Medical Humanities an Health Science

About the Major

The Medical Humanities and Health Studies program prepares you to understand the broader role and determinants of health and medicine in today’s world. Humanities courses raise questions of how human beings deal with health, medical intervention, illness, and death. You will gain insight into the social, economic, and cultural contexts of health, illness, and health care. This degree prepares students for a wide array of career paths.

Skills and abilities this major develops include: effective communication, health care knowledge, public speaking, research, and problem solving (IU School of Liberal Arts, 2017).

Engaged Learning Experiences

Regardless of your major or future career, engaged learning is vital to your present and future. It makes you more marketable for jobs and professional schools upon graduation, it enables you to build deeper connections with faculty and staff in your field of study, and it makes your learning personal by connecting your interests and values with the curriculum from your classes. Check out the three ideas below for places to get started, or learn more at IUPUI’s Institute for Engaged Learning website.

Life-Health Sciences Internship Program

LHSI is a paid internship program that places second and third year IUPUI students in a variety of health and science workplaces to gain practical experience and skills

Study Abroad

Study abroad is much more than a trip—it’s an intellectual and cultural adventure that will change the way you see the world, other people, and yourself. IU offers a number of opportunities for students to learn about global health.

Professional Work Experience

Working on-campus for offices such as Campus Recreation or the Office of Health and Wellness can provide great preparation for a variety of health-related careers.

Opportunities After Graduation

A degree in medical humanities can be applied to a variety of fields, making employment outlook difficult to track, but with numerous possibilities. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook (2017), health care occupations as a whole are projected to grow at 19% through 2024. Employment through 2024 for community health workers is expected to grow by 13%, while 10% growth is expected for social and community service managers, and 13% growth is expected for health educators.

For the May 2019 graduating cohort, the average starting salary for IU School of Liberal Arts graduates from IUPUI was $38,937, and the median salary was $36,350. The median starting salary for liberal arts graduates was $50,000 for the class of May 2019, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE, 2019).

(This section is intended for informational purposes, not prediction of actual salary.)

Medical humanities majors often pursue advanced degrees in the following areas: dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, public health, health administration, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, nursing, law, and physician assistant studies.

Quick Facts

Sample Coursework

Perspectives on health, disease, and healing
Health economics
Applied health care ethics
Sociology of death and dying
Health communication
History of medicine and public health
Anthropology of aging

Possible Careers

Medical scribe
Medical sales
Nurse*
Physician assistant*
Public health educator
Rehabilitation counselor*
Wellness program director

*These career options require additional training or education.

Where could I work?

Community Health Network
Eskenazi Health
IU Health
Nonprofit organizations
Nursing and residential care facilities
Offices of physicians

Complementing Interests

IInvestigative

SSocial

CConventional

Get your interest code

Where to Get More Information

IU School of Liberal Arts

Bureau of Health Professions

American Society for Bioethics and Humanities

Arts, Humanities, and Human Services Cluster

This major is part of the Arts, Humanities, and Human Services (AHHS) cluster. The AHHS cluster is the academic home of University College students pursuing majors in art and design, education, general studies, journalism, liberal arts, and social work. The AHHS cluster partners with students on their academic advising and career plans to guide them into their degree-granting schools.

Learn about the AHHS cluster

Learn about other clusters

Meet with an advisor or career consultant

Schedule an appointment