Features and highlights

What makes this minor unique?

Cross-disciplinary and cross-campus approaches

This minor will appeal to students of many different backgrounds who may be interested in how their interests and training apply to global health. Core courses in the minor prioritize a trans-disciplinary approach to thinking about population health and global health interventions. Students have a very wide array of electives from many different schools and programs to choose from, including courses on both the Bothell and Seattle campuses of the University of Washington.

Balancing local and global perspectives

The global health minor recognizes that health issues, trends, and opportunities occur on a continuum from local to global and are shaped by both local and global inequities. We aim for a balance between issues in our own locality and in international sites, and between perspectives and knowledge from both the global North and South. Students will have opportunities to engage in study and practice related to health issues in their local area as well as in non-US sites.

Community engaged, connected and global learning

Courses in the minor offer opportunities to participate in community-based and community-engaged learning. Connected international learning opportunities are also offered. Students will be able to receive credit for relevant community-based learning and study abroad courses offered at the University of Washington.

An emphasis on skills

Students will have ample opportunities to develop practical skills that can be applied in: pursuing graduate education in related fields; pursuing internships, volunteer positions, and professional jobs in fields related to global health; and pursuing international experiences and positions either prior to or after graduation. Core courses and electives will use case-based learning, skills and application labs, advocacy-oriented curricula, and opportunities to apply practical knowledge in real-world settings. Finally, students can get credit for language study and taking other skill-development courses as electives.

An upstream approach to health and inequity

The global health minor uses an approach to health that recognizes how social, political, economic, and geographic trends can shape individual and population health. Students will be encouraged to use social justice approaches to better understand and address health and social inequities.

Student testimonials

The Global Health Minor will equip students with the necessary skills to start a career in global health. As a Health Studies undergraduate student, I took courses in Introduction to Global Health and Science, Technology and Society. In addition, to build on theoretical concepts taught in class, I studied abroad in Togo, where I later returned as a Peace Corps Volunteer. These courses are the foundation that gave me the necessary understanding of history and politics of international aid relations, sustainable community development, and ethical community health practice, that I used as a Community Health Volunteer in The Peace Corps. I gained practical skills from these courses in community assessment and program management that proved advantageous in project development. This knowledge base and development of critical analysis was key in applying for graduate programs, where I completed a Masters of Science in Global Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh. I am now starting as a Program Assistant at USAID working in the Global Health Office of Health Systems Strengthening. The Professors in the Health Studies Program are an invaluable asset in their immense knowledge in this field and their generous guidance at UWB and as an alumni.

Aimee Desrochers, UW Bothell Alum

Updated June 2023