Sociomedical Sciences

The Sociomedical Sciences Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program is interdisciplinary, with study divided between the Mailman School of Public Health and one social science department (Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology, or Psychology) in Columbia’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

The PhD is designed for individuals who wish to combine training in a social or behavioral science discipline with a focus on research and teaching in public health and medicine. Students undertake one year of course work in a social science discipline of their choice and a similar length of training in public health. Faculty mentors are drawn from the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, as well as from other Mailman School faculty with social science training, and faculty from social science departments in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Upon satisfactory completion of the PhD, students will be able to conduct independent and scholarly research that advances knowledge in public health applying the theory and methods of their chosen social science discipline. The successful PhD graduate will be an independent scholar with the ability to teach in either a social science department or a school of public health.