The combined Bachelor of Arts in Health Humanities and Public Health is designed for students who would like to learn how to think about health using humanities, social sciences, and science skills with a focus on public health. The humanities train students to navigate the complexities of interpersonal interaction and their ethical implications, to relate the micro to the macro and texts to contexts, to historicize encounters, to communicate accurately and effectively across a variety of media, and to engage in creative analytical thinking about healthcare. The landscape of public health is quickly changing, and this training is designed to equip students both for the diverse forms of healthcare professions that exist today and for the varieties of professions in the future. This combined major will appeal to students who want to pursue graduate study and research in public health and health humanities.


  • 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.

 Health Humanities Requirements

Required Courses
INSH 1300Introduction to Health and Humanities4
INSH 2300Culture, Technology, and the Future of Health4
Core Humanities Electives
Complete two of the following not used to satsify another requirement:8–9
Introduction to African American and Africana Studies
Introduction to Asian American Studies
Introduction to Literary Studies
Historical Research and Writing
and First-Year Seminar
Introduction to Philosophy
Introduction to Religious Studies
Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Introduction to Trans Studies
Core Health Humanities Electives
Complete three of the following not used to satisfy another requirement:12
Writing to Heal
Narrative Medicine
History of Global Pandemics
The History of Medicine in North America
Technology and Human Values
Moral and Social Problems in Healthcare
Gender, Race, and Medicine
Gender, Race, and Medicine
Gender, Race, and Medicine
Core Digital Health Humanities Electives
Complete two of the following not used to satisfy another requirement:8
Mapping and Building Health
The Archives of Public Health
The History of Western Public Health
Bioethics in the Age of Big Data

Public Health Requirements

Public Health Core Courses
PHTH 1260The American Healthcare System4
or PHTH 1261 Comparative Healthcare Systems
PHTH 2210Foundations of Biostatistics4
PHTH 2300Communication Skills for the Health Professions4
or PHTH 2301 Communication Skills for the Health Professions—Global
PHTH 2350Community and Public Health4
or PHTH 2351 Community and Public Health - Global
PHTH 2515Healthcare Policy and Administration4
PHTH 4120Global Perspectives on Discrimination and Health4
PHTH 4202Principles of Epidemiology in Medicine and Public Health4
PHTH 4540Health Education and Program Planning4
Science Core Courses
PSYC 1101Foundations of Psychology4
Biology
Complete one of the following options:8–10
Option 1
Microbes and Society
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 Selectives
Complete one introductory course from the following:4
Peoples and Cultures
Communication Theory
Principles of Macroeconomics
and Recitation for ECON 1115
Principles of Microeconomics
and Recitation for ECON 1116
Social Change and Human Services
Globalization and International Affairs
International Relations
Introduction to Sociology
Complete one upper-level course from the following (categories provided for reference):3-4
Society and Behavior
Medical Anthropology
Health Communication
Health Communication Campaigns
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
Cities in a Global Context (Abroad)
International Conflict and Negotiation
Politics of Developing Nations
Environmental Health and Climate Change
Environmental Issues, Communication, and the Media
Environmental Economics
Climate and Development
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
Organizational Behavior
Healthcare Management
Evaluating Healthcare Quality
Economic Perspectives on Health Policy

Other Requirements

Introduction to College
HSCI 1000College: An Introduction1
or HIST 1000 History at Northeastern
or ENGL 1000 English at Northeastern
or PHIL 1000 Philosophy at Northeastern
Professional Development
HSCI 2000Professional Development for Bouvé Co-op1
or EESH 2000 Professional Development for Co-op
Writing
ENGW 1111First-Year Writing4
Advanced Writing Course
Courses listed below are preferred but other advanced writing courses will be accepted:
ENGW 3306Advanced Writing in the Health Professions4
or ENGW 3315 Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
or ENGW 3308 Advanced Writing in the Social Sciences
or ENGW 3309 Advanced Writing in the Humanities
Capstone
Complete capstone through a capstone course, a capstone project, or an Honors Project:3–4
Capstone Course Options
Evaluating Health Technologies
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
Health Science Capstone—Service (must complete 0-credit pre-requisite HSCI 4700)
Health Science Capstone—Research (must complete 0-credit pre-requisite HSCI 4700)
Honors Project Option
Must meet GPA requirement and complete both courses: 1
Junior/Senior Honors Project 1
and Junior/Senior Honors Project 2
1

Junior/Senior Honors Project 1 (HSCI 4970) will count as 4 semester hours toward general electives.

Major Requirement

A grade of C or higher is required for courses and selectives required for the major.

Program Requirement

130 total semester hours required

Sample Plan of Study: Four Years, Two Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1—CSSH Students

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
INSH 13004ENGW 11114PHTH core course4Vacation
PHTH 12604BIOL course4General elective4 
PSYC 11014Core humanities course4  
Introduction to college1Introductory language course4  
BIOL course4   
 17 16 8 0
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
EESH 20001Co-op0Co-op0ENGW 33154
PHTH 22104General elective4 PHTH core course4
Core humanities course4   
Social science course4   
Elementary language course4   
 17 4 0 8
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
INSH 23004Co-op0Co-op0PHTH 45404
PHTH 42024General elective4 PHTH core course4
Core humanities course4   
Intermediate language course4   
 16 4 0 8
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHours  
PHTH 41204Core digital health humanities elective4  
Capstone4Core health humanities course4  
Core digital health humanities elective4Core health humanities course4  
Core health humanities course4Social science course4  
 16 16  
Total Hours: 130

Sample Plan of Study: Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall—Bouvé Students 

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
ENGW 11114PSYC 11014PHTH core course4Vacation
HSCI 10001BIOL course4General elective4 
INSH 13004Introductory language course4  
PHTH 12604General elective4  
BIOL course4   
 17 16 8 0
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Core humanities course4HSCI 20001PHTH core course4Co-op0
General elective4PHTH 22104Social science course4 
Core humanities elective4Core health humanities course4  
Elementary language course4PHTH core course4  
 Intermediate language course4  
 16 17 8 0
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Co-op0INSH 23004PHTH 41204Co-op0
ENGW 33064PHTH 42024PHTH 45404General elective4
 Core digital health humanities course4  
 Core health humanities course4  
 4 16 8 4
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHours  
Co-op0Core digital health humanities course4  
 Capstone4  
 Core health humanities course4  
 Social science course4  
 0 16  
Total Hours: 130