Degree Type: Certificate

The primary objective of the Society, Biology, and Health certificate is to create an interdisciplinary graduate training environment that will foster innovative research on the complex associations among human biology, society, and health.

Multi-level, multi-method research on society, biology, and health presents tremendous opportunities for enriching our understanding of the determinants and consequences of variation in health, but it also poses significant challenges. In particular, few social scientists possess the background in biological theory and method that is necessary to effectively measure, analyze, and interpret biological processes in community-based research settings. Collaborations with biomedical scientists can help address this gap, but if social scientists want to make the most of these efforts, it is incumbent upon them to share a common vocabulary with their collaborators.

The Society, Biology, and Health certificate will likely appeal to students seeking degrees in anthropology, economics, human development and social policy, psychology, or sociology. We expect participating students to complement their disciplinary training with a level of biological knowledge that will allow them to think critically and creatively about how to use biological measures to address questions of interest to social scientists and policy makers

Certificate Offered