Undergraduate Minor Inequality Studies

Inequality lies at the heart of current debates about opportunity and equity, implicating numerous contemporary policy issues. Public and scholarly interest in inequality has intensified, not merely because of historic increases in income and wealth disparity in the United States and other advanced industrial countries, but also because inequalities of race, ethnicity, gender, and social class are evolving in dramatic and complicated ways. Cornell University is a leading center of scholarship on inequality, drawing strength from its many departments and colleges.

The Minor in Inequality Studies, offered by Cornell University’s Center for the Study of Inequality, exposes students to scholarship on inequality through a breadth of approaches, methods, and topics while allowing them to tailor the program to their particular interests. The Minor in Inequality Studies is appropriate for students interested in public and private sector employment, policy, and civil society, as well as for those who wish to pursue graduate and professional degrees in a variety of fields.

The Minor’s Health Equity Track, launched in Spring 2019, affords interested students the opportunity to explore the social causes and consequences of inequalities in life expectancy, health outcomes, health-promoting behaviors, and access to health care. As with the general Minor in Inequality Studies, the Health Equity Track is open to any student in any major, and offers excellent preparation for students who are interested in careers in medicine, public health, social science research, or public policy.

An interdisciplinary program, the Minor in Inequality Studies is open to students in all Cornell undergraduate colleges and can be completed in conjunction with almost any major by completing six required courses.