Global Health Certificate
Paired with a related major, the global health certificate prepares students to work in changing environments and with more diverse populations. Students will be able to respond to the challenges presented by permeable geographic and cultural boundaries.
Why Global Health Matters: The world is economically, politically, culturally, and technologically connected and interdependent. Increasingly mobile populations seeking economic opportunity, security and safety. They are often displaced by civil unrest, regional conflicts, diminished natural resources, poverty and disease. Some health issues remain isolated and contained to locations or populations, but health matters increasingly transcend geographic boundaries. This means the approaches and solutions to such issues must involve a global approach, and graduates who can do so will be in high demand.
Program Type
Undergraduate Certificate
Program Format
On Campus
Study Abroad with UWM School of Nursing
Immerse yourself in cultures and customs all over the world. UW-Milwaukee nursing students can practice their skills with life-changing study abroad trips in Malawi, Kenya, Thailand and Ecuador that expose students to a wide variety of health traditions.
An undergraduate certificate in global health provides students with knowledge of:
- the global burden of disease
- the social determinants of health in a global context
- the principles, language and measurement tools used in global health
- ethics and global health
- the global cultural, religious and historical contexts of health, disease and health care
There are many complementary majors to the global health certificate, including nursing, biology or biochemistry on a pre-med track, conservation and environmental science, geography, global studies, political science, religious studies and many more.
The global health certificate is open to both undergraduates or graduate students and may be earned in conjunction with any UWM degree program. Nondegree seeking students are also welcome, including those who previously earned a bachelor’s degree and those who do not hold a bachelor’s degree but who have a strong interest in the subject matter.
Students must complete, with a minimum grade point average of 2.50, at least 21 credits in approved global health courses, of which 12 must be earned in residence at UWM.
Of these 12 residence credits, nine must be taken at the 300 level or above. A minimum of six credits must be taken in the College of Letters and Science. A minimum of six credits must be taken in the School of Nursing. No more than nine credits from any one department may count toward the certificate. A maximum of six credits of independent study may count toward program requirements, and courses for the certificate may not be taken on a credit/no credit basis.
| Course | Course Number | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Public Health | PH 101 | 3 |
| Introduction to Global Health | NURS 110 | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: Lifeways in Different Cultures: A Survey of World Societies The World: Peoples and Regions World History since 1500 Politics of the World’s Nations World Society | ANTHRO 104 GEOG 110 HIST 132 POL SCI 106 SOC 103 | 3 |
| Fieldwork (Students are required to do an internship, self-designed research project, or study abroad in the field of global health to gain practical experience) | 3 | |
| Electives (six courses from the list below) | 23-24 | |
| Global Health: Ethics and Human Rights (Capstone) | NURS 475 | 3 |
At least six credits from the following:
| Course | Course Number | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Africa | AFRICOL 329 | 3 |
| Sex, Marriage, and Health Care in the Afroworld | AFRICOL 351 | 3 |
| Introduction to Anthropology: Culture and Society | ANTHRO 102 | 3 |
| Culture and Global Health | ANTHRO 439 | 3 |
| Medical Anthropology | ANTHRO 440 | 3 |
| Medicine and Pharmaceuticals in the Golden Age | ANTHRO/GLOBAL 443 | 3 |
| The Global Politics of Human Rights | ANTHRO 447 | 3 |
| Plagues, Pandemics, and Epidemics | BMS 204 | 3 |
| Introduction to Conservation and Environmental Science | CES 210 | 3 |
| Economic Development | ECON 353 | 3 |
| Global Violence, Disease, and Death | ETHNIC 375 | 3 |
| Perspectives on Healthcare Systems | NURS 102 | 2 |
| Global Maternal/Child Health: From Evidence to Action | NURS 204 | 3 |
| Honors Seminar | NURS 380 | 3 |
| Global Patterns of Disease | NURS 401 | 3 |
| Study Abroad | NURS 497 | 3 |
| Global Food Security and Systems | NURS 620 | 3 |
| Climate Change, the Environment, and Human Health | PH 303 | 3 |
| Health, Wealth and Democracy | POL SCI 374 | 3 |
| Population and Society | SOCIOL 472 | 3 |
| Health Issues in the Hispanic World | SPANISH 388 | 3 |
A global health certificate applies to careers not only in health care, but also government, nonprofits, education or international business.
Careers in global health require skills for working internationally as well as within globally focused organizations based in the United States.
Certificate students gain competence in identifying and analyzing the factors that generate disparities in health status, health resources and access to health information and health services. In particular, certificate holders have a thorough understanding of how global health issues impact ethnic minorities and other marginalized and vulnerable population groups.
Depending on their major, students with this skill set will find varied opportunities to act as agents of change for disease prevention and health initiatives domestically and abroad in developing nations. Students with a medical-oriented major may work for government or nonprofit agencies developing programs and providing on-the-ground access for areas dealing with infectious and tropical diseases.
Students with a major in the social sciences may find work with organizations dedicated to mental illness and the health consequences of war or instability. A strong background in different cultural and religious practices combined with this certificate can prepare students for work in preventive maternal and child health care programs, a high priority need in the developing world. Business-oriented majors might enjoy the essential financial and management work needed to establish a strong health care infrastructure where one currently does not exist.
The overall job outlook in global health is excellent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts high demand for skilled worker in the global health field through 2022.