B.A. in Global Health

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Program Description:
The B.A. in Global Health is an interdisciplinary degree designed for students who seek a broad and flexible set of skills for understanding contemporary health challenges and thinking about how they might best be solved. "Global" is understood in the anthropological sense, meaning ways of understanding and addressing disease, health and well-being that can incorporate all cultures, places and time, and that can integrate knowledge of health's social, historical, biological and ecological dimensions. The curriculum emphasizes the development of core skills in critical thinking and problem solving and the importance of direct experience (research, study abroad, service learning and advocacy). The degree cultivates capacities to deal with any complex problem with social components: how to identify the critical issues, ask the right questions and create solutions that are meaningful and effective. 

Career Opportunities:
Nationally and internationally, the health field provides enormous and varied career opportunities, and demands for graduates with skills is high and only growing. The major would support the goals of those who plan to pursue careers in academic research and teaching, and in health services, whether in universities, government agencies, departments of health, international agencies (WHO, CDC, Global Health Council, World Bank, Interamerican Development Bank), NGOs or in private business or industry. The degree also provides those who plan advanced specialist health training, such as in nursing, medicine, dentistry or pharmacy, with a broad intellectual base that enhances later specialist training. In reports prepared by such organizations as the Pew Health Professional Consortium and the National Commission on Allied Health, experts conclude that the best health professionals have interdisciplinary perspectives, social and cultural acuity (such as in cross-cultural settings) and team-oriented skills. In Arizona and elsewhere, there is a pressing need for professionals with appropriate skills to work in cross-cultural settings or with underserved populations (such as migrants, minorities and those living in poverty), and many of these jobs are directly or indirectly related to health. Graduates interested in pursuing research or scientific careers continue to graduate school to seek a master's or doctorate degree in fields such as Public Health, Anthropology, Evolutionary Biology, Infectious Diseases, Genetics, Applied Mathematics, Geography, Sociology, Sustainability, Environmental Studies, Demography or Biology.

More Information:
For more information about the Global Health degree, please download the "Global Health Curriculum" booklet from the link at the top of the page. You may also refer to the FAQs to get the answers to some of your most commonly asked questions.

Contact:
School of Human Evolution and Social Change—Undergraduate Advising
shesc.undergrad@asu.edu

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