Table 1.
Description of eight existing undergraduate Global Health major programs in the United States
| Allegheny College | Arizona State University | Duke University | Georgetown University | Mercer University | New York University | University of California–San Diego | University of Southern California | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global health program | ||||||||
| Program degree | BA or BS in Global Health Studies | BA in Global Health* | BA in Global Health | BS in Biology of Global Health | BA in Global Health Studies | BA or BS† | BA in Global Health | BS in Global Health Studies |
| School/department granting degree | Allegheny College | School of Human Evolution and Social Change | College of Arts and Sciences | Department of Biology; Georgetown College | Department of International and Global Studies; College of Liberal Arts | College of Global Public Health | Department of Anthropology | Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California |
| Year of degree inception | 2013 | 2007 | 2013 | 2008 | 2010 | 2013 | 2014 | 2008 |
| Does the school also offer an undergraduate public health degree? | No | No | No | No | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes |
| Student composition | ||||||||
| Target audience | All interested students | All interested students | All interested students | Biology students and other interested students who transfer into the Department of Biology | Pre-health students (premedical, pre-physical therapy, pre-pharmacy, pre-nursing), pre-law, and social science students | All interested students | Biology, premedical, and general students | All interested students |
| Percent female in average year | 70–75 | 78 | 79 | 75–80 | > 70 | N/A | N/A | 77 |
| Number of students in first graduating class | 9 in 2014 | 1 in 2009 | 10 in 2014 | 2 in 2009 | 1 in 2012 | N/A | 2 in 2015 | N/A |
| Number of students in current graduating class (2016) | 16 | 63 | 58 | 40 | 22 | N/A | 29 | 18 |
| Number of students currently enrolled in program (2016) | 117 | 404 (265 in-person, 139 online) | 147 | 103 | 46 | N/A | 123 | 84 |
| Total number of students graduated from program | 27 | 264 | 86 | 158 | 23 | N/A | 2 | 75 |
| Key educational competencies | ||||||||
| Have the key competencies of the degree program been defined? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes |
| If yes, were the key competencies defined before program inception? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes |
| Were key competencies revised after program inception? | Yes, still evolving | Yes, still under discussion and have mapped to CUGH competencies | Yes, still under discussion as we continue to refine the curriculum | Yes, revised with the WHO employment competencies | Yes | N/A | No | Yes, still evolving |
| Program requirements | ||||||||
| Major credit hours required for BA or BS degree | 56 credits (of 128 total credits required for degree) | 33 credits (of 120 total credits required for degree) | 11 credits (of 34 total credits required for degree) | 42 credits (of 120 total credits required for degree) | 45 credits (of 53 total credits required for degree) | N/A (of 128–135 total credits required for degree) | 68 credits (of 180 total units required for degree) | 66 units (of 128 total units required for degree) |
| Is a thesis required for the degree program? | Yes (2 semesters) | No | No (∼20% complete a thesis; all students complete a research-oriented capstone project) | No (recommended) | No (students complete a research capstone project) | N/A | Yes | No |
| Is a practicum experience required for the degree program? | Yes (the practicum topic and duration must be approved by the program) | Yes (1 semester at 10 hours/week) | Yes (8 weeks) | No | No (an internship is recommended) | Yes (global public health internship) | Yes (100-hour, 5-week duration preapproved field experience required) | No |
| Is international experience required for the degree program? | No (recommended) | Yes | No (most practicums are international experiences) | No (recommended) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Does the degree require a co-major? | No | No | Yes (degree can be paired with any other major) | No | No | Yes† (degree can be paired with 10 majors) | No | No |
BA = bachelor of arts; BS = bachelor of science; CUGH = Consortium of Universities for Global Health; N/A = not available; WHO = World Health Organization.
*
Degree also available through online curriculum.
†
Depends on the co-major, which may include the following: anthropology, applied psychology, food studies, history, media culture and communication, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, social work, sociology, and science.