PhD: Health and Society
Why study Health and Society at Baylor?
The Health and Society track in the Department of Sociology at Baylor focuses on understanding how social forces are linked to individual health and health behaviors. As a transdisciplinary area of study, Health and Society infuses sociological theories and principles with allied work in public health, epidemiology, and gerontology. Social mechanisms are emphasized as are sociological approaches to illuminating the roles of biology, genetics, and stress in evolving levels of mental and physical well-being across the life course.
Course offerings include Sociology of Health, Population Health, Health Inequalities in America, and Sociology of Mental Health. Students also learn to use advanced quantitative methods to address key population health issues. Graduate students conduct research independently and in collaboration with our highly-productive faculty. We tailor research mentorship to each student’s interests and goals.
Academic Analytics recently ranked Baylor 8th among sociology doctoral programs in journal publications per faculty member. Our faculty publish in top generalist and specialty journals, including American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, and Society and Mental Health.
What resources are available?
At Baylor, we offer full graduate assistantships and tuition remission for five years of study toward the doctoral degree. Graduate students routinely attend regional and national conferences to present their research. Meanwhile, students routinely publish their research while at Baylor.
In addition to cutting-edge sociological research, the Baylor sociology department is recognized for its outstanding pedagogical training. Graduate students participate in a two-semester Seminar in Teaching, equipping them to design, implement, and evaluate their own college courses. While students will teach their own college course at least once during their doctoral studies, financial packages are designed to maximize the amount of time students have to conduct research projects they choose.
What can I expect?
The PhD program in sociology at Baylor University is collegial, rigorous, and supportive. A defining feature of the program is mentorship. Faculty and students work closely together in research and teaching. For students interested in the intersection of health and religion, Baylor’s international reputation in the sociology of religion represents another distinctive feature of the program.
We have a two-semester teacher-in-training sequence that all students must complete before they are allowed to teach a course at Baylor. This training will help students understand the many different areas of preparation that are necessary to establish and successfully manage a college course.
Relevant Faculty:
Matt Andersson, Mackenzie Brewer, Diana Kendall, Markus Schafer, Jeremy Uecker, and Laura Upenieks