Integrated Health Studies

Student Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes include those specific to the student’s chosen minor/certificate as well as the following broad outcomes. Students will graduate with an Integrated Health Studies major with the ability to

  • Demonstrate effective writing and speaking skills.

  • Employ critical analysis to understand health issues.

  • Apply interdisciplinary thinking to explain health choices and behaviors.

  • Evaluate the social and cultural contexts in which people define and experience health and illness.

  • Analyze multiple viewpoints and strategies regarding health challenges.

Program Contact

Marjorie.Levine-Clark@ucdenver.edu

The Integrated Health Studies Track is designed for students who are interested in health from the perspective of the liberal arts and sciences and who seek interdisciplinary training focused around particular health topics. An interdisciplinary approach to health through the liberal arts and sciences seeks to create broadly-educated citizens who can apply critical thinking, information literacy, analysis, and independent problem solving to a wide variety of situations. Students can choose from a selection of health-focused minors and certificates that they combine with interdisciplinary clusters, which permits deeper understanding of a focused health topic. The track supports students seeking positions in

  • Health education

  • Health administration

  • Community health

  • Non-profit health organizations

  • Environmental health

  • Community organizing

  • Social work

  • Occupational health

  • Health policy

  • Gerontology

  • And more

The Integrated Health Studies Track has a minimum of 39-40 credits:

  • 6-7 credits of introductory courses

  • a minimum of 30 credits in two major areas (a CLAS minor or certificate AND a topical cluster; 15 credits minimum in each area – 9 credits minimum upper division in each area)

  • 3 credits capstone

  • Students must achieve a C in courses taken at CU Denver to satisfy the requirements of the major, and a C- in each transfer course to satisfy the requirements of this major.

Students are required to take TWO of the following four courses as an introduction to their major. If an introductory course is also part of a student’s chosen area, a student may count one introductory course as part of that area’s credits:

  1. COMM 2500 Introduction to Health Communication (3 credits)

  2. HEHM 3100 Introduction to Health Humanities (3 credits)

  3. PBHL 2001 Introduction to Public Health (4 credits)

  4. SOCY 3440 Medical Sociology (3 credits)

Students combine ONE of the following CLAS minors or certificates (areas 1-4) with ONE of the topical clusters (areas 5-11) to make up their major areas. Students can double-count a maximum of one course across their areas (in addition to an introductory course). Students must take courses from at least TWO different disciplines in their topical cluster:

CLAS Minors or Certificates

  1. Public Health Minor

  2. Health Humanities Minor

  3. Health Communication Certificate

  4. Sociology of Health and Medicine Certificate

Topical Clusters

  1. Aging and End of Life Cluster

  2. Biology and Society Cluster

  3. Environmental Health Cluster

  4. Drugs and Addiction Cluster

  5. Family Health Issues Cluster

  6. Food and Nutrition Cluster

  7. Sexuality and Reproduction Cluster

Major Areas

Choose One Minor/Certificate from Areas 1-4

Choose One Topical Cluster from Areas 5-11

ISMA 4900 Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone (existing course)

ISMA 4900 brings together students who have been working on their Integrated Health Studies Majors to share a capstone experience. The goal of the capstone is for students to put their interdisciplinary learning into action – whether through a traditional research project or an experiential learning project. All students must produce a final project that demonstrates their abilities to pose an interdisciplinary question and synthesize the theories, methods, and analytical perspectives of their chosen clusters to answer that question. While working with faculty advisors suited to the academic content of their capstone projects, students meet in class to discuss their experiences and to get feedback from each other as their projects develop. Grades will be determined by the instructor of record in consultation with each student's Faculty Advisor. Prerequisite: Capstone proposal approved by faculty advisor.