Undergraduate Programs

Curriculum requirements for the Global Health Minor are outlined below. Students are encouraged to meet with an adviser to discuss the subject matter of the minor and plans for completing the minor before declaring to ensure that all requirements are understood and can be met.

Global Health Minor Requirements
Total Credits Required: 30 Credits

Required Global Health Courses: 11 credits

  • Introductory Course 
    • G H 101 or GEOG 180 or JSIS B 180 (5 Credits): Introduction to Global Health: Disparities, Determinants, Policies & Outcomes
    • Students are only able to count either G H 101, GEOG 180, or JSIS B 180 towards the introductory course requirement. These classes are jointly offered: The same class under different names.   
  • Biological Principles in Global Health
    • G H 210 or G H 410 (3 Credits): Confronting Global Diseases: Introductory Biologic Principles and Context
    • G H 410 is not currently offered. Students are required to take G H 210
  • Perspectives in Global Health Series 

    • G H 201 (1 Credit): Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Global Health 
    • G H 401 (1 Credit): Core Topics in Global Health
    • G H 402 (1 Credit): Contemporary Issues in Global Health 

Required Elective Areas: 19 credits

Students must take one listed course in each of the following Elective Areas. Please review the Elective Content Areas Descriptions guide and comprehensive course list below to select an elective for each area. Students should review the UW Time Schedule for up-to-date information of these elective offerings.  

(A) The Environment & Global Health 

(B) Comparative Health Systems & Approaches to Health 

(C) Sociocultural Ecology of Health

(D)  Regional & Area Studies 

Additional Requirements

  • Minimum of 15 credits outside the student's major (non-departmental requirements)
  • Minimum of 15 credits of upper division coursework (300-/400-level)
  • Minimum of 15 credits must be completed at the University of Washington
  • Minimum of 2.0 in every course applied towards the Global Health Minor
  • Courses taken S/NS cannot be counted towards the Global Health Minor
  • FSTDY credits cannot be counted towards the Global Health Minor
    • Please work with the Study Abroad office to convert FSTDY to a UW course number before submitting an exception request (if applicable).

Requirements and Policies for Jointly Offered Classes and Repeating a Course 

  • Jointly Offered Classes: Only one course of a jointly offered course can count towards the Global Health Minor 
    • Example: If you earned a passing grade and credit for G H 101 in Spring 2023, taking GEOG 180 in Summer 2023 will not be granted credit or count towards the Global Health Minor   
  • Repeat Courses  
    • If you would like to repeat a GH-prefix course that counts towards the Global Health Minor, please email ghmior@uw.edu for departmental permission 
    • If you would like to repeat a course in another department that counts towards the Global Health Minor, please email your that department for permission and contact ghminor@uw.edu letting Lyda know 

Global Health Minor Timeline

Graduation Instructions 

  • In the quarter of your graduation, no later than Week 3, you must alert Lyda Ebadani (ghminor@uw.edu) via email of your intention to graduate for your Global Health Minor to be certified.   
  • Lyda will not be notified if your Global Health Minor is completed or ready for certification. It is the student’s responsibility to request certification of the Global Health Minor. 
  • Your major/degree can be withheld if the Global Health Minor is not certified. 

Recommendations

  • We recommend students complete the Global Health Minor over two years. However, it is possible to complete all requirements in one year.
  • Classes are filled quickly with no spaces designated for Global Health Minor students. Please plan accordingly and enroll early.
  • Required global health courses are not offered in the summer. Elective area courses vary in selection and quarters offered.  

Global Health Minor Exception Requests

Global Health Minor Elective Exception Request Procedure

You are welcome to make a Global Health Minor Elective Exception request under one or more of the following circumstances:  

  • You have identified a course you would like to apply to the Elective Areas requirement that is not on the list of course offerings for that Elective Area (see below for elective area courses)
  • You have identified a course you would like to apply to an Elective Areas requirement that is under another Elective Areas list
  • Students cannot make exception requests for required Global Health courses

Please complete the following steps if you would like to make a Global Health Minor Elective Exception request and one or more of the above circumstances applies:  

  • Complete the Global Health Minor Elective Exception Request form
  • Contact Lyda Ebadani (ghminor@uw.edu) with your request, indicating which elective area you would like the course to count on, sharing the course syllabus.

Exception Request Policies 

  • Global Health Minor Elective Exception requests can only be made for Elective Area credits.
  • Global Health Minor Elective Exception requests can be submitted any time after Week 3 of which the course was taken at the earliest.
  • Please submit an exception request for each course you would like reviewed.
  • All requests will be reviewed by Lyda Ebadani and/or Todd Faubion 1 to 2 weeks after submission. If approved, you will be notified, and it will be reflected in DARS in 1 to 2 business weeks.