Health Communication Major
Health Communication Major
The undergraduate major in Health Communication is the first in the State of California and one of only a handful of such programs in the United States. With a base in Communication courses, students majoring in Health Communication study topics such as doctor-patient communication, health communication campaigns, communication in health risk and crisis, and other topics in various contexts. Students also take courses in allied health-related disciplines.
This is a Bachelor of Science degree. Graduates may seek positions in a variety of health-related industries. Some will consider graduate study in one of the fastest growing areas in our field.
Major Requirements
Preparation for the Major
Must be taken for a grade. Minimum GPA 2.75 and minimum grade of C required. General Education oral communication requirement (3 units) and six units selected from:
Major Requirements
A minimum of 42 upper division units
- A minor is strongly recommended, but not required.
- You must complete a total of 120 units in order to graduate. Always check your degree audit and consult an undergraduate advisor in the School of Communication to ensure you are on track to graduate.
- Foundations of Communication
9 units, prerequisite for all 400-level courses:- COMM 300 - Conceptualizing Communication (3 units)
- COMM 350 - Investigating Communication (3 units)
- COMM 321 - Introduction to Health Communication (3 units)
- Health Communication Courses
18 units from the following, *6 units must be completed before taking COMM 495 Capstone:- COMM 421 - Health Communication and CBSL (3 units)
- COMM 422 - Politics of Health Communication (3 units)
- COMM 423 - Patient-Provider Interaction (3 units)
- COMM 424 - Health Communication and Relationships (3 units)
- COMM 425 - Theory and Research in Health Communication Campaigns (3 units)
- COMM 426 - Communication in Health Risk and Crisis (3 units)
- COMM 427 - Health Communication and Cultural Communities (3 units)
- COMM 428 - Communicating Health and Well-Being at Work (3 units)
- COMM 485 - Communicating Leadership (3 units)
- Investigating Communication
6 units from following - *Must be completed before taking COMM 495 Capstone:- COMM 420 - Quantitative Methods (3 units)
- COMM 441 - Critical and Cultural Methods (3 units)
- COMM 462 - Ethnography (3 units)
- COMM 465 - Conversational Interaction (3 units)
- Health-Related Preparation
6 units from following:- GER 360 - Diversity and Aging (3 units)
- GER 370 - Images of Aging in Contemporary Society (3 units)
- HHS 350 - Applied International Health and Human Services (3 units)
- NURS 350 - Women's Health Across the Lifespan (3 units)
- PHIL 330 - Medical Ethics (3 units)
- P A 340 - Administrative Behavior (3 units)
- PH 353 - Human Sexuality and Disease (3 units)
- PH 362 - International Health (3 units)
- SWORK 430 - Alcohol and Other Drug Problems (3 units)
- Communication Capstone
(3 units; must have completed 300, 350, 6 units of health communication courses, and required Investigating units.)- COMM 495 - Conceptualizing and Investigating Communication (3 units)
Degree Learning Outcomes
- FOUNDATIONAL COMPETENCIES:Ability to comprehend, identify, & competently employ skills in argumentation, writing, listening, verbal and nonverbal communication, public presentations, teamwork and collaboration, conflict management, and professional interaction
- DISCIPLINARY COMPETENCIES:Comprehension of the nature, function, scope, delineations, and history of the health communication discipline (with emphasis on its SDSU instantiation)
- THEORETICAL COMPETENCIES:Ability to identify, differentiate, analyze, and modify major theories as well as formulate original theoretical creations relevant to health communication processes and outcomes
- RESEARCH COMPETENCIES:Ability to comprehend, compare and contrast the major research paradigms as they apply to the context of health communication, and ability to propose and conduct original research applying at least one of these paradigms
- APPLIED COMPETENCIES:Ability to translate health communication knowledge into applied contexts, policies, projects, interventions, or presentations
- CULTURAL COMPETENCIES:Capacity for applying and interpreting multiple perspectives toward communication involving self and others’ (co)cultures, group affiliations, health experiences, and identities
- CRITICAL COMPETENCIES:Ability to identify relevant evaluative criteria and apply them competently to self-reflection, ethical analysis, and actual or envisioned health communication situations and/or scenarios
