Sociology Major: Community Health Emphasis With 5-year Master of Behavioral Science
(MBS) in Rural Community Health
The Community Health Emphasis in SOC allows students to complete an undergraduate degree in SOC with an emphasis in Community Health and a Master of Behavioral Science (MBS) degree in Rural Community Health within five years. The Community Health emphasis in SOC requires particular courses (e.g., in medical sociology, independent study, research methods, and statistics) that prepare students for success in the MBS program. To remain qualified for this accelerated pathway, before the start of Year Four each student must have:
- maintained a 3.0 cumulative GPA and a 3.3 GPA within the Sociology Major
- completed two natural science courses (with lab), and one statistics course, with a grade of B or above in the statistics course
- fulfilled the 3-credit SOC 399: Internship requirement with a passing grade and a positive letter from the project sponsor
- listed two references
- written a Statement of Purpose to the MBS program that includes detail regarding academic and career ambitions and feasible ideas or plans regarding their eventual completion of MBS 699: Community Health Practicum
At this point, if any aspect of a student's performance is found to be inadequate, the MBS Director may reject a student from the MBS program, in which case the student must find a new emphasis or minor so they can complete the undergraduate degree. In addition to meeting the requirements above, and after Junior Year and completion of SOC Major requirements, students will be designated as "MBS candidates with provisional acceptance." Upon completion of the final credits toward the B.A. degree and after year four of this plan, students will be designated as "MBS degree-seeking students." Students who choose not to continue with the MBS after Year 4 of the accelerated program, but who successfully completed all other requirements of the program, will still have completed the undergraduate SOC degree with the Community Health Emphasis and earned the 120 credits necessary for an undergraduate degree.
A minimum of 57 credits is required for B.A. components of the Community Health Emphasis.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| All of the following: | ||
| SOC 110 | The Sociological Imagination (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| SOC 211 | Questionnaires and Survey Methods | 3 |
| SOC 225 | Self and Society | 3 |
| SOC 302 | Origins of Sociological Theory | 3 |
| SOC 310 | Interviewing and Field Methods | 3 |
| SOC 322 | Sociology of Health, Illness, and Medicine | 3 |
| SOC 355 | Drugs and Society | 3 |
| SOC 380 | Social Class, Status, and Power | 3 |
| SOC 399 | Internship in Sociology | 3 |
| SOC 498 | Capstone | 3 |
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to General Anthropology (GT-SS3) | ||
| General Psychology (GT-SS3) | ||
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Medical Anthropology | ||
| Psychopathology | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Communities & Social Change | ||
| Environmental Sociology | ||
| Introduction to Criminal Justice | ||
| Sociology of Families | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Deviance | ||
| Juvenile Delinquency | ||
| Probation, Parole, and Incarceration | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Statistics for Business and Economics | ||
| Probability and Statistics (GT-MA1) | ||
| Statistics and Data Analysis | ||
| MBS in Rural Community Health Courses | ||
| All of the following: | ||
| MBS 601 | Behavioral Science and Community Health | 3 |
| MBS 602 | Quantitative Methods and Research Design | 3 |
| MBS 603 | Quantitative Analysis in Behavioral Science | 3 |
| MBS 605 | Health Disparities | 3 |
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Qualitative Methods and Analysis | ||
| Program Planning and Evaluation | ||
| Violence and Trauma | ||
| Total Credits | 57 | |
Upon successful completion of the prescribed courses listed above, University-defined General Education, and elective requirements totaling 120 credits (with 40 at the 300-level or higher), students are eligible for their B.A. conferral. Students electing to complete the MBS in Rural Community Health must complete the MBS curriculum.
Western Watershed General Education Requirements
Students must complete all Western Watershed General Education requirements to graduate.
Graduation Requirements
Undergraduate programs require a minimum of 120 semester credits for graduation. Of those 120 credits, 40 credits must be in upper-division courses (those marked 300 and above). Fifteen of these 40 upper-division credits must be earned in courses that are part of the standard or comprehensive major program being pursued.
Students are expected to review all graduation requirements, which can be found in the Western Undergraduate Catalog: Graduation Requirements.
Sample Plan
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| ENG 102 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) | 3 |
| SOC 110 | The Sociological Imagination (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| Western Watershed | Western Watershed course | 9 |
| WWGE 101/102/103/104 | Headwaters: Studies in... (select one) | 2 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| ANTH 107 or PSY 100 |
Introduction to General Anthropology (GT-SS3) or General Psychology (GT-SS3) |
3 |
| ENG 103 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) | 3 |
| Western Watershed | Western Watershed course | 7 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| SOC 302 | Origins of Sociological Theory | 3 |
| SOC 322 or SOC 355 |
Sociology of Health, Illness, and Medicine or Drugs and Society |
3 |
| Elective | Elective, minor, or second major course | 6 |
| Western Watershed | Western Watershed course | 4 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ANTH 355 |
Medical Anthropology or Psychopathology or Health Psychology |
3 |
| SOC 355 or SOC 322 |
Drugs and Society or Sociology of Health, Illness, and Medicine |
3 |
| SOC 310 | Interviewing and Field Methods | 3 |
| Elective | Elective, minor, or second major course | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| ECON 216 |
Statistics for Business and Economics or Probability and Statistics (GT-MA1) or Statistics and Data Analysis |
3 |
| SOC 211 | Questionnaires and Survey Methods | 3 |
| SOC 380 | Social Class, Status, and Power | 3 |
| Elective | Elective, minor, or second major course | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| At this point, students should apply to the 3+2 program. | ||
| SOC 399 | Internship in Sociology (if not completed during summer before Year 4) | 3 |
| Elective | Elective, minor, or second major course | 6 |
| Western Watershed | Western Watershed course | 3 |
| WWGE 301/302/303/304 | Delta course (select one) | 1 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Summer | ||
| **Summer courses count towards a student’s GPA, Academic Standing, and follow summer tuition fee structure. | ||
| SOC 399 | Internship in Sociology (if not completed during Spring Year 3) | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| MBS 601 | Behavioral Science and Community Health | 3 |
| MBS 602 | Quantitative Methods and Research Design | 3 |
| MBS 611 or MBS 612 |
Program Planning and Evaluation or Violence and Trauma |
3 |
| Elective | Elective, minor, or second major course | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| MBS 603 | Quantitative Analysis in Behavioral Science | 3 |
| MBS 604 or MBS 612 |
Qualitative Methods and Analysis or Violence and Trauma |
3 |
| MBS 605 or MBS 611 |
Health Disparities or Program Planning and Evaluation |
3 |
| SOC 498 | Capstone | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| **Summer courses count towards a student’s GPA, Academic Standing, and follow summer tuition fee structure. | ||
| MBS 698 | Community Health Practicum Proposal | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Year Five | ||
| Fall | ||
| MBS 699 | Community Health Practicum | 3 |
| MBS Elective | MBS Elective course | 6 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| MBS 699 | Community Health Practicum | 3 |
| MBS Elective | MBS Elective course | 6 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 131 | |
Western is committed to doing our part to provide each student a clear path to graduation. This four‐year degree plan is a sample map for fulfilling requirements in the major and General Education. The pathway that you take to your degree may differ somewhat from this illustration, depending on where you start and the detours and side trips you may take along the way. You are responsible for ensuring your overall, upper division, and major‐specific credits as well as GPA requirements are fulfilled for graduation.