The combined Bachelor of Arts in Health Humanities and Public Health is designed for students who would like to learn how to think about health using humanities, social sciences, and science skills with a focus on public health. The humanities train students to navigate the complexities of interpersonal interaction and their ethical implications, to relate the micro to the macro and texts to contexts, to historicize encounters, to communicate accurately and effectively across a variety of media, and to engage in creative analytical thinking about healthcare. The landscape of public health is quickly changing, and this training is designed to equip students both for the diverse forms of healthcare professions that exist today and for the varieties of professions in the future. This combined major will appeal to students who want to pursue graduate study and research in public health and health humanities.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
Universitywide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.
BA Language Requirements
All BA students are required to complete the BA degree language requirements, for a total of 12 semester hours of language study or demonstrated equivalent proficiency, as described in Additional Requirements for BA students. Successful demonstration of proficiency does not reduce total minimum semester hours of study required to earn the BA degree.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Health Humanities Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| INSH 1300 | Introduction to Health and Humanities | 4 |
| INSH 2300 | Culture, Technology, and the Future of Health | 4 |
| Core Humanities Electives | ||
| Complete two of the following not used to satsify another requirement: | 8–9 | |
| Introduction to African American and Africana Studies | ||
| Introduction to Asian American Studies | ||
| Introduction to Literary Studies | ||
| Historical Research and Writing and First-Year Seminar | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Introduction to Religious Studies | ||
| Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | ||
| Introduction to Trans Studies | ||
| Core Health Humanities Electives | ||
| Complete three of the following not used to satisfy another requirement: | 12 | |
| Writing to Heal | ||
| Narrative Medicine | ||
| History of Global Pandemics | ||
| The History of Medicine in North America | ||
| Technology and Human Values | ||
| Moral and Social Problems in Healthcare | ||
| Gender, Race, and Medicine | ||
or AFCS 1225 | Gender, Race, and Medicine | |
or HIST 1225 | Gender, Race, and Medicine | |
| Core Digital Health Humanities Electives | ||
| Complete two of the following not used to satisfy another requirement: | 8 | |
| Mapping and Building Health | ||
| The Archives of Public Health | ||
| The History of Western Public Health | ||
| Bioethics in the Age of Big Data | ||
Public Health Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Public Health Core | ||
| PHTH 1260 | The American Healthcare System | 4 |
| or PHTH 1261 | Comparative Healthcare Systems | |
| PHTH 2210 | Foundations of Biostatistics | 4 |
| PHTH 2300 | Communication Skills for the Health Professions | 4 |
| or PHTH 2301 | Communication Skills for the Health Professions—Global | |
| PHTH 2350 | Community and Public Health | 4 |
| or PHTH 2351 | Community and Public Health - Global | |
| PHTH 2515 | Healthcare Policy and Administration | 4 |
| PHTH 4120 | Global Perspectives on Discrimination and Health | 4 |
| PHTH 4202 | Principles of Epidemiology in Medicine and Public Health | 4 |
| PHTH 4540 | Health Education and Program Planning | 4 |
| Science Requirement | ||
| Biology | ||
| Complete one of the following options: | 8–10 | |
Option 1 | ||
| Microbes and Society | ||
or BIOL 1143 | Biology and Society | |
| The Human Organism | ||
Option 2 | ||
| General Biology 1 and Lab for BIOL 1111 | ||
| General Biology 2 and Lab for BIOL 1113 | ||
| Psychology | ||
| PSYC 1101 | Foundations of Psychology | 4 |
| Public Health Social Science Requirement | ||
| Introductory Course | ||
| Complete one introductory course from the following: | 4 | |
| Peoples and Cultures | ||
| Communication Theory | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics and Recitation for ECON 1115 | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics and Recitation for ECON 1116 | ||
| Social Change and Human Services | ||
| Globalization and International Affairs | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Upper-Level Course | ||
| Complete one upper-level course from the following (categories provided for reference): | 3-4 | |
| Society and Behavior | ||
| Medical Anthropology | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Health Communication Campaigns | ||
| Psychology of Crime | ||
| The (in)Visibility of (dis)Ability in Society | ||
| Health Advocacy | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Developmental Psychology | ||
| Learning and Motivation | ||
| Violence and Society | ||
| Sociology of Health and Illness | ||
| Race, Class, and Gender | ||
| Globalization and Global Health | ||
| Epidemiology of Pandemic Diseases and Health Disparities in the African Diaspora | ||
| International Food Policy | ||
| Cities in a Global Context | ||
or INTL 3201 | Cities in a Global Context (Abroad) | |
| International Conflict and Negotiation | ||
| Politics of Developing Nations | ||
| Environmental Health and Climate Change | ||
| Environmental Issues, Communication, and the Media | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Climate and Development | ||
or PPUA 5100 | Climate and Development | |
| Climate Change and Global Urbanization | ||
| Law, Policy, and Human Rights | ||
| Law and Economics | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Ethics and Public Policy | ||
| Public Policy and Administration | ||
| Healthcare Administration and Management | ||
| Health Economics and Healthcare Policy | ||
| Organizational Behavior | ||
| Healthcare Management | ||
| Evaluating Healthcare Quality | ||
| Economic Perspectives on Health Policy | ||
Other Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to College | ||
| HSCI 1000 | College: An Introduction | 1 |
| or HIST 1000 | History at Northeastern | |
| or ENGL 1000 | English at Northeastern | |
| or PHIL 1000 | Philosophy at Northeastern | |
| Professional Development | ||
| HSCI 2000 | Professional Development for Bouvé Co-op | 1 |
| or EESH 2000 | Professional Development for Co-op | |
| Writing | ||
| ENGW 1111 | First-Year Writing | 4 |
| Advanced Writing Course | ||
| Courses listed below are preferred but other advanced writing courses will be accepted: | ||
| ENGW 3306 | Advanced Writing in the Health Professions | 4 |
| or ENGW 3315 | Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines | |
| or ENGW 3308 | Advanced Writing in the Social Sciences | |
| or ENGW 3309 | Advanced Writing in the Humanities | |
Capstone
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Evaluating Health Technologies | ||
| Health Science Capstone—Service 1 | ||
| Health Science Capstone—Research 1 | ||
| Health Science Capstone Seminar | ||
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 1 and Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 2 | ||
| Critical Issues in Health and Public Health Policy | ||
| Private Guns, Public Health | ||
| Addressing Rural Health Inequities | ||
| Advancing Health Justice Through the Law | ||
| Environmental Health | ||
| Global Health | ||
| Food, Nutrition, and Health | ||
| Qualitative Methods | ||
- 1
Must complete Health Science Capstone Introduction (HSCI 4700)(0 semester hour) as pre-requisite.
- 2
Junior/Senior Honors Project 1 (HSCI 4970) will count as 4 semester hours of general elective.
Public Health Major Requirement
A grade of C or higher is required for the Public Health Core, Science Requirement, Public Health Social Science Requirement, and Capstone. Students who take College: An Introduction (HSCI 1000) and Professional Development for Bouvé Co-op (HSCI 2000) must achieve a C or higher.
Program Requirement
128 total semester hours required
Sample Plans of Study
Four Years, Two Co-ops in Spring/Summer First Half—CSSH Students
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| INSH 1300 | 4 | ENGW 1111 | 4 | PHTH 2300 | 4 | General Elective | 4 |
| PHTH 1260 | 4 | BIOL course | 4-5 | PHTH 2350 | 4 | General Elective | 4 |
| PSYC 1101 | 4 | Core humanities course (1) | 4 | ||||
| Introduction to college | 1 | Introductory language course | 4 | ||||
| BIOL course | 4-5 | ||||||
| 17-18 | 16-17 | 8 | 8 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| EESH 2000 | 1 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | ENGW 3315 | 4 |
| PHTH 2210 | 4 | PHTH 2515 | 4 | ||||
| Core humanities course (2) | 4 | ||||||
| PH Social science course (introductory) | 4 | ||||||
| Elementary language course | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| INSH 2300 | 4 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | PHTH 4540 | 4 |
| Core Health Humanities course (1) | 4 | PHTH 4120 | 4 | ||||
| Intermediate language course | 4 | ||||||
| PHTH 4202 | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Capstone | 3-4 | Core digital health humanities elective (2) | 4 | ||||
| Core digital health humanities elective (1) | 4 | Core health humanities course (3) | 4 | ||||
| Core health humanities course (2) | 4 | PH Social science course (upper-level) | 3-4 | ||||
| General Elective | 4 | General Elective | 4 | ||||
| 15-16 | 15-16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 128-132 | |||||||
Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer Second Half/Fall—Bouvé Students
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | PSYC 1101 | 4 | PHTH 2300 | 4 | General Elective | 4 |
| HSCI 1000 | 1 | BIOL course | 4-5 | PHTH 2350 | 4 | General Elective | 4 |
| INSH 1300 | 4 | Introductory language course | 4 | ||||
| PHTH 1260 | 4 | General elective | 4 | ||||
| BIOL course | 4-5 | ||||||
| 17-18 | 16-17 | 8 | 8 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Core humanities course (1) | 4 | HSCI 2000 | 1 | PHTH 4202 | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| Core humanities elective (2) | 4 | PHTH 2210 | 4 | General Elective | 4 | ||
| PH Social Science Course (introductory) | 4 | Core health humanities course (1) | 4 | ||||
| Elementary language course | 4 | Intermediate language course | 4 | ||||
| PHTH 2515 | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | INSH 2300 | 4 | PHTH 4120 | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| Core digital health humanities course (1) | 4 | PHTH 4540 | 4 | ||||
| ENGW 3306 | 4 | ||||||
| Core health humanities course (2) | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Co-op | 0 | Core digital health humanities course (2) | 4 | ||||
| Capstone | 3-4 | ||||||
| Core health humanities course (3) | 4 | ||||||
| PH Social Science course (upper) | 3-4 | ||||||
| 0 | 14-16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 128-132 | |||||||