Undergraduate Education

The UK College of Medicine Department of Behavioral Science offers both an undergraduate certificate and an honors focus in medical behavioral science. The programs are designed to serve a diverse population of pre-medicine learners with an in-depth, interdisciplinary learning experience in the behavioral sciences that prepares them for managing the intellectual and interpersonal demands of medical training. 

Upon completion of the program’s core courses, students will be able to answer the following questions: What is health? How does stress get under our skin? Is your zip code a better predictor of health than genetics? How are we treated differently by doctors depending on our gender, race, or age? Why is it so hard to change our individual behavior? How do social structures guide our actions, behaviors, and responses to health and illness? What is the “culture of medicine,” and how do we become accustomed to it? 

Core Courses in Medical Behavioral Science

Courses Interdisciplinary Approach Objective
BSC 152: More than Medicine: How Psychological, Social, and Behavioral Factors Impact Health Medical Psychology (UK Core Course in the Natural Sciences) Define key concepts in medical behavioral science that may appear on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
BSC 251: Sociocultural Dimensions of Health and Medicine: A Primer for Future Practitioners Medical Sociology (UK Core Course in the Social Sciences) Apply key concepts in medical behavioral science to societal and public health issues
BSC 301: Shadowing and the Culture of Medicine Health Humanities (UK Core Course in the Humanities) Observe and experience key concepts in medical behavioral science in interprofessional clinical settings

The Undergraduate Certificate in Medical Behavioral Science:

  • Is open to undergraduate students throughout the University of Kentucky                   
  • Requires an elective course in addition to the three core courses
  • Will appear on your undergraduate transcript

The Honors Focus in Medical Behavioral Science:

• Is open to students in the Lewis Honors College

• Requires the completion of three core courses

• Will be documented with a certified letter from the program director