Health & Societies Major (Curriculum Guide)
Penn’s Health and Societies major examines how social, cultural, political, economic, and biological forces shape health and health care. It is an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts, not a clinical credential. Your plan should combine current major requirements with College degree rules, careful course sequencing, and advice from Penn’s academic advisors.
Choosing a health-related major can feel like choosing a career before you know what the work involves. This major offers a way to study health through several fields at once, while leaving room to explore policy, research, community work, or further study. The key is to understand what the degree includes, and what it does not promise.
What the Health and Societies major studies
Health and Societies, often shortened to HSOC, explores health as more than a matter of biology. Students study how institutions, social conditions, culture, politics, and economics affect people’s health and their access to care. The major is housed in Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences and leads to a B.A.
For example, a question about unequal access to care might involve public policy, income, history, and health systems, alongside biological evidence. HSOC helps students examine such questions from more than one angle.
This is an academic major, not a professional license or clinical degree. It does not, by itself, qualify graduates to diagnose or treat patients. Students interested in medicine or another health profession need to check that profession’s separate prerequisites and training rules.
Penn is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. This is institutional accreditation, not separate programmatic accreditation for the HSOC major. A similarly named major at another college may have a different curriculum, degree, or career preparation.
How the Penn B.A. and major requirements fit together
A degree plan includes both College-wide requirements and requirements for the major. Penn’s College B.A. requires 34 course units, or CUs, overall. The current catalog and your degree audit determine which courses count and how general education, major, and residency rules apply to you.
A course unit is Penn’s measure of coursework. Do not assume that completing 34 CUs alone meets every graduation rule: students must also satisfy the applicable College and major requirements.
Plan the major using the current HSOC requirements and approved course list. Depending on the rules for your entry year, the plan may include core, methods, concentration, elective, and culminating-work requirements. Confirm the exact structure with the HSOC undergraduate advisor; do not copy a plan from another school or an older catalog.
| Planning area | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| College B.A. | 34 CUs and current College rules | The major is only one part of the degree |
| HSOC major | Current approved requirements and courses | Requirements can change by entry year |
| Course sequence | Prerequisites and term availability | Some advanced courses may depend on earlier study |
| Culminating work | Whether your plan includes a capstone or senior project | It can affect the final terms of your schedule |
| Graduation eligibility | Degree audit and advisor review | These are central checks for remaining requirements |
Treat the table as a planning aid, not an official checklist. The catalog and degree audit control.
How to build a course plan step by step
A course sequence is the order in which you take classes, based on prerequisites, availability, and degree rules. Build your HSOC plan early, then review it each term. This is especially useful when methods courses, advanced seminars, or a culminating project have prerequisites or limited offerings.
- Start with the current rules. Find the College catalog and HSOC requirements that apply to your entry year. Note required courses, approved choices, and any limits.
- Mark prerequisites. A prerequisite is a course or other condition you must complete before enrolling in a later course. Check each planned course in the official course information.
- Check when courses run. Do not assume a course will be offered every term. Ask an advisor about availability before building a plan that relies on one course.
- Map all 34 CUs. Include College requirements, HSOC courses, and other approved coursework. Leave room to adjust if a class is full or does not fit your plan.
- Review the degree audit each term. Check that courses are applying to the requirements you intended. Ask before substituting a course or changing a requirement.
- Confirm the plan with advisors. Discuss the major with the HSOC undergraduate advisor and College academic advising. Keep written guidance about approvals when possible.
In advising, I have seen students focus first on interesting electives and only later notice that a required course needs to come earlier. A simple prerequisite map can prevent that kind of scheduling surprise. The next step is to check your own audit, rather than rely on a sample plan.
Compare HSOC with related study paths
Several majors can lead students to ask questions about health, but they do not teach the same things. HSOC’s interdisciplinary approach may suit students who want to study health alongside social and institutional forces. Compare the actual course lists, requirements, and career preparation before choosing.
| Academic path | Main focus to investigate | A useful fit question |
|---|---|---|
| Health and Societies | How social, cultural, political, economic, and biological factors shape health and care | Do I want to connect health questions to several disciplines? |
| Public health | Population health, prevention, and health systems, as defined by the specific program | Do I want a curriculum centered on communities and population-level health? |
| Sociology | Social relationships, institutions, and patterns in society | Do I want a broader social-science major, with health as one possible subject? |
| Anthropology | Human societies and cultures, with the focus shaped by the program | Do I want to study culture and human experience in depth? |
| Pre-health preparation | Prerequisite coursework for a professional program, alongside an undergraduate major | Have I checked the requirements of the schools or professions I may pursue? |
These are broad distinctions, not guarantees about every department. Review course catalogs and ask advisors how students combine majors with pre-health requirements. “Pre-health” is usually a set of preparation goals, not a substitute for checking each professional program’s admission rules.
Admissions, transfer credit, and cost checks
Admission to Penn and admission to a major are different planning questions. Penn does not publish a guaranteed GPA, class-rank, or test-score cutoff for admission. Its process is highly selective and holistic, so applicants should confirm testing rules and deadlines for their entry year on Penn Admissions’ official website.
Transfer admission and transfer-credit approval are also separate decisions. If you are applying as a transfer student, do not assume that an accepted course will count toward Penn’s College requirements or the HSOC major. Request Penn’s written evaluation of prior coursework before building a degree plan around it.
Credit that does not meet a degree requirement may not shorten time to graduation. That can affect total cost. Compare net cost, meaning the amount you may pay after grants and other aid, rather than tuition or sticker price alone. Use Penn’s current cost and financial-aid information, and check aid renewal rules and satisfactory academic progress conditions.
Career directions and further study
An HSOC B.A. can support several directions, but a major does not guarantee a job, admission to graduate school, or a particular salary. Possible paths include health policy, community health, health administration, research coordination, nonprofit work, government work, and preparation for further study in public health, social science, or health professions.
Use internships, research, advising, and relevant coursework to test your interests while you are in college. For outcome data, ask Penn for current figures specific to HSOC, including career and graduate-school results. College-wide or university-wide data may not describe outcomes for this major.
If you plan to enter clinical practice, identify the required professional degree, prerequisites, exams, and licensure steps for that field. HSOC can be part of an undergraduate foundation, but it is not clinical training.
A practical planning example
The following scenarios are illustrative planning examples, not reports of specific Penn students. They show how the same major can support different goals, while keeping official requirements and individual advising at the center.
| Student’s goal | Planning move | Check before committing |
|---|---|---|
| Explore health policy | Choose approved HSOC courses that connect health and institutions; seek relevant research or internship experience | Confirm course eligibility and ask about current opportunities |
| Prepare for a health profession | Map HSOC and College requirements alongside the profession’s prerequisites | Verify requirements directly with each professional program |
| Transfer into Penn | Submit prior course information for Penn’s evaluation and draft a plan from approved credits | Confirm in writing which credits apply to the degree and major |
| Consider graduate study | Build strong writing, research, and methods skills through approved coursework | Ask for current, major-specific graduate-school outcome data |
The common thread is early verification. A course that seems relevant may not satisfy a specific requirement, and an opportunity may not be available every term. Bring your proposed plan to an advisor before relying on it.
Frequently asked questions
These short answers address common questions from students comparing degree requirements, transfer options, and career plans. Use them as a starting point, then verify details in Penn’s current catalog, degree audit, and official advising guidance.
Is Health and Societies a B.A. at Penn?
Yes. At Penn, HSOC is an interdisciplinary major in the College of Arts and Sciences and leads to a Bachelor of Arts.
How many course units does Penn’s College B.A. require?
The College B.A. requires 34 course units. Check your entry-year catalog and degree audit for all other applicable rules.
Is HSOC a clinical or pre-med degree?
No. It is an academic major, not a clinical credential. Students considering medical school must separately meet the admission requirements of the programs they apply to.
Does the major have a fixed list of required courses?
Use the current HSOC requirements for your entry year. Check the approved course list and confirm any core, methods, concentration, elective, or culminating-work rules with an advisor.
Can transfer courses count toward the major?
They may, but credit acceptance and application to a degree or major requirement are separate decisions. Get Penn’s evaluation before relying on prior coursework.
Is a similarly named major elsewhere equivalent?
Not necessarily. Compare the other institution’s curriculum, degree rules, accreditation context, and outcomes directly.
What jobs can HSOC graduates pursue?
Possible directions include policy, community health, administration, research coordination, nonprofit or government work, and further study. These are possibilities, not guaranteed placements.
Where should I verify admissions requirements?
Use Penn Admissions’ official information for the entry year you plan to apply. Penn publishes no guaranteed GPA, class-rank, or test-score cutoff.
What should I do before registering for an upper-level HSOC course?
Check prerequisites, term availability, and whether the course meets your intended requirement. Confirm substitutions or unclear cases with an advisor.
How do I keep my graduation plan on track?
Review your degree audit each term, track remaining College and HSOC requirements, and discuss changes with HSOC and College advisors.
(This article was written by one of our staff writers, Matthew Ellison. Visit our Meet the Team page.)
