From our families to our communities, to our states and the globe, we are all interconnected. Global & Public Health is key to the well being of us all, and affects our ability to thrive physically, mentally, financially and peacefully.

This interdisciplinary minor integrates the sciences, social sciences, and humanities to seek answers to the enormous health challenges facing the U.S. and the world. This includes how factors influencing health promotion and disease prevention intersect with the environmental, political, and social determinants of health to vulnerable populations locally and globally. The minor therefore covers issues of the science of disease and health as they relate to public policy, poverty, race, class, gender, ethics, peace and war, as well as mental healthcare and cultural components of addiction and how healthcare providers can best communicate with the public

The Curriculum

View the 2023-2024 Academic Catalog to find course titles, numbers and descriptions.

Course Requirements for a minor in Global & Public Health

1. Required Course
  • IDS1201 Perspectives on Global & Public Health 
2-5. Four additional courses, at least one from each of the following sections:

Health Sciences

  • BIOL1112 Biology and Society
  • BIOL1211 Emerging Infectious Diseases (SI) (NS) (SJ)
  • BIOL1215 Introduction to Nutrition (SI) (NS)
  • BIOL2113 Human Nutrition
  • BIOL2115 Determinants of Health and Disease
  • BIOL2121 Human Health and the Environment

Social and International Perspectives

  • ECON3113 Economics of Health Care
  • POLSC2613 Law, Health and Public Policy
  • POLSC2705/SOC2705 Sustainable Development: Paradigms and Policies
  • POLSC3403 Human Issues in International Relations
  • PSYCH2405 Health Psychology
  • PSYCH3210 Child Psychopathology
  • PSYCH3212 Adult Psychopathology
  • SOC2103 Qualitative Methods OR SOC2104 Quantitative Methods (QR)
  • SOC2123 Health Care: Systems, Structures and Cultures
  • SOC2200 Drugs & Society

Health Humanities

  • COMM3806 Health Communication (SJ) 
  • LANG1411 Beginning Spanish for Healthcare Professionals I 
  • LANG2412 Spanish at Work in the Health Care Community
  • PHIL1205 Healthcare Ethics (M) (ER)
  • THRS2222 Social Justice and Global Health (RCT) (RICT) (SJ)
Requirements for minor for Nursing Students 
  1. IDS1201 Perspectives on Global & Public Health 
  2. BIOL1215 Introduction to Nutrition (SI) (NS) 
  3. NURS3700 Community and Public Health Nursing (SJ)
  4. NURS3600 Culture and Diversity in Health Care (DM)
  5. THRS2222 Social Justice and Global Health (RCT) (RICT) (SJ)

With a minor in Global & Public Health students will be able to:

  1. Identify the factors influencing health promotion and disease prevention.
  2. Explain how human rights and ethics intersect with public and global health.
  3. Relate the environmental and social determinants of health to vulnerable populations locally and globally.
  4. Evaluate research data related to health issues locally and globally.
  5. Explain the socio-political challenges of access to care locally and globally.
  6. Analyze the complexities of communication in public and global health.