The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in conjunction with the Graduate College offers a certificate in Global Health Studies to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. The Global Health Studies certificate program is a stimulating interdisciplinary program, requiring 18 semester hours of study and a significant research project in an international setting. The program helps prepare students for advanced work or careers in global health.
The primary objectives of the Global Health Studies certificate program are to provide:
Admission to the Global Health Studies certificate program is competitive and available both to undergraduate students currently enrolled at The University of Iowa who are completing a degree program, and to graduates of Iowa and other accredited institutions. Successful candidates will be in good academic standing and demonstrate an interest in, and understanding of, the field of global health.
For the Global Health Studies Certificate Application for Admission go to Forms/How-To on the certificate website.
Applications for the Global Health Studies certificate are accepted on a rolling basis. During the AY 2013-14, applications can be submitted to 21 Schaeffer Hall.
Please contact the Global Health Studies academic advisor at karmen-berger@uiowa.edu with questions about the certificate or the application process.
Summary of requirements:
Students must complete the following:
*Offered each fall prior to the opening of the semester
**Offered every third semester
Students must complete 7 s.h. of Global Health Studies electives, chosen from the approved elective list. Students may petition to take courses not on the approved list, providing these courses can be shown to include substantial material related to global health. To petition for a course to be included in the certificate program, students should submit a course title, description, and syllabus to the Global Health Studies academic advisor.
Students may propose an independent study and register for 152:199 (GHS: 4990) Special Projects in Global Health under the supervision of a faculty member of the Global Health Studies Steering Committee. Up to 3 s.h. of independent study, study abroad or internship credit may be applied toward the 7 s.h. minimum required Global Health electives.
PLEASE NOTE: Any research which involves "human subjects" must be reviewed by the University of Iowa Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to the initiation of the research project. Proof of the determination/ review process must also be submitted to the Global Health Studies Program before enrolling in 152:199 (GHS: 4990) Special Projects in Global Health. Read a summary of the IRB process on the International Programs website. For all questions contact the IRB at 319/335-6465; or go to http://hso.research.uiowa.edu/human-subjects-research-determinations.
For instructions and required forms for enrolling in 152:199 (GHS: 4990) Special Projects in Global Health go to Forms/How-To on the Global Health Studies website.
Students should complete modern language study equivalent to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program requirement. This requirement can be waived for students whose native language is not English.
The GHSP steering committee may require students to take additional language study in preparation for a proposed research or international experience.
Unless world language coursework is integral to a study abroad program used to satisfy the GHSP international experience requirement, it will not count toward the 18 s.h. required for the certificate.
Students must develop and conduct a research project or participate in a study-abroad or internship program on a global health/environmental health issue, typically in an international setting. An eight week experience is considered the minimum amount of time to meet this requirement.
Projects require GHSP steering committee approval and supervision by a faculty member of the GHSP steering committee. Up to 3 semester hours of academic credit for the international experience, whether in the form of independent study, study abroad or internship credit, may be applied toward the required minimum 7 s.h. of Global Health electives. Since students who conduct research while abroad have limited opportunities to obtain support and guidance from their supervising professor(s), adequate preparation in advance is imperative.
For more information about the Global Health Studies Certificate International Experience (i.e., preapproval form, and criteria for the project proposal), go to Forms/How-To on the certificate website.
PLEASE NOTE: Any international experience which involves "human subjects" must be reviewed by the University of Iowa Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to the initiation of the project. Proof of the determination/ review process must also be submitted to the Global Health Studies Program before the international experience proposal can be approved. Read a summary of the IRB process on the International Programs website. For all questions contact the IRB at 319/335-6465; or go to http://hso.research.uiowa.edu/human-subjects-research-determinations
Students admitted to the Global Health Studies Certificate program are eligible to apply for a Global Health Studies Travel Award. The award has the following criteria:
For information and an application refer to the International Programs funding website for undergraduate students, or graduate students.
Information on other possible funding can be found on the following websites:
In the semester following the international experience, and as a culmination of the certificate program, all students will present the results of their research project results to a special session of Research Design in Global Health (152:150/ GHS: 3010) or to an equivalent public forum such as a departmental seminar. Students must also submit a project report summarizing their research experiences.
For more information on the Global Health Studies Certificate International Experience Public Presentation and Written Report go to Forms/How-To on the certificate website.
240 Schaeffer Hall
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242-1409
319.335.2611
NOTICE: The State University of Iowa Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization soliciting tax-deductible private contributions for the benefit of The University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement http://www.uifoundation.org/about/disclosures/.