Director: Jefferson Gatrall
The Medical Humanities major offers a broad and flexible curriculum, drawing on the humanities, social sciences, the arts, biomedical sciences, and the caregiving disciplines. Majors take core courses in Bioethics, Medical Anthropology, and Literature and Illness and fulfill further requirements through a choice of offerings in psychology, history, sociology, religious studies, child advocacy, and biology. Majors also pursue personal academic and career goals through coursework in 4 tracks of electives. In their final year, all Medical Humanities majors work one-on-one with a faculty supervisor to create a capstone experiential learning project, one that may involve placement in healthcare institutions or health-related organizations in New Jersey and New York City.
The Medical Humanities major gives students a competitive edge in the healthcare industries, the fastest growing sector in the economy today. Medical Humanities majors acquire a knowledge base in diverse healthcare fields as well as the transferable job skills that employees value highly: writing, oral communication, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making. Medical Humanities graduates find employment opportunities in hospitals, insurance carriers, universities, pharmaceutical companies, nursing facilities, physicians’ offices, retirement communities, and outpatient centers. They also continue their studies at the postgraduate level, from medical and law school to a range of interdisciplinary PhD programs in the humanities and social sciences.
Unless otherwise noted, 120 credits of coursework is required for a baccalaureate degree with a minimum 2.0 overall GPA, and a minimum 2.0 major GPA.
Program Requirements Overview
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | 29 | |
| World Languages and Cultures Requirements | 3-9 | |
| Major Requirements | 40 | |
| Free Electives | 48-42 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| MEDH 101 | Introduction to the Medical Humanities | 3 |
| ANTH 180 | Health and Healing in Cross Cultural Perspective | 3 |
| MEDH 204 | Philosophical Issues in Biomedical Ethics | 3 |
| or PHIL 204 | Philosophical Issues in Biomedical Ethics | |
| MEDH 301 | Medicine, Literature and Illness | 3 |
| MEDH 491 | Capstone Project in the Medical Humanities | 3 |
| Human Biology Requirement | ||
| Complete 1 course from the following: | 4 | |
| Physical Anthropology | ||
| The Biology of Human Life | ||
| Principles of Biology: Introduction to the Cell | ||
| Social Sciences Requirement | ||
| Complete 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Child Abuse and Neglect | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Sociology of the Family | ||
| Humanities Requirement | ||
| Complete 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| History of Public Health in the United States | ||
| Special Topics in the Medical Humanities | ||
| Body and Soul | ||
| Language, Power, and Medicine: The Spectrum of Health | ||
| Electives | ||
| Complete 15 credits from the list below. | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 40 | |
Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MEDH 391 | Special Topics in the Medical Humanities | 3-9 |
| Caregiving, Aging Studies and Disability Studies | ||
| ANTH 105 | Introduction to Disability Studies, Rights, and Culture | 3 |
| ANTH 205 | Disability in US Popular Culture | 3 |
| ANTH 350 | Anthropology of Aging and the Aged | 3 |
| ARTH 280 | Introduction to Art Therapy | 3 |
| MUTH 100 | Introduction to Music Therapy | 2 |
| RELG 218 | Death, Dying and Afterlife | 3 |
| RELG 232 | Body and Soul | 3 |
| PSYC 268 | Psychological Aspects of Aging | 3 |
| Communication and Advocacy | ||
| CHAD 201 | Literacy in Child Advocacy and Policy | 3 |
| CMST 160 | Introduction to Health Communication | 3 |
| CMST 367 | Health Communication Theory | 3 |
| FREN 121 | Intermediate French | 3 |
| NURS 420 | Transprofessional Communication Collaboration | 3 |
| NURS 450 | Nursing Scholarship | 3 |
| SPAN 105 | Spanish for Health Practitioners I | 3 |
| SPAN 106 | Spanish for Health Practitioners II | 3 |
| SPAN 107 | Spanish for Health Practitioners III | 3 |
| WRIT 351 | Language, Power, and Medicine: The Spectrum of Health | 3 |
| Human Biological and Psychological Well-Being | ||
| ANTH 101 | Physical Anthropology | 4 |
| BIOL 110 | The Biology of Human Life | 4 |
| BIOL 111 | Emerging Diseases | 3 |
| BIOL 112 | Principles of Biology: Introduction to the Cell | 4 |
| BIOL 113 | Principles of Biology: Organisms and Diversity | 4 |
| PSYC 227 | Psychological Aspects of Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PSYC 302 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 320 | Developmental Psychology I | 3 |
| PSYC 332 | Psychological Foundations of Personality | 3 |
| PSYC 354 | Clinical Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 402 | Systems of Psychotherapy | 3 |
| Community and Public Health | ||
| ANTH 330 | The Anthropology of Food and Nutrition | 3 |
| ANTH 423 | Community and Health | 3-4 |
| ANTH 440 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| CHAD 202 | Cultural Competencies in Child Welfare | 3 |
| CHAD 210 | Child Abuse and Neglect | 3 |
| HLTH 102 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| HLTH 204 | Social and Behavioral Aspects of Health | 3 |
| SOCI 104 | Sociology of the Family | 3 |
| SOCI 240 | Statistics for Social Research | 4 |
| SOCI 309 | Sociology of Health and Illness | 3 |
General Education Requirements
Click here for a list of courses that fulfill General Education categories.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| A. New Student Seminar | ||
| Complete a 1 credit New Student Seminar course. | 1 | |
| C. Communication | ||
| 1. Writing | 3 | |
| 2. Literature | 3 | |
| 3. Communication | 3 | |
| D. Fine and Performing Arts | ||
| Complete a 3 credit Fine and Performing Arts course. | 3 | |
| F. Humanities | ||
| 1. Great Works and Their Influences | 3 | |
| 2. Philosophical and Religious Perspectives | 3 | |
| G. Computer Science | ||
| Complete a 3 credit Computer Science course. | 3 | |
| H. Mathematics | ||
| Complete a 3 credit Mathematics course. | 3 | |
| I. Natural Science Laboratory | ||
| Fulfilled in the major. | ||
| Physical Anthropology | ||
or BIOL 110 | The Biology of Human Life | |
or BIOL 112 | Principles of Biology: Introduction to the Cell | |
| J. Physical Education | ||
| Complete a 1 credit Physical Education course. | 1 | |
| K. Social Science | ||
| 1. American and European History | 3 | |
| 2. Global Cultural Perspectives | ||
| Health and Healing in Cross Cultural Perspective (Fulfilled in the major.) | ||
| 3. Social Science Perspectives | ||
| Fulfilled in the major. | ||
| Child Abuse and Neglect | ||
or PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology | |
or SOCI 104 | Sociology of the Family | |
| L. Interdisciplinary Studies | ||
| Introduction to the Medical Humanities (Fulfilled in the major.) | ||
| Total Credits | 29 | |
World Languages and Cultures Requirements
Click here for a list of courses that fulfill World Languages and Cultures categories.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| World Languages | ||
| Based on language placement exam, complete one or two sequential courses in the same language. Requirement is automatically fulfilled by language major courses. | 3-6 | |
| World Cultures | ||
| Requirement may be fulfilled by course selected in General Education - Social Science: Global Cultural Perspectives. Requirement may also be fulfilled by major coursework. See list of courses. | 0-3 | |
| Total Credits | 3-9 | |
Recommended Roadmap to Degree Completion
This four-year plan is provided as an outline for students to follow in order to complete their degree requirements within four years. This plan is a recommendation and students should only use it in consultation with their academic advisor.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| GNED 199 | 1 | WRIT 106 | 3 |
| WRIT 105 | 3 | GENERAL EDUCATION (D) Fine and Performing Arts | 3 |
| CMST 101 | 3 | CSIT 100 | 3 |
| PSYC 101, SOCI 104, or CHAD 210 | 3 | Major Human Biology requirement | 4 |
| PHIL 100, 102, or 106 | 3 | ANTH 180 | 3 |
| MEDH 101 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (F1) Humanities – Great Works and Their Influences | 3 | World Language 2 | 3 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (H) Mathematics | 3 | World Cultures | 3 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (K1) Social Science – American and European History | 3 | MEDH 204 | 3 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (K2) Social Science – Global Cultural Perspectives | 3 | Major Humanities requirement | 3 |
| World Language 1 | 3 | Free Elective/Minor course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MEDH 301 | 3 | GENERAL EDUCATION (J) Physical Education | 1 |
| Major Elective | 3 | Major Elective | 3 |
| Major Elective | 3 | Free Elective/Minor course | 3 |
| Free Elective/Minor course | 3 | Free Elective/Minor course | 3 |
| Free Elective/Minor course | 3 | Free Elective/Minor course | 3 |
| 15 | 13 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Major Elective | 3 | MEDH 491 | 3 |
| Free Elective/Minor course | 3 | Major Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective/Minor course | 3 | Free Elective/Minor course | 3 |
| Free Elective/Minor course | 3 | Free Elective/Minor course | 3 |
| Free Elective/Minor course | 3 | Free Elective/Minor course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits 120 | |||