Minor Requirements

The Bi-Co Health Studies minor consists of six courses, which include: 

1. A required introductory course (HLTH B115/HLTH H115), offered in the fall and spring semesters, should be completed during the first or second year, however, juniors and seniors are not prohibited from enrolling in the course if they develop an interest in the minor; successful completion of the introductory course is a pre-requisite for enrolling in the Senior Seminar (HLTH H398).
    
2. Three elective core course credits from a list approved by the faculty steering committee. Students must elect two of these courses from a department outside of the student’s major, and at least two of these courses should be at the non-introductory level. Students must take one core course in each of three tracks: 
   • M track: mechanisms of disease and the maintenance of the healthy body 
   • R track: cultural, literary, visual and ethical representations of health and illness 
   • S track: familial, social, civic and governmental systems that structure and respond to issues of health and disease. 
3. One additional course, outside the student’s major. Students are encouraged to choose an additional core course from one of the three tracks, but may also select one from a list of approved affiliate courses that deal with health issues, but not necessarily as their primary focus. In order for an affiliate course to count toward the minor, the student is expected to pursue a health-related topic for the final paper or project for the course.  
    
4. A senior seminar organized around a single theme, which varies each year. Potential themes could be a particular health intervention, a category of diseases, a specific population, or an important social determinant of health, among others. Students complete two projects that address the theme: one that is grounded in their own disciplinary perspective and one that requires collaboration with fellow students majoring in other disciplines. The senior seminar is offered twice each year, once in the fall and once in the spring, on different themes.

No more than two of the six minor credits may come from institutions outside the Tri-Co. Only one course that fulfills a student’s graduation requirement for their major can also fulfill a requirement for the Health Studies minor. For students who are concentrating or minoring in an additional program, only one of the four elective courses for Health Studies can also fulfill a requirement for the concentration or second minor.