Health in Social Science

Health in social science approaches human health not primarily as a biological phenomenon but as a social one, asking how the conditions of people's lives, the societies they inhabit, the inequalities they face, and the cultural frameworks through which they understand their own bodies, shape their health and their access to care. It is a discipline that draws on sociology, anthropology, psychology, history, and policy studies, and it examines health and illness as products of social structure, power, and meaning as much as of biology. Understanding why health is distributed so unequally, and what might be done about it, requires exactly the kind of interdisciplinary social science this degree develops.

At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, which enriches the degree considerably. Health systems, health inequalities, and the social determinants of health look quite different from different national vantage points, and spending time studying in another country gives you a comparative perspective that deepens your analytical understanding. Edinburgh's social science faculties are exceptionally strong, with research expertise spanning health sociology, global health, epidemiology and public health, and the history of medicine.

You will engage with this scholarship directly as well as developing your own research skills in qualitative and quantitative methods.

You will study the social determinants of health, the sociology of medicine and medical professions, health policy and welfare states, mental health and illness as social phenomena, the ethics of healthcare, and the political economy of global health. Research methods, critical theory, and academic writing are developed throughout.

Graduates in health and social science move into careers in public health, health policy and research, the NHS in analytical and commissioning roles, the charity and NGO sector in health and welfare, social research, and academic research. Many graduates go on to postgraduate training in public health, health policy, social research, or to professional training as social workers or healthcare managers. The combination of social science methods and health content is also valued in government analysis and evaluation roles.