Medical Sociology Programs

[medanthroMPH]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to know if anyone could point me into the direction of medical sociology PhD programs. Thanks!

[Jang]

They told me medical sociology is hot these days, too many people are applying. But I didn't even found an official ranking regarding to med soc. Nor from US News or Times.

Anyone to help? It's my curiosity too.

[SocViv]

They told me medical sociology is hot these days, too many people are applying. But I didn't even found an official ranking regarding to med soc. Nor from US News or Times.

Anyone to help? It's my curiosity too.

There's no rankings probably because it's a less measurable subfield of sociology - there are a lot of overlaps within and beyond sociology. While it's not rankings, there's a list of schools with a medical sociology focus here http://dept.kent.edu/sociology/asamedsoc/gradprog.htm

Depending on your focus, you'll want to look for a program in a school that has research capabilities in your area of interest. For example, if you're interested in substance abuse, try to find a place that has a rehab facility affiliated with the med school. Or if you're interested in urban health, then an urban school. Or healthcare in East Asia, find a place with a strong East Asian studies presence. If you can find a place that has easy access to a population you can study, that's going to be a huge help for your research, and helps you write a great statement of purpose.

To me, rankings just tell you where you're most likely to be fully funded.