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The GHSP provides a broad choice of educational options to supplement and enhance students' interests and study in almost any conventional discipline:

The Global Health Studies Certificate

The Global Health Studies Certificate is a challenging interdisciplinary program of 25 semester hours of study that prepares students for advanced work or careers in global health. It requires completion of core courses, elective GHSP courses, and the conduct of health related research in a foreign country. At times research with a non-majority population within this country, for example, a Native American community or community of newly arrived immigrants escaping from a conflict situation in their country of origin, may fulfill the research abroad requirement.

Objectives

The objectives of the Global Health Studies Certificate are to provide:

  • An understanding of related global health phenomena such as infectious and chronic diseases, nutrition, changing demographics, global climate change, natural disasters and health impacts, environmental hazards, the use of illicit and proprietary drugs, interventions against violence, war and injuries, advances in genetic, reproductive, and other biomedical technologies, the relation between human rights and health, practices in non-Western cultures, alternative therapies and health.
  • An institutional focus where students and faculty from different departments, colleges, and disciplines can meet on the common ground of shared interest in global health issues.
  • An introduction to the field experience that is often needed to be competitive in the international job market.

Certificate Requirements

Certificate students must be registered and in good standing at the University of Iowa; and the following requirements must be met:

Coursework

Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 on the 25 semester hours of approved courses, which includes 8 semester hours of required core courses and 17 semester hours of approved elective courses from an approved list. Elective courses other than those listed may be approved by petition, providing they can be shown to include sustantial global health related material. Students may obtain retroactive credit toward the certificate for course work completed up to two years previous to entering the program. Students are encouraged to take 152:150 and 152:151 as soon as possible upon entering the certificate program.

International Experience

Students must develop and conduct a research project or participate in a study-abroad or in an internship on a global health/environmental health issue, typically in a foreign setting. Projects require GHSP steering committee approval and the supervision of a faculty member. Up to 8 semester hours of academic credit for research or internship experiences may be applied as electives toward the 25 semester hour total. An eight week experience is considered the minimum amount of time to meet this requirement. Students will be advised about on and off-campus funding opportunities for their foreign experiences, but funding cannot be guaranteed for every student seeking it.

There are a number of study abroad programs, academic fellowships, and research opportunities available to students in GHSP. Study abroad programs unique to GHSP include but are not limited to: Latin American Health, Nutrition and Environmental Issues in the Dominican Republic; Environmental Studies in Slovenia; Reproductive Health and Sexuality, Manila Philippines; Center for Health Policy Studies, Mahidol University, Thailand.

Additional oppurtunites for support abroad can be sought through the Stanley Fellowships for Graduate and Undergraduate Student Research Abroad, and CIREH International Health Research Fellowships. For more information, please consult the following sites:

  • University of Iowa Office for Study Abroad
  • Center for International Rural and Environmental Health (CIREH)

Foreign Language

Students should complete modern language study, equivalent to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences general education program requirement. Additional language study may be imposed by the GHSP steering committee in cases where it is needed to conduct research or to participate in an internship program. This requirement can be waived for students whose native language is not English. Foreign language credit does not count toward the 25 semester hours required for the certificate.

Final Presentation

In the semester following the foreign experience, and as a culmination to the certificate program, all students will present their foreign research project results to a special session of the Global Health Seminar (152:150) or to an equivalent public forum such as a departmental seminar. Students must also submit project reports, summarizing their research experiences. The addition of several captioned photographs for inclusion in publicity materials is greatly welcomed.

Admission

Students interested in applying to the Global Health Studies Certificate Program should schedule an appointment with Martha Greer, Associate Director of Academic Programs, at 335-0368 or martha-greer@uiowa.edu.

Global Health Studies Minor

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences minor in Global Health Studies provides students with the background and intellectual problem solving skills to approach further education or employment in a number of related fields. It introduces global health issues to undergraduates seeking careers or graduate programs in the international health sector, including access to MPH courses in the College of Public Health. It offers an alternative to the traditional pre-professional courses. As with the Certificate, the minor program allows for study in social, political, cultural and economic settings different from our own. Students learn to appreciate the diversity that marks today's world system. The health of the population of North America is inextricably linked to the fate of health in other countries through ties of economic and political interdependence.

The minor in Global Health Studies requires 15 semester hours in designated Global Health courses. Students are encouraged to take the 8 credits of the core courses required for the certificate plus an additional 7-8 credits of their choosing.

Related Programs of Interest to GHSP Students

As an interdisciplinary program GHSP often shares resources and programming goals with a variety of programs, centers, and colleges across the the UI campus. Our students are encouraged to become familiar with and draw upon the offerings and expertise of faculty in these other related University international programs and activities and including the area studies programs.