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2018-2019 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Certificate in Medical and Health Humanities

Medical and health humanities is a multidisciplinary investigation of medical and health-related topics. This certificate program allows students pursuing careers in health or health-related majors, premedicine, nursing, athletic training, child life, and social work to broaden their understanding of medicine and health by incorporating the diverse perspectives of a variety of disciplines in the liberal arts and sciences. Students must be degree-seeking students to receive the certificate. The certificate will be awarded at the same time as the degree is awarded. All undergraduate certificates have received Higher Learning Commission approval, and students are eligible for financial aid because they are seeking a degree. Completion of courses in the student's plan of study will result in award of the certificate in medical humanities. This shall be noted on the student's official university transcript. Students must apply for an audit for a nonteaching certificate upon completion. Visit this webpage for the certificate request form: www.gvsu.edu/s/Ml/.

Requirements for a Certificate in Medical and Health Humanities

The medical and humanities certificate requires 11 to 12 credits from the courses listed as follows. No more than two courses can have the same department prefix. Students can only apply two courses from the certificate toward a major and another two to a minor.

Transfer Students

A maximum of two courses can be credited by transfer toward completion of the medical humanities certificate. Students must complete at least two of the courses for the certificate at GVSU.

Certificate Core Course

Elective Courses

The additional eight to nine credits are to be completed by taking one course from each of the three course categories:

  • Perspectives on Human Health and Development
  • Perspectives Related to End of Life
  • Ethics in Health and Medicine

I = Issues courses: I-H = Humanities, I-I = Identity, I-HR = Human Rights, I-S = Sustainability

Certificate Checklist (11 to 12 credits):

______ Core Course: HST 370 - History of Medicine and Health

______ Perspectives on Human Health and Development course: _____________

______ Perspectives Related to End of Life course: _____________

______ Ethics in Health and Medicine course: _____________

Perspectives on Human Health and Development

Perspectives Related to End of Life

Ethics in Health and Medicine

With permission, additional special topics courses can be counted toward the medical humanities certificate.

Honors Students

Some HNR 280 courses can be used to fulfill the certificate requirements. Signoff will be handled on a case-to-case basis. HNR 280 can only be used to fulfill ONE of the elective categories. Examples:

Ethics: HNR 280 - Food for Thought (semester 2)
End-of-Life Perspectives: HNR 280 - Live, Learn, Lead: Saging and Aging

Program Description

Click here for program description.



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