社会学专业的学生可以选择四个集中领域之一，也可以选择一个社会学专业而不选择一个集中领域。该课程至少包括12个学分或4个课程。社会学专业的本科生将有特别的机会接受健康，医学和衰老方面的培训，而我们的博士课程在这一领域得到了国内外的认可。教师正在探索与衰老，医疗保健和健康有关的广泛问题，然而，对衰老的研究不仅涉及老年人。这也涉及到家庭，教育，工作和休闲经历以及机构如何改变年轻人和老年人。这也关系到体验如何影响个体的衰老方式。迫切需要评估这些影响并为决策者和从业者翻译知识。
Undergraduate students majoring in Sociology have a special opportunity to receive training in health, medicine and aging, an area for which our doctoral program is nationally and internationally recognized. Faculty are exploring a wide range of questions related to aging, medical care and health. Some of these questions are: What is the relationship between health and social behavior. How do race, social class and gender impact health and adjustment to illness. How are illness and disability socially constructed. What is the process of becoming a physician or other health care provider. We also link health and aging in our courses and research. We ask questions such as why are the populations of modern societies graying and what are the consequences of this trend for health, relationships and lifestyles What is 'successful aging and how do we achieve it. To what extent is aging environmentally or culturally produced. How can families most effectively cope with care needs of their ill and older loved ones. <br>These are just some of the important questions studied by Sociologists interested in age and health. Our contemporary society needs social scientists and health care practitioners to address the needs of individuals who are vulnerable because of the challenges of illness and aging. The mix of courses in our concentration addresses the complex mix of factors that influence health and well-being in late life, especially amidst rapidly changing health care systems. The study of aging, however, is not only about old people. It is also about how family, education, work and leisure experiences and institutions are being transformed for young and old alike. It is also about how there experiences influence the way that an individual ages. There is a pressing need to evaluate these effects and translate knowledge for policymakers and practitioners.