Health and Society (PhD)

The PhD in Health and Society at McMaster University, offered through McMaster's School of Graduate Studies, applies an interdisciplinary, comparative, and critical lens to health as a social and cultural process, construct, and outcome. The program addresses both social-structural and cultural dimensions of health, allowing students to pursue research beyond conventional public health, demography, and health-services management. Research areas include social-cultural dimensions of health, systems, services and policy, environments and inequalities, and diversity and inclusion. The program is completed on a full-time basis over a nominal length of four years, with typical entry in September, and culminates in a dissertation defended before an examination committee. The credential awarded is a Doctor of Philosophy in Health and Society, preparing graduates for research and academic careers examining health as a social phenomenon.