Program Overview

Master of Science in Narrative Medicine

The Master of Science in Narrative Medicine is a pioneering program that combines intensive exposure to narrative writing and close reading skills, literary and philosophical analysis, and experiential work, with the opportunity to apply this learning in clinical and educational settings.

Program Overview

The program seeks to strengthen the overarching goals of medicine, public health, and social justice, as well as the intimate, interpersonal experiences of the clinical encounter. It aims to educate a leadership corps of health professionals and scholars from the humanities and social sciences who will imbue patient care and professional education with the skills and values of narrative understanding.

Curriculum

The core curriculum includes:

• Intensive exposure to narrative writing and close reading skills
• Literary and philosophical analysis
• Experiential work
• Application of learning in clinical and educational settings
• Core courses that provide conceptual grounding for work in narrative medicine
• Introduction to the direct practice of teaching narrative competence to others

Objectives

The program fulfills its objectives by:

• Educating a leadership corps of health professionals and scholars
• Imbuing patient care and professional education with the skills and values of narrative understanding
• Strengthening the overarching goals of medicine, public health, and social justice
• Bridging the divides between those in need who can access care and those who cannot, between health care professionals and patients, and between and among health care professionals themselves

Career Opportunities

Upon completion, graduates will be prepared to:

• Start Narrative Medicine programs at other institutions
• Continue on to or return to a clinical career
• Forge their own career integrating narrative into their unique interests

Program Details

The study of narrative medicine is a profoundly multidisciplinary field that seeks to bridge the divides in health care and the illness experience. The curriculum for the Master’s Program in Narrative Medicine includes:

• Core courses in narrative understanding, the illness experience, and the tools of close reading and writing
• Focused courses on narrative in fields like genetics, social justice advocacy, and palliative care
• Electives in a discipline of the student’s choosing
• Field work

Eligibility

Those interested in the intersection of literature, medicine, and stories of illness are invited to apply. The program is designed for health professionals and scholars from the humanities and social sciences who want to develop the skills and values of narrative understanding.