Earn your BA in global health studies

The Bachelor of Arts in global health studies prepares students for careers in local and international global health organizations, and for graduate and professional work in fields such as public health, law, planning and public affairs, social work, international development, sustainable agriculture, public policy, and more.

Learning outcomes

• Apply interdisciplinary perspectives drawn from the social sciences and humanities to local and global health issues;
• Understand core areas of global health such as infectious and non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, food sovereignty, environmental health, disability studies, and health disparities;
• Analyze health and disease from biomedical, sociocultural, and environmental perspectives;
• Understand how health issues affect domestic and international communities;
• Recognize the ethical and practical challenges involved in interventions designed to improve health and health equity across cultural and geographical boundaries.

Requirements

The BA with a major in global health studies requires a minimum of 120 semester hours, including at least 37 semester hours of work for the major.

Students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.00 in all courses for the major and in all UI courses for the major. A minimum of 18 semester hours of major coursework must be earned at the University of Iowa. A maximum of 6 semester hours in GHS:4990 Independent Project in Global Health may be used toward the major. Students must also complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GE CLAS Core requirements.

Students who earn the major in global health studies may earn the major in interdepartmental studies as long as they select an emphasis other than the global health emphasis in the health science track.

To request approval of a course for the GHS BA which is not currently on the approved list, students can speak with their Global Health Studies advisor.