Health Communication Certificate
The Health Communication Certificate offers students marketable skills in becoming better producers and consumers of messages related to health and wellness.
By evaluating and producing health messages in interpersonal, organizational, community, intercultural, and mass/social media contexts, this certificate will help prepare students for various careers in health communication, medicine, and other health- and public health-related fields. It will also help you become a more effective patient and caregiver!
This certificate is open to all majors across campus.
Information about the Certificate
Students who successfully complete this Certificate program will be able to:
- Explain how the exchange of health-related messages can affect health attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors; prevent disease; and promote wellness in multiple contexts and among diverse audiences.
- Critically evaluate the quality of communication in health and illness contexts and apply this knowledge to become more effective participants in and providers of healthcare.
- Demonstrate the ability to create effective oral, written, and digital health messages that target healthcare consumers, healthcare providers, and policymakers.
NOTES:
Non degree seeking students can enroll in the program if they have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college/university. There are no admission requirements for GPA or earned hours completed at UM-Dearborn for these students.
Non degree seeking students who do not have a bachelor's degree will not be admitted into the certificate program.
This certificate requires 16 credit hours.
Required core course:
- COMM 365: Health Communication - 4 credits
Select three or four courses from the following: 12 credits
- ANTH 325: Anth of Health and Environment
- ANTH 415: Nutrition and Health
- COMM 300: Communication Research Methods
- COMM 400: Narrative and Identity
- COMM 465: Risk and Crisis Communication
- HHS 325: Death, Dying, and Bereavement
- HHS 350: Comm Organizing for Health
- HHS 380: Religion, Medicine, and Health
- HHS 415: Healthcare Administration
- HHS 442: Medical Ethics
- JASS 334: Science and Environmental Journalism
- JASS 421: Environmental Filmmaking
- PSYC 412: Psychology of Aging
- PSYC 427: Media Psychology
Notes:
- A maximum of nine credit hours can simultaneously count toward the Health Communication Certificate and the student’s major.
- A maximum of one transfer course (three credit hours) can count for the Health Communication certificate by petition submittedto certificate faculty advisor.
- Pass/Fail is not allowed
- A minimum 2.0 GPA in the courses counting toward the Health Communication Certificate and minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA arerequired at the time of graduation and/or posting of the certificate.
Year 1: Fall - 10 credits
- COMM 365: Health Communication - 4
- HHS 325: Death, Dying, and Bereavement - 3
- PSYC 427: Media Psychology - 3
Year 1: Winter - 6 credits
- HHS 442: Medical Ethics - 3
- ANTH 325: Anth of Health and Environment - 3
- This is a stand-alone certificate.
- A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA, a minimum of 2.5 cumulative GPA in any prerequisite classes, and a minimum of 12 earned hours completed at UM-Dearborn are required for admission to the program for current degree seeking students.
- A maximum of one transfer course (three credit hours) can count for the Health Communication certificate by petition submitted to certificate faculty advisor.
- A minimum 2.0 GPA in the courses counting toward the Health Communication Certificate and minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA are required at the time of graduation and/or posting of the certificate. There is no grade requirement for each individual class in the certificate sequence.
- A maximum of 9 credit hours earned toward the Certificate can also count toward students' degree.
- Pass/Fail is not allowed.
