Global Health Major

Required Components (10 courses-  40 credits total)

  • 6- course Global Health Core ( 24 credits)
  • 2 Intermediate Language courses (i.e. two courses beyond the 112 level) (8 credits)
  • 2 Global Health Cognate Course (8 credits)
  • Experiential Learning Requirement

Global Health Core

GH 100Introduction to Global Health
GH 201Global Health Research Methods (prerequisite GH 100)
GH 202Epidemiology (prerequisite GH 100)
GH 400Global Health Capstone (prerequisite GH 202)
Two GH Electives
- Special Topic electives are 200 or 300 level (prerequisite GH 100)
Global Health Special Topics electives:

Students will be required to take a minimum of two Special Topics electives taught by Global Health faculty members. The purpose of the special topics electives is to provide students with additional depth in the current topics in the field of Global Health through building on concepts and challenging assumptions introduced in GH 100 - Introduction to Global Health and expanding knowledge and critical thinking skills on topics such as but not limited to Novel Coronavirus, Population Health, The HIV/AIDS Pandemic, War and Health, Global Violence and Health, and Global Perspectives on Reproductive Health.


Language and Culture Requirement

All GH majors are required to attain depth in a language other than English, typically by taking at least two language courses beyond the K GE requirement. If students are already native speakers of a language other than English, they must still fulfill the language requirement of the GH major by studying at least two semesters of a language other than English.  Any modification to the global health language and culture requirement must receive approval from the GH program director.


Approved GH Cognate Courses: 

Students will be required to take two GH cognate courses. One course will be from a set of courses from the Natural Science Division (Global Health Cognate Courses A) and one course will be from the Fine Arts or Humanities or Social Sciences Divisions (Global Health Cognate Courses B). The Global Health Cognate courses represent the breadth of the major in which students will be introduced to concepts of health from disciplines represented at the college. Students will have the opportunity to build on the concepts introduced in the Global Health cognate courses in GH 400 - Global Health Capstone.  Below are example sets of approved Global Health Cognate courses for each group.  Courses vary per semester.

Natural Science Division (Global Health Cognate Courses A) 

BIOL/WGST 110Biology and Politics of Women's Health
BIOL 315General Microbiology
BIOL 316Virology
BIOL 341Immunology
BIOL 343/CHEM 443Advanced Topics in Biochemistry: Diet, Metabolism, and Disease
BIOL 356Special Topics (Biostatistics or Pathophysiology)
GEOS 200Environmental Geology
PSYC 210Development in Infancy and Childhood
PSYC 245Adolescence
PSYC 265Cultural Psychology
PSYC 270Health Psychology
PSYC 280Psychology of Diversity
PSYC 341Research in Sensation and Perception

Fine Arts or Humanities or Social Sciences Divisions (Global Health Cognate Courses B)

ANSO 245/INTL 250/MENA 250Studies in Anthropology and Sociology (Medical Anthropology or Politics of Health in the Middle East)
ANSO/BLST 343/INTL 250Demography of Africa
ANSO 345/WGST 353Special Topics (Sex & Gender in the Caribbean)
ANSO 351Survey Research Methods
COMM 205Global Communication
COMM 215Special Topics in Communication (Illusions of Wellness)
COMM 244Theories of Intercultural Communication
COMM 320Language, Culture, and Communication
DANC 274Cultural Studies
DANC 374Somatics I
DS 100Short Term Travel Seminar
or DS 200 Denison Seminar
or DS 251 Denison Seminar
ECON 307Introductory Econometrics
ECON 462Health Economics
HESS 202Applied Anatomy
HESS 302Nutrition
HESS 305Chronic Disease Prevention
HESS 405Health Behavioral Theory
INTD 100
INTD 101
Community Health Coach Seminar
and Community Health Coach Practicum (two semesters)
INTL 200Themes and Approaches in International Studies
PPA 102Introduction to Policymaking in Democracies
PPA 122Introduction to Global Governance
REL/WGST 327Women and Social Ethics: In the Global Context
WGST 350Advanced Topics in Women's and Gender Studies (Feminist Health Politics)
WGST 351Advanced Topics Seminar (Humanities) (Women, Bodies, & the Making of Medical Knowledge)

Additional Notes:

  • Majors must take the respective prerequisite for cognate electives (e.g., ANSO 100 - People, Culture and Society, BIOL 210 - Molecular Biology and Unicellular Life,BIOL 220 - Multicellular Life and BIOL 230 - Ecology and EvolutionECON 101 - Introductory Macroeconomics and ECON 102 - Introductory Microeconomics, INTL 100 - Introduction to International Studies: The Making of the Modern World, PSYC 100 - Introduction to Psychology).
  • Directed Study on a relevant topic could count as an elective course based on approval from the GH Director and faculty of record.
  • No more than 2 non-core courses can be transferred from OCS.
  • Any exception or new Cognate must be approved by the GH Director.

Experiential Learning Requirement

The proposed major requires an experiential learning component for every student. The learning competencies associated with this requirement are for students to apply ethical approaches in global health research and practice, and to display critical self-reflection, cultural humility, and ongoing learning in global health. Driven by these competencies, approved experiences will involve global health application, research, or both, with global health issues at the core of the program or experience. The experiential learning does not necessarily need to be in another country to be a meaningful application of global health principles. Examples are provided below to demonstrate the range of experiential learning that would be counted toward this requirement:

  • Semester-long directed study working with Columbus-based organization focusing on health services for refugee families. 

  • A semester off-campus study in Costa Rica working with clean water health initiatives for indigenous people. 

  • Summer internship based in Washington DC with government or non-governmental agencies focused on health policy.

For example, we anticipate many students could achieve this requirement through working with Columbus-based organizations focused on healthcare provided to clients whose primary cultural identity or citizenship is outside of the United States (often referred to as a “glocalism” focus). Additionally, we anticipate that many students will complete this requirement in a non-US location with a global health emphasis in the experiential learning (e.g., study abroad program with an experiential learning component that involves meaningful engagement with community health in the location of study). Finally, experiential learning that involves student-driven research would fulfill this requirement if the research question is sufficiently rooted in global health perspectives and using methodology that is consistent with the global health discipline.