A certificate program that fits your curriculum

Studying communication is not just for those who want to work in communications-related fields. Our courses can give you the in-demand, marketable skills that you need to succeed in any industry. Learn more about how our Communication in Healthcare certificate can help you become an effective communicator and leader in healthcare settings.

Flexible and customizable

Requiring only nine credit hours, our undergraduate certificate can be earned in as little as one semester. Select your elective credits from more than 20 humanities courses to tailor the certificate to your needs and interests.
medical professionals talking

Communication in Healthcare

Undergraduate Certificate

Our undergraduate certificate is perfect for students considering careers in medicine, veterinary practice, physical therapy, social work, or any other healthcare profession. The Communication in Healthcare certificate will help students learn about and develop skills related to communication in health professions. Such knowledge and skills are important because the very nature of healthcare involves frequent communication with other people, and the success of those encounters often depends on the quality of the communication.

 

Gain crucial skills to stand out in healthcare professions

This certificate program will:

  • better prepare students for a contemporary health environment, including working with patients and other professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences
  • foster an understanding of the larger social context in which health professions work, including inequities related to health and healthcare
  • encourage an informed and critical perspective about healthcare and health systems that will allow students to be ethical members of their profession who are equipped to identify and address injustices in the workplace.

Students will be provided with fundamental tools for practicing high-quality health communication and a better understanding of the diversity of people one communicates with in healthcare settings. These skills are widely understood to be crucial in healthcare but are sometimes underemphasized in health or medical training.

Completing this certificate demonstrates that students have developed competencies that are integral to healthcare processes.

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

This certificate involves a minimum of 9 hours in the humanities and/or social sciences that are related to aspects of communication and health, either by focusing directly on communication processes or by helping students learn more about the diversity of people and challenges involved in healthcare. Students are required to take one course (CMN 260: Intro to Health Communication), but may choose the remaining coursework from a list of electives.

 
Approved Communication in Healthcare Courses
REQUIRED COURSE (3 hours)
CMN 260: Intro to Health Communication
ELECTIVE COURSES (at least 6 hours)
AFRO 250: Introduction to Health and Wellness in the Black Community
ANTH 263: Body, Personhood, and Culture
ANTH 379: Medical Anthropology
CHLH 304: Foundations of Health Behavior
CMN 319: Risk Communication
CMN 368: Sexual Communication
CMN 396: Communication & Careers in Caregiving
CMN 462: Interpersonal Health Communication
CMN 464: Health Communication Campaigns
CMN 467: Communication & Health Equity
ENGL 219: Literature and Medicine
HIST 263: History of Medicine in the United States
HIST 364: The Science of Human Nature
HIST 367: History of Western Medicine
HIST 475: Formation of US Public Health
LLS 479: Race, Medicine, and Society
PHIL 104 or 105: Introduction to Ethics
PHIL 214: Biomedical Ethics
PSYC 239: Community Psych
SOC 162: Intro to Intl Health Policy
SOC 180: Stress and Health in African American Communities
SOC 274: Health, Illness and Society

 

Questions?

The Communication in Healthcare certificate is administered by the Department of Communication undergraduate advising team. For more information and to decide which courses are right for you, please contact our undergraduate advising office.

Request a certificate

While certificates do not appear on your transcript, they may be listed on a resume or graduate school application. Students who complete all requirements should submit a request form by Jan. 16 (fall), June 16 (spring), or Aug. 16 (summer) to receive an official certificate.

View other programs

The Department of Communication also offers an undergraduate minor and major that complement other courses of study and give you the skills you need to be successful in any industry. To learn more, please visit our undergraduate program pages.