BA in Health Humanities
- Degree Program Description
- Major Program Requirements
- Semester Plan
- Degree Audit
- Major and Career Exploration
Degree Program Description
Societies are increasingly confronted with an array of complex issues related to health, including medical privacy, rural healthcare, addiction, aging, disability access, and the ethics of new technologies and treatments. Health Humanities explores the cultural, historical, economic, and demographic factors that impact health, healthcare, and health policy. A broad, interdisciplinary field, Health Humanities unites practicing health professionals, traditional humanities scholars, artists, writers, and humanities and social science students, as well as pre-health and health professions students. This major focuses on health and healthcare delivery in their cultural, historical, aesthetic, and political contexts with the aim of developing clinical empathy skills necessary for patient-centered care; a holistic understanding of health issues and ethics; and culturally informed communication skills.
Health Humanities prepares students for health-oriented postgraduate programs as well as for diverse careers in healthcare delivery and leadership. This program prepares students for an array of roles in government, the healthcare industry (including marketing, sales, medical research, consulting, and insurance), civic engagement, and administration in the private and public sectors. The curriculum is designed to train students to meet emerging challenges in our healthcare system as well as changes in medical education. This program is dedicated to training the next generation of national and international health leaders—from doctors and health professionals to economists, technological designers, health journalists, and policymakers.
Major Program Requirements
In addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated. Students must take 21 of the required 30 credits in the College of Arts & Science.
| Foundation Courses: | 18 | |
| Required Courses | 12 | |
| HLTH_HUM 1000 | Introduction to Health Humanities | 3 |
| COMMUN 4530 | Health Communication | 3 |
| ENGLSH 2000 | Studies in English (Literature & Medicine) | 3 |
| or PHIL 2440 | Medical Ethics | |
| P_HLTH 2200 | Introduction to Public Health and Health Promotion | 3 |
| Creative Practice (choose one course for 3 credit hours) | 3 | |
| ART_VS 1020 | Introduction to Visual Studies | 3 |
| ART_VS 1050 | Drawing: Materials and Methods | 3 |
| ART_VS 1100 | Ceramics for Non-Majors | 3 |
| ART_VS 2030 | Context and Culture | 3 |
| ART_VS 2600 | Digital Photography | 3 |
| ENGLSH 1500 | Creative Writing: Introduction to Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGLSH 2100 | Writing About Literature | 3 |
| THEATR 1400 | Acting for Non-Majors | 3 |
| THEATR 2220/DST_VS 2820 | Immersive Theatre | 3 |
| 3000/4000-level approved writing intensive course | 3 | |
| Capstone: | 3 | |
| A 4000-level capstone experiential course requiring an academic or creative project or an experience that allows to integrate knowledge gained through prior coursework and learn professional skills (e.g. study abroad, service learning, or internship for a minimum of 3 credits.) Must be approved by the program director. | ||
| Concentration Areas: | 6 | |
| Choose at least 6 credit hours within one of the following four concentration areas. | ||
| Community Health and Society | ||
| ANTHRO 3560/3560W | Plagues and Peoples | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI 2400/2400H/2400W | Contemporary Health Issues | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI 3700 | Health Care in the United States | 3 |
| HIST 3550 | Science and Medicine in Ancient and Medieval Europe | 3 |
| H_D_FS 2300 | Multicultural Study of Children and Families | 3 |
| POL_SC 4390 | United States Health Politics and Policy | 3 |
| PUB_AF 4175 | Early Childhood Policy | 3 |
| P_HLTH 3910W | Public Health Communication - Writing Intensive | 3 |
| P_HLTH 3310 | Social and Behavioral Health Theory and Practice | 3 |
| P_HLTH 3460 | Introduction to Public Health and Emergency Preparedness | 3 |
| P_HLTH 3560 | Public Health and Environmental Justice | 3 |
| P_HLTH 3620 | Public Health Promotion and Program Planning | 3 |
| P_HLTH 3960 | Public Health, Drugs and Policy | 3 |
| P_HLTH/WGST 4420 | Gender, Culture, and Politics: Gender in the Heartland | 3 |
| P_HLTH 4620 | Climate Change and Human Health | 3 |
| P_HLTH 4630 | Health and Human Migration | 3 |
| SOCIOL 3440 | Sociology of Health | 3 |
| SOCIOL 4450 | Research Practicum in Health, Place, and Community | 3 |
| WGST 3850 | Gender and the Politics of Representation (Disability & Sexuality in U.S. Culture) | 3 |
| WGST 3960/P_HLTH 3965 | Strategies for Effective Peer Education | 1 |
| Global Health | ||
| ANTHRO 3560/3560W | Plagues and Peoples | 3 |
| ANTHRO 4360 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI 2400/2400H/2400W | Contemporary Health Issues | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI/P_HLTH 3400 | Global Health Care Systems between HLTH_SCI 3400 and P_HLTH 3400, only one may count in the concentration area and elective major requirements | 3 |
| HIST 2590 | Epidemics and Society | 3 |
| P_HLTH 3960 | Public Health, Drugs and Policy | 3 |
| P_HLTH 4620 | Climate Change and Human Health | 3 |
| WGST/P_HLTH 2050 | Gender and Public Health | 3 |
| WGST 3960/P_HLTH 3965 | Strategies for Effective Peer Education | 1 |
| WGST/P_HLTH 4420 | Gender, Culture, and Politics (Gender in the Heartland) | 3 |
| History, Narrative and Ethics | ||
| ANTHRO 4580 | Evolutionary Medicine | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI 2850/2850H | Inclusion and Equity in Health Care | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI 2900/2900H | Health Care In Missouri | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI 4410 | Humanism and Health Literacy | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI 4420 | Health Literacy, Decision Making and Behavior Changes | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI 4480 | Clinical Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 1150 | Introductory Bioethics | 3 |
| PHIL 4400 | The Nature of Scientific Inquiry | 3 |
| POL_SC 4390 | United States Health Politics and Policy | 3 |
| SOC_WK 4395 | Death, Grief and Loss | 3 |
| WGST 3850 | Gender and the Politics of Representation (Disability & Sexuality in U.S. Culture) | 3 |
| Identity and Health | ||
| ANTHRO 2580 | Evolution of Human Sexuality | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI 2850/2850H | Inclusion and Equity in Health Care | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI/P_HLTH 3400 | Global Health Care Systems between HLTH_SCI 3400 and P_HLTH 3400, only one may count in the concentration area and elective major requirements | 3 |
| HLTH_SCI 4430 | Health Care Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| P_HLTH 3860 | Autism Spectrum Disorder and Public Health | 3 |
| P_HLTH/WGST 4420 | Gender, Culture, and Politics: Gender in the Heartland | 3 |
| SOCIOL 3440 | Sociology of Health | 3 |
| SOCIOL 4450 | Research Practicum in Health, Place, and Community | 3 |
| WGST/P_HLTH 2050 | Gender and Public Health | 3 |
| WGST 2960 | Sexual Health Education and Advocacy | 3 |
| WGST 3850 | Gender and the Politics of Representation (Disability and Sexuality in U.S. Culture) | 3 |
| WGST 3960/P_HLTH 3965 | Strategies for Effective Peer Education | 1 |
| WGST 4600 | Women and Health | 3 |
| WGST/P_HLTH 4610 | Race, Gender, and Health: An Intersectional Examination of Health Inequalities | 3 |
| Electives: | 6 | |
| Choose 6 additional credit hours from any of the above concentration areas. | ||
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | American Government/History (Social Science) | 3 |
| HLTH_HUM 1000 | 3 | Behavioral Science Course | 3 |
| SSC 1150 | 2 | Creative Practice Course | 3 |
| Biological/Physical/Mathematical Science Course | 3 | Math/Quantitative Reasoning Course | 3 |
| Humanities Course (gen ed) | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHIL 2440 | 3 | P_HLTH 2200 | 3 |
| Biological/Physical/Mathematical Science Course | 3 | Biological/Physical/Mathematical Science Course | 3 |
| Humanities Writing Intensive Course (gen ed) | 3 | Health Humanities Concentration Course | 3 |
| Social Science Course | 3 | Second Language Course | 4 |
| General Elective | 3 | Social Science Course | 3 |
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| COMMUN 4530 | 3 | A&S Diversity Intensive Course | 3 |
| Behavioral Science Course | 3 | Health Humanities Elective Course (A&S) | 3 |
| Health Humanities Concentration Course (A&S) | 3 | Humanities Course (gen ed) | 3 |
| Second Language Course | 4 | Second Language Course | 4 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Health Humanities Elective Course (A&S) | 3 | Health Humanities Capstone Course | 3 |
| Humanities Course (gen ed) | 3 | General Elective | 4 |
| Upper-Level Writing Intensive Course | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 13 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.