The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in conjunction with the Graduate College offers a Certificate in Global Health Studies to graduate students. The Global Health Studies certificate is an interdisciplinary program requiring 18 semester hours of coursework, a Global Health Project during which students address an important global health issue in a systematic way, and a report and presentation on the completed project.

The certificate is open to University of Iowa graduate and professional students. Graduate and professional students who would like to count credit from a degree program toward the global health studies certificate should consult their graduate/professional academic programs.

Students wishing to declare the GHS graduate certificate must first contact the GHS academic advisor to discuss a feasible plan of study. GHS staff will contact the Office of the Registrar to add the certificate to a student’s program of study.

For more specific information on courses, curriculum, and requirements of the graduate Certificate in Global Health Studies, visit the UI General Catalog.

Global Health Project  

Students must complete a global health project during which they systematically address an important global health issue. The project can be completed either in an international setting or in a domestic setting which focuses on global connections. Eight weeks is considered the optimal amount of time to meet this requirement. The project may be completed as part of a study abroad program, a service learning course, an internship, a volunteer experience, or an independent research project.

Projects require approval by the Global Health Studies Program faculty director and must be supervised by an approved UI faculty mentor. Students may apply for a Stanley Award; other financial support may be available for some projects. Visit the Global Health Project page for more information.

Public Presentation and Report

Certificate requirements culminate in a public presentation and report. Students enroll in GHS:4990 - Independent Project in Global Health for 1 s.h. with their faculty mentor (or an approved proxy), during the semester when they are completing their report and presentation (and arrange times to meet with their mentor as needed). Contact the GHS Academic Advisor for permission to enroll in GHS:4990 on MyUI. Visit the Global Health Project page for detailed instructions for the report and presentation.