USC offers new undergraduate health sciences minor

A new multidisciplinary minor in the health sciences this fall will allow students in the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Science to take classes at the Keck School of Medicine.

The health science minor is intended to give students an overview of the broad spectrum of work within the health care profession today. In addition to core science classes in biology and chemistry, the minor includes classes rooted in contemporary issues in health care, such as legal and business issues, as well as classes on specific types of medical practice.

“This program sets a new standard for pre-medical undergraduate education,” Carmen A. Puliafito, dean of the Keck School, said in a press release. “The faculty at the Keck School is looking forward to welcoming our first undergraduate students and also to working side-by-side with our colleagues on the University Park Campus.”

The goal of the health science minor is to utilize the resources of both Dornsife College and the Keck School to give students a comprehensive overview of what it is like to be working in health care today.

Stuart Swadron, assistant dean of pre-health undergraduate studies at the Keck School, said the minor was created to help those who want to enter health care with a well-rounded view of complex issues in medicine.

“The modern doctor needs more than a medical degree,” Swadron said in a press release. “Students are going to need to have a broader understanding of how health care fits into the bigger picture.”