Bachelor of Arts in Health Humanities Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) University - Boston Campus, USA

Develop an in-depth understanding of individual and collective experiences of health and illness by combining communication and critical thinking skills with cultural competencies.

The four-year BA in Health Humanities is the first and only stand-alone health humanities bachelor of arts in New England. This interdisciplinary program, offered at our Boston campus, encompasses a broad variety of health and humanities topics, including literature, philosophy, the arts, history, anthropology, sociology, biology, chemistry, and public health. Upon graduation, you will be prepared to move on to an advanced degree program or a career in public health, healthcare policy, law, education, journalism, or a wide range of healthcare fields.

Program Learning Outcomes

As educated members of society, undergraduates in the health humanities should be able to:

• Define the health humanities as an interdisciplinary field of study, including identification of key values, concepts, theories, and methodological approaches;
• Knowledgeably apply key values and concepts in the health humanities as an intellectual framework for analyzing and critiquing factors affecting individual and collective experiences of health and illness;
• Integrate learned skills and knowledge derived from the study of the humanities, arts, social sciences, and relevant health care disciplines, acquiring the necessary intellectual depth and breadth required for meaningful interdisciplinary perspectives on health and illness as shared human experiences.
• Demonstrate proficiency in using disciplinary-appropriate methods for research, critical analysis, creative work, or professional performance.
• Integrate learned skills in critical reading and writing to effectively communicate interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations to a range of different audiences; to develop clear, effective, and accurate communication (written, oral, or other relevant media) appropriate to the needs of different audiences and rhetorical situations;
• Demonstrate adequate knowledge of different cultural and historical understandings of health, illness, and/or disability, as well as an understanding of social determinants of health and health inequalities;
• Demonstrate an ability to engage in long-term cumulative learning in the health humanities, culminating in a research project presented to peers.