in a department of public health, hospital or health care agency, health advocacy organization, or other appropriate government or private-sector organization. Students will be required to submit a 20-25 page research paper relating to their internship. (view a list of sample internships)
Option 2: HSSP 98a/b (Independent Research). Under the direction of a member of the HSSP faculty or faculty sponsor approved by HSSP’s Chair, students will conduct an intensive laboratory or field based project that culminates in a 20-25 page research paper. This requires a one semester commitment. The project requires collection of primary data or use of existing data set (with permission from advising professor) for analysis; not limited to library research or literature review. Literature reviews and library-based projects are not appropriate for HSSP 98.
Option 3: HSSP 99d (Senior Research). Under the direction of a member of the HSSP faculty, each student will conduct an original health-related field- or laboratory-based research project and write a thesis. Students who select this option will register for two semesters, one of which will count toward the major requirements.
Honors. To qualify for Honors courses, students must have a 3.25 overall GPA or a 3.5 GPA in HSSP courses. It is recommended that students wanting to do honors should contact their advisor or a faculty member in spring semester of their third year and if possible take HSSP 100 during the 2nd semester of their junior. In order to receive honors in HSSP you must enroll in HSSP 99d and write an HSSP senior thesis. You will defend your thesis to a committee of three faculty members., two of which must be HSSP faculty. The formation of a 3-faculty member committee and a formal defense before that committee is optional for students completing 99d, but required for honors. The committee will consist of the student’s advisor as well as two members decided upon by the student and the advisor and must be approved by the chair of HSSP.
HSSP 110 (Integrative Seminar on Health). This one-semester, team-taught, capstone course is designed to bring all HSSP seniors together to integrate their academic coursework and fieldwork/laboratory experiences across a range of health-related disciplines. Each year the Integrative Seminar on Health will focus on a single issue that lends itself to examination from a variety of perspectives. Topics will vary from year to year, at the discretion of the faculty who teach the course. Each will uniquely utilize and build on Brandeis' existing expertise in the selected domain of study. Examples of potential areas of focus include: (a) the health and development of young children; (b) the neurobiology and social consequences of addiction; (c) human genetics and behavior; (d) biotechnology and society; (e) the biological and social dimensions of aging; (f) concepts and management of mental health; (g) the prevention and treatment of infectious disease, including AIDS; (h) the promotion of environmental health; and (i) women’s health. Each year, the topic selected for the Integrative Seminar will also be the focus of an annual Faculty Seminar Series on Health.
Bachelor of Science Major
The BS major requires 17 courses overall: 4 core courses, 5 electives, a research project or internship, a senior integrative seminar, and 6 additional basic science/math electives. The core science requirement for BS students must be fulfilled with BIOL 42a.
Electives: Among their 5 electives, students must choose 3 from Focal Area A, 1 from Focal Area B, and 1 from Focal Area C. All electives chosen from Focal Area A must be at or above the 22-level. Labs that accompany Focal Area A electives must be taken. Additional Basic Science Electives. Students must complete 6 additional courses from among all courses numbered 10 or above in biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, or physics. Courses numbered below 10 may not be included in this group. Accompanying laboratory courses will count as one-half of a regular semester course.
Requirements for the Minor
This new minor requires the 4 core courses and 2 electives.
Additional information available on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Approved HSSP Elective Courses
The elective courses listed are representative of the wide variety of options available and applicable to the major. These courses are taught on a rotating basis. Each year a list of courses offered is available from the Program Administrator.d .
Focal area A: Biological dimensions of health and illness
BIOL 22a Genetics and Molecular Biology
BIOL 22b Cell Structure and Function
BIOL 42a Human Physiology
BIOL 43b Human Anatomy
BIOL 55b Diet and Health
BIOL 125a Immunology
BIOL 126b Protein Structure and Disease
BIOL 128a Human Genetics
BIOL 132a General Microbiology
BIOL 149b Molecular Pharmacology
BIOL 160b Human Reproductive Biology
BIOL 172b Growth Control and Cancer
BISC 1a Designer Genes
BISC 2b Genes, Culture,a nd History: A Case Study
BISC 4a Heredity
BISC 5a Viruses and Human Disease
BISC 6b Environmental Health
BISC 7a The Biology and Culture of Deafness
CHSC 4a Chemicals and Toxicity
NBIO 140b Principles of Neuroscience
NBIO 145b Systems Neuroscience
NBIO 146a Neurobiology of Human Disease
NBIO 150a Autism and Human Developmental Disorders
NPSY 199a Human Neuropsychology
Focal area B: Social and behavioral dimensions of health and illness
ANTH 127a Medicine, Body, and Culture
ANTH 142a AIDS in Anthropological Perspective
BISC 2a Human Reproduction, Population Explosion,
ENG 58b AIDS, Activism, and Representation
HIST 136a Health and Healing in American History
HIST 136b Madness and Society in the Modern Era
PHIL 23b Biomedical Ethics
PHIL 107a Contested Commodities
PHIL 123b Topics in Biomedical Ethics: Mental Illness
PSYC 33a Developmental Psychology
PSYC 101b Psychology of Adult Development and Aging
PSYC 130b Life Span Development: Adulthood and Old Age
PSYC 131b Seminar in Health Psychology
PSYC 145b Aging in a Changing World
PSYC 164b Social Relations and Health Across the Lifespan
PSYC 169b Disorders of Childhood
SOC 177b Aging in Society
SOC 189a Sociology of Body and Health
SOC 190b Caring in the Health Care System
SOC 193a Environment, Health, and Society
Focal area C: Health care policy and practice
HS 124a Dilemmas of Long Term Care
HSSP 102a World Perspectives on Health
HSSP 104b Health Economics
HSSP 106a Managing Medicine (Professor Zinner)
HSSP 192b Sociology of Disability
LGLS 114a American Health Care: Law and Policy
LGLS 121b Law and Social Welfare:
LGLS 129b Law, Technology, and Innovation
LGLS 131b Autonomy and Self-Determination in Critical Healthcare
LGLS 132b Environmental Law and Policy
LGLS 138b Science on Trial
LGLS 139b Medical Error and Quality of Care
SOC 176a Nature, Nurture, and Public Policy
WMNS 106b Women in the Health Care System
*Undergraduate version of this course planned for future inclusion.
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