The program prepares students for entry-level positions working with people in hospitals and community-based health care facilities, education, and social and human service organizations. With appropriate selection of elective courses, students are well positioned to pursue graduate studies in related fields such as anthropology, psychology, sociology, or disability studies, as well as graduate professional preparation in behavioral medicine, social work, occupational therapy, public health, nursing, special education, rehabilitation counseling, speech-language pathology, and medicine.

Coursework includes the Sargent core curriculum courses and courses designed to provide a foundation in the biological and psychosocial sciences. Students define a specific focus for their studies by their senior year that includes courses that represent critical content in that area, a practicum/internship experience, and a senior seminar taken in conjunction with the practicum. This focus may include a related minor (e.g., deaf studies or public health), be tied to a specific professional career goal, or may represent a core area of interest that the student proposes to study in more depth. Students in this major are eligible to apply for the Sargent College Thesis for Distinction.