Why Earn Your Medical Humanities Degree at Saint Leo University?
Medical humanities has grown as a new field of study over the last decade as those in medical fields recognize the need for doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and others in health-related fields to possess a more sympathetic view of health, illness, suffering, and death to more effectively and empathetically treat patients and clients. Medical humanities programs are housed in colleges of medicine and liberal arts alike, offering majors, minors, and certificates to meet this need.
As both a liberal arts and a Catholic institution, we are well-placed to offer this degree that emphasizes and respects the importance of the human person in matters of health. As an interdisciplinary curriculum, this program is committed to an innovative educational approach through project-based learning, service learning opportunities, and experiential internships.
All students majoring in the Medical Humanities will take a 21-semester-hour core. Two curricular concentrations are available in the Medical Humanities: students can follow the Pre-Med curriculum (44-semester hour credits), which includes broad training in the sciences in addition to humanities coursework, or they can choose to focus their studies more deeply in the humanities with the Health Humanities track (18-semester hour credits). Both options provide flexibility to students to craft a curriculum that fits their interests while still providing essential instruction in the Medical Humanities.
Learning Experience:
Campus
Online
Est. Time to Complete:
4 years
Credit Hours:
120 hours
Undergraduate Medical Humanities Program Details
The medical humanities program focuses on preparing students mainly for health-related fields but offers a choice of tracks for further specialization:
1. The Pre-Med track prepares students for medical school and provides the minimum science and math courses needed to succeed on the MCAT. Alternatively, this track prepares students for other graduate medical fields.
2. The Health and Humanities track supports careers and/or graduate work in other fields, such as psychology, social work, public health policy and education, medical writing, occupational therapies, and other health-related fields. Students who choose this track will have more opportunities for courses in minors that will help to focus their ultimate career goals.
Learn Your Way:
Online, On Campus, or Near You
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What are the on-campus facilities like?
Students who pursue their degrees at Saint Leo’s main campus near sunny Tampa Bay, Florida, join a community of enthusiastic learners just like them.
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What are the benefits of earning your medical humanities degree online?
Saint Leo University’s online learning experience provides a well-rounded education with the flexibility to tailor your course of study to meet your individual needs. We know our students have lives outside school, and we seek to meet them where they are. Online students can count on receiving excellent academics as well as opportunities for hands-on learning.
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Taking online classes has afforded me the opportunity to learn while maintaining a job. They give me some flexibility to study at times that work more cohesively with my schedule and allow me to utilize resources such as the library 24 hours a day.
Bentley Streat | Hayes, VA
Are education centers near you offering medical humanities degree programs?
You may also choose to pursue your degree through one of our education centers, which merge a traditional in-person education with the flexibility to match your lifestyle. Education centers offer eight-week academic terms as well as evening and weekend classes.
Career Outlook
No matter which learning experience you choose, you will receive plenty of professional development opportunities, industry knowledge from expert professors, and support from the Saint Leo community. All this together means that you will be ready for a successful career or continued studies upon graduation.
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How will you gain real experience?
Research
Students have the opportunity to assist a faculty member with research or complete their own research project to fulfill an elective course requirement within the major.
Internships
Campus students may (but are not required to) pursue internship opportunities to fulfill an elective course requirement within the major. Saint Leo maintains a strong reputation with many internship sites. Students may find opportunities with Pasco Hernando Gulfside Hospice, Sunrise of Pasco County, Metropolitan Ministries, Florida Blue, BayCare, and Moffitt Cancer Center, among others.
Conferences
Students may (but are not required to) pursue opportunities to present their research at regional and national conferences in a variety of subject areas depending on the student’s area of focus.
Co-curricular activities
Participate in the Medical Humanities Film Series, Speaker Series, and art exhibitions. Students may also intern with and/or submit work to the in-house online Medical Humanities Review, which features fiction, poetry, art, and nonfiction relating to the field.
What are the top medical humanities degree jobs?
- Medicine
- Dentistry
- Pharmacy
- Occupational therapy
- Art Therapy
- Nursing
- Physician's assistant
- Law
- Health Education
- Medical Writing
- Healthcare Management
- Public health
- Wellness program director
- Pharmaceutical representative
- Patient care coordinator
- Patient advocate
College of Arts & Sciences
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The College of Arts and Sciences at Saint Leo University offers students a broad education that lays a durable foundation for critical and independent thinking. The essential spirit of the liberal arts is a cornerstone of the varied degree programs. From biology to English to sociology, students enjoy a nice selection of in-demand degree programs for all interests.
Learning takes place both in and out of the classroom. Students travel to Europe through our cultural immersion courses, research unique plant species while trekking through the Peruvian Amazon, and attend film screenings and poetry readings. With highly experienced professors who bring a wealth of practical knowledge to the classroom, students are prepared to work in a variety of rewarding fields. The College supports more than 30 degree programs across University Campus, education centers in five states, and online.
Student Stories
"What if, two years ago, I could have seen my future? What if that opportunity allowed a peek at who I'd become after completing Saint Leo's Creative Writing MA Program? What would I tell myself? Well, self—indubitably, you made the right choice! The tools in your writer’s toolbox were obtained from a team of well-versed faculty, like-minded peers, several residency programs, assignments, and academic reviews. Creative Writing MA graduate, you made the right choice."
Violetta Deloatch-Woods (Fiction, 2023)
"Pursuing my MA at Saint Leo was the scariest decision I ever made; it also turned out to be one of the best. I have grown exponentially within this community of honest and talented writers, and I couldn’t have asked for better peers."
Derora Williams (Poetry, 2023)
"Saint Leo's Creative Writing MA program genuinely changed my life for the better. I learned so much about myself as a reader, writer, and human being with every assignment, and I was constantly challenged to grow outside of my comfort zone. My professors and peers were always there to celebrate achievements and overcome obstacles, making the program feel like my second family. I wouldn't be the person I am today without Saint Leo."
Emmett Ferree (Poetry, 2023)
"Saint Leo's Creative Writing MA program helped me immensely as a reader and a writer. Learning to read not only what is in a story, but paying careful attention to how it's written, is just one of the memorable gifts I received from this program's helpful faculty and encouraging environment."
Janna Correa, (Fiction, 2022)
This program allows growth as a writer and as a person. The experience was absurdly personal. Absurd because of the organic evolution fostered by its leadership and absurd because of the personal touches from the instructors. Why expect that? St. Leo is invested in its students. You get more than you bargained for.
Jimmy Sutman, (Poetry, 2022)
It can be intimidating to go back to school after decades of being in the workforce. But as a non-traditional student, I felt nothing but a warm welcome from Saint Leo faculty and my classmates. I started my first semester at another university and wasn't happy. I transferred to Saint Leo and learned more than I could have ever imagined in this program. Best decision I ever made. Thanks to my studies there, I'm getting ready to release my first book at the end of this year!
Lisa Moody, (Nonfiction, 2021)
News
Accreditation
Saint Leo University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, and doctoral degrees.
