The Department of Sociology offers a graduate program leading to a Master of Arts degree in Applied Sociology. Beyond a curriculum appropriate for general applied sociology, the program includes a graduate track in Medical Sociology as well as instruction and opportunities pertaining to the study of deviant behavior and crime, social inequalities, and health, families and communities.<br><br>Medical Sociology is an important subfield of Sociology that was developed and recognized in 1959 by the American Sociological Association (ASA). Medical sociology identifies the processes of health, illness, and medical care as social phenomena. The American Sociological Association identifies the following research topics under the field of medical sociology: the subjective experience of health and illness, the political, economic and environmental circumstances surrounding health and illness, the societal structures and forces that constrain the medical care system, individual responses to illness, and social movements related to health and healthcare. Having a deep understanding of how social processes work to affect an individual's health allows for many different careers. Medical sociologists use their knowledge to work for governmental and non-governmental organizations centered on health. They work for federal, state, and private health insurance plans. Medical sociologists conduct research and make policy that addresses public health problems. Many students who study medical sociology enter medical school to become clinicians and teachers of medical education. Still others enter dental school, physical therapy school, or other professional programs in the allied fields of health and apply knowledge gained from Medical Sociology to improve their patients' lives.