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Can I study abroad as a Global Health Studies adjunct major or minor?

Yes! In fact, students must complete a substantive public health-related international experience as a required component of the Global Health Studies (GHS) degree. Courses taken abroad also count toward elective requirements for the adjunct major/minor.

Students pursuing a GHS adjunct major or minor can and do study abroad while also completing their primary major.

For more information about the study abroad requirement, visit the

When can I study abroad as a Global Health Studies adjunct major or minor?

This might depend on your primary major. Many GHS students also pursue STEM majors with sequenced courses, have laboratory commitments, or plan to complete a senior thesis, all of which could influence which term(s) work best for study abroad.

ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵprograms that fulfill the international experience requirement are available during all four ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵquarters.

Review the for more information and a list of programs that fulfill the international experience requirement.

What classes can I take abroad?

All of Northwestern’s public health programs in China, France, Mexico, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and South Africa offer a set curriculum of courses. These programs include two courses that focus on public health issues and challenges within the location of study, as well as two courses that focus on the context of health in that location. Pre-approved affiliated programs also have a health focus or concentration in the curriculum.

For any study abroad programs that are not pre-approved by Global Health Studies, including affiliated direct enrollment programs and unaffiliated programs, students must receive prior approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) and/or GLO. Students interested in participating in a non-Northwestern/unaffiliated program should before submitting their study abroad application in order to seek guidance on whether that program would meet GHS study abroad requirements.

Students can also take courses to help fulfill other degree requirements, learn or improve on a language, or just to take advantage of the opportunity to learn something new that is not offered at Northwestern.

Read more about academic planning and choosing courses

What type of credit can I get from study abroad?

Up to two elective credits can be completed on a study abroad program. This fulfills two of the required four elective credits for the and three elective credits for the . Students who elect to study abroad more than once may be eligible to earn more elective credits.

Most ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵprograms offer direct credit, and the health-related courses that can count toward the adjunct major/minor are listed with GBL_HLTH subject codes. Health-related courses from pre-approved affiliated programs yield transfer credit that can be applied toward elective requirements for the adjunct major/minor.

Courses offered through other affiliated or unaffiliated programs must be reviewed by the DUS in Global Health Studies to determine whether they will be eligible to fulfill elective requirements for the adjunct major/minor.

Your academic advisers can help you identify what distribution requirements or major/minor credit could be best taken abroad and your GLO adviser can help you identify programs that offer these types of credit.

Suggested Programs for Global Health Studies Majors and Minors

Interested in other programs or other types of credit?

Next Steps

Unsure where to start? Check out the Get Started page for some helpful next steps.

For questions about Global Health Studies and study abroad, refer to the .

We encourage you to meet with your Global Health Studies adviser to discuss your academic course plan and with a GLO adviser to learn more about the programs you're considering.