The Department of Health, Aging & Society offers three graduate programs
Our programs emphasize the interdisciplinary study of social, cultural, and political aspects of health and/or aging.
These programs allow students to develop and pursue broader research interests that may be outside the typical biomedical focus in health and/or aging studies.
Students can choose to focus on either health or aging (or both) in their graduate work.
Our strength is the quality of our faculty
We offer a research-intensive environment in the Department of Health, Aging & Society. Our faculty members are actively involved in a wide range of research areas, including:
Research Opportunities
Our students have opportunities to participate in and receive support from collaborative research groups whose members include our faculty:
Funding
Funding is available to full-time students on a competitive basis. At McMaster University, doctoral students receive a guaranteed minimum funding package of $17,500 per year for four years. The Department of Health, Aging & Society offers competitive funding packages that may include financial support such as teaching assistantships, university graduate scholarships, as well as external scholarships and bursaries.
Each PhD student and many Master’s students in the Department of Health, Aging & Society are offered a Teaching Assistantship or a Research Assistantship in lieu of a Teaching Assistantship valued at approximately $11,605.
Graduate Student Life
Here in the Department of Health, Aging & Society, we have a vibrant graduate student community. Over the years, our students have had the opportunity to actively engage and connect within and across departments and faculties; host casual social and community events; develop/apply for funded research projects; attend conferences; and stay up-to-date on health and/or aging related topics through a monthly journal club.
Graduate Alumni
“The interdisciplinary composition of Health, Aging and Society, provides exposure to a broad range of theories and disciplinary perspectives. More importantly, the department is genuinely committed to supporting its students and establishing meaningful relationships between its graduate students, staff and faculty members.” -- Brian Budd, 2014
“The Department of Health, Aging & Society is a wonderful department, with an inspiring group of faculty members dedicated to supporting you through the journey.” -- Melissa Dawn McVie, 2012
Gavin Andrews
Professor | Graduate Chair of the Department of Health, Aging & Society | Acting Department Chair of the Department of Health, Aging & Society
Connect with our students
Please contact our current graduate student representatives, Stephanie Hatzifilalithis and Alison Ross, to find out more about graduate student life in our department.