The certificate in Health Communication addresses the rapidly growing demand for experts who can navigate the intersection of communication, health, medicine, media and public policy. As health-related careers expand significantly faster than the national average, this certificate provides the specialized toolkit necessary to lead public and private sector health agendas.

This credential prepares students to design, implement and assess communication initiatives that improve health outcomes, from individual provider-patient consultations to large-scale global advocacy campaigns.

Why Pursue the Health Communication Certificate?

• Exclusive Eligibility: This certificate is uniquely available to students pursuing the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Communication, offering a high-value technical specialization within their degree path.
• High-Demand Expertise: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, health communication skills are increasingly vital in medicine, public relations and strategic organizational leadership.
• Strategic Impact: Students learn to use advocacy to influence policy and shape public conversations on critical health issues across traditional and new media platforms.
• Global and Local Reach: The curriculum prepares students to mediate health messaging in diverse contexts, including for-profit, non-profit and governmental organizations.

Areas of Study

The curriculum focuses on the practical application of communication theory to medical and public health tasks. Students gain expertise in:

Clinical and Patient Interaction

• Mastering provider-patient consultations
• Understanding the nuances of health-related interpersonal communication
• Improving the delivery of care through effective dialogue

Campaign Design and Implementation

• Formative Research: conducting the groundwork for public health initiatives
• Strategic Messaging: designing and implementing large-scale health communication campaigns
• Assessment & Evaluation: measuring the efficacy of public and private health agendas

Career Opportunities

The Health Communication certificate is an essential asset for those entering the medical field or the "business" of health, including:

• Public Health and Policy: health educators, policy advocates and governmental health advisors
• Strategic Communication: PR specialists for healthcare systems and strategic directors for health-related NGOs
• Media and Advocacy: health journalists, digital content strategists for medical platforms and community outreach coordinators
• Healthcare Administration: patient experience directors and medical practice managers
• Medical Sales: mastering persuasive communication for clinical environments

Note to Students: This certificate is available only to students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Communication. For specific requirements and to plan your course sequence, please consult the Undergraduate Studies Office in the Department of Communication and Journalism or visit the Department of Communication and Journalism website.

Course List

Code	Title	Semester Credit Hours
COMM 370	Health Communication	3
COMM 483	Health Communication Practicum	0
Select two of the following:		6
COMM 450	Media Campaigns
COMM 470	Communication in Health Care Contexts
COMM 471	Media, Health and Medicine
Select one of the following:		3
COMM 315	Interpersonal Communication
COMM 320	Organizational Communication
COMM 325	Persuasion
COMM 330	Technology and Human Communication
COMM 335	Intercultural Communication
COMM 342	The Rhetoric of Gender and Health
COMM 375	Media Audiences
ENGL 482/HHUM 482	Advanced Studies in Health Humanities
Total Semester Credit Hours		12

Students must earn a grade of B or better in each course used to meet the requirements. Students who pursue the certificate must complete all requirements prior to graduation.