Academic Planning
Best Time to Go
- As a public health major you have a lot of flexibility for when you can go abroad. With early planning you can participate in a study abroad program before admission to the BA program or after you have been admitted.
- You can find relevant courses for the Public Health major on short-term programs offered over winter break, May session or summer, and on semester-long programs.
Major Requirements
- With prior approval, courses taken abroad can count toward prerequisites or program requirements, including requirements for community awareness courses, public health survey courses, and topic-focused electives.
- Public health foundation courses and the capstone course cannot be taken on a study abroad program.
Approval Process for Major/Minor Requirements
Schedule an appointment with the academic advisor in the School of Public Health at [email protected] to discuss courses you plan to take abroad and have them evaluated prior to applying for the program. Use the Academic Planning Form to document course approvals.
Global Ambassadors for Patient Safety (GAPS)
If you plan to participate in a program where you may have interaction with patients, complete the Global Ambassadors for Patient Safety (GAPS) online module. This interactive online workshop developed by the Pre-Health Student Resource Center will help you:
- prepare for your experience abroad
- use your experience abroad to make a positive impact on your health program application
- consider the legal and ethical boundaries that should guide your activities while abroad
- understand your own limitations as an unlicensed student
Liberal Education requirements
- Plan early to apply study abroad credits to the liberal education requirements. Decide which liberal education requirements you want to satisfy through courses taken abroad so you do not fulfill them on campus.
- Consult the Learning Abroad Center’s U Credit Abroad Search to find courses that have already been approved for liberal education requirements. You can also submit a course that you plan to take abroad to be evaluated for liberal education requirements before you apply.
Participate in an Internship, Research, or Experiential Learning Opportunity
- Applying direct experience to your education does not only enhance your knowledge of what you have learned, but can be instrumental in obtaining further educational or professional opportunities
- Work with Academic Advising in SPH to figure out if your internship, research, or Experiential Learning Opportunity can count towards your Public Health degree
Develop or Improve Second Language Skills
- A second language can enhance your worldview and perspective when approaching Public Health, especially working with a variety of communities
- A second language is not required of the BA in the School of Public Health, however, you can use the credits towards major electives
Programs
Africa & the Middle East
Ghana
- Summer
- Program consists of observational clinical rotations combined with interactive coursework to support the emphasis on experiential learning.
- Public health rotations are catered to students’ educational level and professional goals.
Senegal
- Program term: Fall or spring semester
- Take classes and do an internship or research project focused on public and community health in Senegal
- Live with a homestay and take classes in French, to improve your language skills
South Africa
IES South Africa — Politics & Public Health or Summer Health Studies
- Study in Cape Town — an ideal location to experience the complex socio-economic health care challenges of a multicultural developing country with great disparities
- Take classes in a wide range of health-related topics, including the intersections of environment, health and development, the impact of globalization on health and development, and endemic diseases and their socio-economic context. Students can also take classes in history, political science, child studies, and more.
- All courses are taught in English
Americas
Argentina
Study & Intern in Buenos Aires
- Program term: academic year, fall or spring semester (Winter break and short term summer are intensive language only)
- Center-based study program is offered in collaboration with the prestigious José Ortega y Gasset Foundation and the University of Minnesota.
- Cross Cultural Psychology, Paradox of Mental Health: Biological or Cultural, and Service-Learning in Buenos Aires courses offered during semester programs may be of interest to public health students
- No Spanish required; intensive Spanish classes offered at all levels
Asia & Oceania
India
- Term: Winter Break (Spring semester on campus)
- This global experience will allow you to more fully understand health, healthcare, and public health in the context of a historical culture and a rapidly developing economy of India.
- Explore areas in and around Mysore, India, to compare the social and cultural contexts of Indian and American health and medicine. While abroad, take classes at Vivekananda Institute of Indian Studies (VIIS), an educational institution of the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM), a leading NGO in the field of health and development in India.
- Field visits and excursions will illuminate the coursework
SIT India: Public Health, Gender, & Sexuality
- Term: fall or spring
- Learn about reproductive healthcare in India and examine how India's healthcare systems approach the reproductive health of sexual minorities
- Program combines classroom-based learning, including a Hindi language course, with an independent study project or internship
- Includes a week-long excursion to the Himalayas to learn about rural healthcare
New Zealand
University Study in New Zealand: University of Auckland
- Program term: fall or spring semester, academic year
- Biology course titles include: Biology for Biomedical Sciences: Cellular Processes and Development, Genetics, Food and Beverage Microbiology, and Developmental Biology and Cancer, and Nutritional Science
- Health-related course titles include: Social Science for Health, Current Debates in Health and Health Policy, and Science
- There may be prerequisites for specific courses
Thailand
- Program term: fall or spring semester
- Take classes and do an internship or research project focused on OneHealth (the relationship between human health, animal health, and the environment)
- No language prerequisite
Vietnam
SIT Vietnam: Traditional Medicine & Community Health
- Program term: summer
- Traditional Medicine and Community Health course and either Vietnamese or Chinese language course (taught at beginning, intermediate, or advanced level)
- Learn about healthcare and health delivery among diverse groups, including marginalized and indigenous populations, and the philosophy behind traditional Vietnamese medicine and its connection with traditional Chinese medicine
- No language prerequisite
Europe
Denmark
Study Abroad in Denmark and Summer in Denmark & Sweden
- Program term: fall or spring semester, summer 3-, 6-, or 10-week
- Semester tracks include Public Health (focus on comparative policy models), Medical Practice & Policy (classes taught at hospitals by physicians), and Biomedicine (focus on drug development). All students go on course-integrated, faculty-led study tours across Europe, included program fee.
- Summer courses may include Health Delivery and Prioritization in Northern Europe, Public Health in the Arctic, Human Health and Disease: A Clinical Approach, Medical Biotechnology and Drug Development, and Sports Medicine: Performance and Fatigue
- No language prerequisite - all courses taught in English by Danish faculty
- Research option available
France
- Term: May Session (Spring Semester)
- Explore innovative health care and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Montpellier
- This is an embedded spring semester course, with the abroad portion in France taking place over May session at the end of the semester and on-campus classes taking place in the second half of the spring semester
- For the on-campus portion of the course, a remote/distance option is available to University of Minnesota Rochester students
Spain
Cross-Cultural Health in Spain
- Program location: Toledo, Spain
- Program term: fall semester, spring semester, summer
- Courses offered in English include: Global Bioethics, Diversity in Global Health, Healthcare Marketing and Communications, and Comparative Public Health
- Many additional electives are also offered and taught in Spanish, including Medical Spanish
- Health-related internships are available
Sweden
- Program type: Study Abroad Center
- DIS, one of Europe's largest and academically strongest study abroad programs, offers a wide variety of courses and study tours in Stockholm, Scandinavia, and Europe.
- Offers tracks in Public Health and other disciplines. All students go on course-integrated, faculty-led study tours across Europe, included program fee
- Instruction is in English; no prior Swedish is required. Fall or spring semester. Research option available.
United Kingdom
Study & Intern in London and Study Comparative Health Care & Intern in London (Summer only)
- Program term: fall or spring semester, summer session
- Internship placements may be possible within the healthcare industry
- Past internship experiences include clinic, hospital and research settings
- The London program has also established a good working relationship with one of the largest and busiest hospitals in London. Sample placements have included internships in departments such as Accident & Emergency, Biochemistry, Liver Unit, Nutrition and Dietetics, Pharmacy and Trauma & Orthopedics
Additional Options to Consider
- 3-week, 3-credit programs at the 3000-level led by University of Minnesota faculty and staff over winter break or May session.
- Explore an exciting location and topic, Fulfill Liberal Education requirements, or earn major/minor credit.
- Check out additional LAC Instructor-led Seminars that might run over winter break, spring break, May, and summer sessions. They vary in length, dates, and content so students can find one that best fits their academic and professional goals.
- Begin your language study or work toward completing requirements for a language minor.
- Complete a semester of language on a short-term program or explore options to complete two or more semesters of language on semester-long program.