The combined Bachelor of Arts in Public Health and Communication Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to public health communication. Students combine courses from public health, social sciences, and communication studies to study the important role of communication in shaping the public’s understanding of health issues. The interdisciplinary curriculum is enhanced by experiential learning opportunities and is designed to prepare students for challenging careers that involve crafting messages about health, developing strategies for promoting access to healthcare services, and specific applications such as disease awareness and prevention.
- Concentrations and course offerings may vary by campus and/or by program modality. Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for the course availability each term at your campus or within your program modality.
- Certain options within the program may be required at certain campuses or for certain program modalities. Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for requirements at your campus or for your program modality.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
Universitywide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.
BA Language Requirements
All BA students are required to complete the BA degree language requirements, for a total of 12 semester hours of language study or demonstrated equivalent proficiency, as described in Additional Requirements for BA students. Successful demonstration of proficiency does not reduce total minimum semester hours of study required to earn the BA degree.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Public Health Requirements
Public Health Core Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHTH 1260 | The American Healthcare System | 4 |
| or PHTH 1261 | Comparative Healthcare Systems | |
| PHTH 2210 | Foundations of Biostatistics | 4 |
| PHTH 2300 | Communication Skills for the Health Professions | 4 |
| or PHTH 2301 | Communication Skills for the Health Professions—Global | |
| PHTH 2350 | Community and Public Health | 4 |
| or PHTH 2351 | Community and Public Health - Global | |
| PHTH 2515 | Healthcare Policy and Administration | 4 |
| PHTH 4120 | Global Perspectives on Discrimination and Health | 4 |
| PHTH 4202 | Principles of Epidemiology in Medicine and Public Health | 4 |
| PHTH 4540 | Health Education and Program Planning | 4 |
Science Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 1101 | Foundations of Psychology | 4 |
| Biology | ||
| Complete one of the following options: | 8-10 | |
| Option 1 | ||
| Microbes and Society | ||
or BIOL 1143 | Biology and Society | |
| The Human Organism | ||
| Option 2 | ||
| General Biology 1 and Lab for BIOL 1111 | ||
| General Biology 2 and Lab for BIOL 1113 | ||
Social Science Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Course | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Peoples and Cultures | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics and Recitation for ECON 1115 | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics and Recitation for ECON 1116 | ||
| Introduction to Health and Humanities | ||
| Social Change and Human Services | ||
| Globalization and International Affairs | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Upper-Level Course | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Society and Behavior | ||
| Medical Anthropology | ||
| Psychology of Crime | ||
| Urban Economic Issues | ||
| The (in)Visibility of (dis)Ability in Society | ||
| Health Advocacy | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Developmental Psychology | ||
| Learning and Motivation | ||
| Violence and Society | ||
| Sociology of Health and Illness | ||
| Race, Class, and Gender | ||
| Globalization and Global Health | ||
| Epidemiology of Pandemic Diseases and Health Disparities in the African Diaspora | ||
| International Food Policy | ||
| Cities in a Global Context | ||
or INTL 3201 | Cities in a Global Context (Abroad) | |
| International Conflict and Negotiation | ||
| Politics of Developing Nations | ||
| Environmental Health and Climate Change | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Climate and Development | ||
or PPUA 5100 | Climate and Development | |
| Climate Change and Global Urbanization | ||
| Law, Policy, and Human Rights | ||
| Law and Economics | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Ethics and Public Policy | ||
| Public Policy and Administration | ||
| Healthcare Administration and Management | ||
| Health Economics and Healthcare Policy | ||
| Healthcare Management, Innovation, and Design | ||
| Organizational Behavior | ||
| Healthcare Management | ||
| Evaluating Healthcare Quality | ||
| Economic Perspectives on Health Policy | ||
Communication Studies Requirements
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 1101 | Introduction to Communication Studies | 4 |
| COMM 1112 | Public Speaking | 4 |
| or COMM 2301 | Communication Research Methods | |
Foundation Course
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Persuasion and Rhetoric | ||
| Communication Theory | ||
| Principles of Organizational Communication | ||
| Communication in a Digital Age | ||
Cluster Course
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Sex, Relationships, and Communication | ||
| Global and Intercultural Communication | ||
| Communication and Gender | ||
| Communication Law | ||
| Free Speech in Cyberspace | ||
Writing-Intensive Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Mobile Communication | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Communication and Inclusion | ||
| Political Communication | ||
| Communication Criticism | ||
| Public Relations Principles | ||
| Environmental Issues, Communication, and the Media | ||
| Free Speech: Law and Practice | ||
| Communication and Sexualities | ||
| Theories of Conflict and Negotiation | ||
| Nonverbal Social Interaction | ||
| Youth and Communication Technology | ||
| Crisis Communication and Image Management | ||
Communication Studies Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete three additional COMM courses. | 12 | |
Supporting Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to College (based on home college) | 1 | |
| College: An Introduction | ||
| Communication Studies at Northeastern | ||
| Co-op Preparation (based on home college) | 1 | |
| Professional Development for Bouvé Co-op | ||
| Professional Development for Co-op | ||
| Writing Courses | ||
| ENGW 1111 | First-Year Writing | 4 |
| Advanced Writing in the Disciplines | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Advanced Writing in the Health Professions | ||
| Advanced Writing in the Arts, Media, and Design | ||
| Capstone and Integrative Course | ||
| Complete capstone through a capstone course, a capstone project, or through an Honors Project. | 3-4 | |
| Capstone Course Options | ||
| Health Communication Campaigns | ||
| Evaluating Health Technologies | ||
| Health Science Capstone—Service (Must complete 0-credit prerequisite course - HSCI 4700) | ||
| Health Science Capstone—Research (Must complete 0-credit prerequisite course - HSCI 4700) | ||
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 1 and Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 | ||
| Critical Issues in Health and Public Health Policy | ||
| Addressing Rural Health Inequities | ||
| Environmental Health | ||
| Global Health | ||
| Food, Nutrition, and Health | ||
| Qualitative Methods | ||
| Capstone Project Options | ||
| Honors Project Option (must meet GPA requirement and complete both courses*) | ||
*HSCI 4970 will count as 4 semester hours toward general electives | ||
General Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 16 semester hours of general electives. | 16 | |
Public Health Major Requirement
A grade of C or higher is required for all BIOL, HSCI, and PHTH courses.
Communication Studies Grade Requirement
No more than two grades below a C in COMM courses may be used to fulfill degree requirements.
Public Health and Communication Studies Major Credit Requirement
Minimum of 91 semester hours required
Program Requirement
130 total semester hours required
Four Years/Two Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1—Bouvé Student Sample
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | ||
| HSCI 1000 | 1 | ENGW 1111 | 4 | General elective | 4 | ||
| PHTH 1260 | 4 | BIOL course—see options | 4 | Public Health Core Course | 4 | ||
| PSYC 1101 | 4 | Elementary language course | 4 | ||||
| BIOL course—see options | 4 | General elective | 4 | ||||
| Elementary language course | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | |||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| HSCI 2000 | 1 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | ENGW 3306 | 4 |
| PHTH 2210 | 4 | General elective | 4 | Public Health Core Course | 4 | ||
| COMM 1101 | 4 | ||||||
| COMM 1112 or 2301 | 4 | ||||||
| COMM elective | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 0 | 4 | 8 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Social science course | 4 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | Public Health Core Courses | 8 |
| Public Health Core Course | 4 | General elective | 4 | ||||
| COMM foundation course | 4 | ||||||
| COMM elective | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 0 | 4 | 8 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| COMM cluster course | 4 | COMM elective | 4 | ||||
| Public Health Core Course | 4 | COMM writing-intensive course | 4 | ||||
| COMM writing-intensive course | 4 | Social science course | 4 | ||||
| Capstone Course | 4 | Intermediate language course | 4 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 130 | |||||||
Four Years/Two Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall—CAMD Student Sample
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | ||
| COMM 1000 | 1 | PSYC 1101 | 4 | General elective | 4 | ||
| PHTH 1260 | 4 | BIOL course—see options | 4 | Public Health Core Course | 4 | ||
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | Elementary language course | 4 | ||||
| BIOL course—see options | 4 | General elective | 4 | ||||
| Elementary language course | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | |||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| COMM 1101 | 4 | EEAM 2000 | 1 | ENGW 3314 | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| COMM 1112 or 2301 | 4 | PHTH 2210 | 4 | Public Health Core Course | 4 | ||
| COMM foundation course | 4 | COMM cluster course | 4 | ||||
| COMM elective | 4 | Public Health Core Course | 4 | ||||
| Social science course | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | PHTH 4202 | 4 | Public Health Core Courses | 8 | Co-op | 0 |
| General elective | 4 | COMM writing-intensive course | 4 | ||||
| COMM elective | 4 | ||||||
| Intermediate language course | 4 | ||||||
| 4 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Co-op | 0 | COMM elective | 4 | ||||
| General elective | 4 | Capstone Course | 4 | ||||
| COMM writing-intensive course | 4 | ||||||
| Social science course | 4 | ||||||
| 4 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 130 | |||||||