Health Studies

Students who major in Health Studies are equipped to pursue work and graduate studies in public health, health policy, healthcare management and administration, and other areas related to health and social services. In addition to completing the General Education curriculum, all students in the major complete courses in the three core areas of undergraduate public health education: health policy, global health, and epidemiology. Additional health-related courses in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities are selected, in consultation with faculty advisors, to align with personal interests and goals.

The Health Studies minor enhances preparation for clinical and professional practice by examining the foundations of social medicine. Courses in health policy, healthcare in social context, and healthcare ethics complement the science courses required for admission to graduate programs in medicine, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other clinical professions. The minor also prepares rising leaders in business and politics to navigate the intricacies of the healthcare sector.

  • Major

    The Health Studies Major

    Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the major must be no less than 2.00 with no course grade less than C- (1.7).

    10 units, including:

    • HS-100 Health Policy

    • HS-101 Global Health

    • HS-250 Epidemiology and Health Research Methods

    • HS-400 Capstone

    • Statistical analysis, 1 course chosen from

      • BIOL-320 Experimental Design and Biostatistics

      • BUAD-202 Statistics for Business and Economics

      • DSST-189 Introduction to Statistical Modeling

    • Humanities perspectives on health, 1 course chosen from

      • ANTH-271 Covid-19 in International Perspective

      • ANTH-272 Global Womens Reproductive Health

      • ANTH-302 Health Inequities in International Perspective

      • ANTH-305 Health and Migration

      • CLSC-210 History of Early Medicine

      • HIST-291 Histories of Public Health and Biomedicine in the Global South

      • HIST-361 Madness and Society in the Modern Era

      • HIST-390 Food and Power in Africa and Asia

      • HS-200 The Medical Humanities

      • HS-203 Health Ethics

      • HS-240 Law and Medicine

      • LDST-377 Ethical Decision Making-Health Care

      • PHIL-265 Bioethics

    • Social science perspectives, 1 course chosen from

      • ENVR-345 Global Sustainability: Society, Economy & Nature

      • GEOG-370 Geographics of Economic Development and Globalization

      • HS-202 Patients and Providers

      • LAIS-307 Medical Spanish: Health and Medicine in the Community

      • MGMT-355 Health Sector Analysis

      • PSYC-323 Health Psychology

      • SOC-340 Sociology of Health and Illness

    • Natural science perspectives on health, 1 course chosen from

      • BIOL-220 Human Physiology with Lab

      • BIOL-322 Cancer Biology and Tumorigenesis with Lab

      • BIOL-324 Molecular Virology with Lab

      • BIOL-336 Eco-Epidemiology with Lab

      • BIOL-340 Introduction to Immunology with Lab

      • BIOL-344 Behavioral Ecology with Lab

      • BIOL-346 Medical Entomology with Lab

      • BIOL-354 Biological Basis of Neurodegenerative Diseases w/ Lab

      • ENVR-322 The Global Impact of Climate Change

      • HS-305 Human Nutrition

      • MATH-304 Mathematical Models in Biology and Medicine

      • PSYC-331 Behavioral Neuroscience

      • PSYC-341 Cognitive Neuroscience

    • Two additional electives chosen from the lists above. No more than two courses from the same department can apply to the requirements above.

  • Minor

    The Health Studies Minor

    Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the minor must be no less than 2.00 with no course grade less than C- (1.7).

    5 units, including:

    • HS-100 Health Policy

    • HS-101 Global Health

    • HS-202 Patients and Providers

    • 2 units, which must come from two different departments, chosen from

      • ANTH-271 Covid-19 in International Perspective

      • ANTH-272 Global Womens Reproductive Health

      • ANTH-302 Health Inequities in International Perspective

      • ANTH-305 Health and Migration

      • CLSC-210 History of Early Medicine

      • ENVR-322 The Global Impact of Climate Change

      • ENVR-345 Global Sustainability: Society, Economy & Nature

      • GEOG-370 Geographics of Economic Development and Globalization

      • HIST-291 Histories of Public Health and Biomedicine in the Global South

      • HIST-361 Madness and Society in the Modern Era

      • HIST-390 Food and Power in Africa and Asia

      • HS-200 The Medical Humanities

      • HS-203 Health Ethics

      • HS-240 Law and Medicine

      • HS-250 Epidemiology and Health Research Methods

      • HS-305 Human Nutrition

      • LDST-377 Ethical Decision Making-Health Care

      • MATH-304 Mathematical Models in Biology and Medicine

      • MGMT-355 Health Sector Analysis

      • PHIL-265 Bioethics

      • PLSC-365 U.S. Healthcare Policy and Politics

      • PSYC-323 Health Psychology

      • PSYC-331 Behavioral Neuroscience

      • PSYC-341 Cognitive Neuroscience

      • SOC-340 Sociology of Health and Illness