Undergraduate minor
About the minor
The global health program at the UO offers an interdisciplinary minor for undergraduate students. The program focuses on the social aspects of health and of disparities in outcomes in health and disease, the principles of public health and health ethics, as well as the historical and institutional aspects of the practice of global health. Students select courses from expert faculty who specialize in diverse areas such as bioethics, the histories of disease prevention campaigns, cross-cultural accounts of mental health experiences, sociological studies of race and ethnicity as those relate to health, and psychological studies of healthy development.
In addition to rigorous coursework, students fulfill an experiential fieldwork requirement in order to complete the minor in global health. This could mean an international field experience, research under UO faculty supervision, an internship with a health policy organization, or a practicum with a local nonprofit. Students arrange these practical experiences to suit their academic interests and professional goals in consultation with the global health program director.
A little more info
- Students who have graduated with a minor in global health have gone on to some of the nation’s best master’s in public health programs.
- The minor pairs well with pre-health majors, such as human physiology, biology, or chemistry, offering pre-clinical students an opportunity to broaden their knowledge base of the social determinants of health and well-being.
- The fieldwork experience component of the minor gives students many important professional skills, such as health policy analysis, grant writing, health education, and community outreach.
- The global health program maintains connections to many different local and international organizations, and faculty supervisors can assist in pairing students with these opportunities to fulfill their fieldwork experience.
- The program builds a strong community of minors, working with the UO Students for Global Health club to conduct workshops, academic conferences, and other professional development opportunities for students interested in global health.
Career opportunities
The training and fieldwork experience of the global health minor prepare students for a variety of healthcare-related fields, including medicine or nursing, community and public health, health research and policy advocacy, academic careers in the medical social sciences, and international development and education.