International Health Program

Masters of Health Science, Concentration in International Health

Point of Contact
Allan Weiss
Department Manager
Phone: 703-993-3126
Email: aweiss2@gmu.edu

Dr. Lisa Pawloski
Department Chair

Professor Lorraine Rudowski
Practicum Coordinator

The Masters of Health Science, Concentration in International Health, prepares graduates to work in international health organizations and manage health-related programs in international settings. Students learn about international issues related to management of health care including demographic patterns, disease burdens, cultural basis of disease, international policies affecting health care, and political economy of health and development.

The program provides core courses in biostatistics, epidemiology, ethics, and organizational behavior. The required international health courses include global health trends, global nutrition, anthropology of refugees, social epidemiology, and international health organizations. Students are also required to take 2 practica at international health organizations. Students enrolled in the program include Americans and nationals from all over the world. Most students are interested in improving the health situation in less developed countries and have gained significant experience in their practica from such places as the Pan American Health Organization, the World Bank, and various NGO’s.

Admission Requirements

A bachelors degree from an accredited institution of higher education in a discipline related to health science or statistics with a GPA or 3.0 in the last 60 credits. Such fields include, but are not limited to biology, biostatistics, health science, mathematics, nursing, psychology, and social science.
6 credits of a foreign language or equivalent.

Program of Study

Core Courses (12)
- GCH 712 (3:3:0)
  Introduction to Epidemiology
- HAP 621 (3:3:0)
  Management of Health Service Organizations
- HHS 597 (3:3:0)
  Approaches to Quantitative Data Analysis
- GCH 680 (3:3:0)
  International Research Ethics and Methods
Additional Required International Health Courses (15 credits)
- GCH 530 (3:3:0)
  Nutrition: A Global Perspective
- GCH 543 (3:3:0)
  Global Health, Trends and Policies
- GCH 590 (3)
  International Health Organizations
- GCH 798 (3:1:8)
  Practicum in International Health I
- GCH 799 (3:1:8)
  Practicum in International Health II
Free Electives - Choose three electives
- ANTH 631 (3:3:0)
  Refugees in the Contemporary World
- COMM 506 (3:3:0)
  Communication in International Organizations
- COMM 656 (3:3:0)
  Global Communication
- GCH 502 (3:0:0)
  US Roles - Global Health, Nutrition, and Populations
- GCH 583 (3:3:0)
  Food and Culture
- GCH 602 (3:3:0)
  Global Health Issues Related to Violence
- GCH 605 (3:3:0)
  Social Epidemiology
- GCH 680 (3:3:0)
- GCH 722 (3:3:0)
  Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- GEOG 540 (3:3:0)
  Medical Geography
- GOVT 641 (3:3:0)
  Seminar on Global Systems
- HAP 609 (3:3:0)
  Comparative International Health Systems
- ITRN 718 (3:3:0)
  Global Economic and Human Development
- PUAD 636 (1-3:3:0)
  The NGO, Managing the International Nonprofit Organization
- PUBP 880 (4:3:0)
  Global and International Public Policy
Total = 36 Credits

Explanation of Credit Hours
Course titles are followed by numbers in parentheses (0:0:0), separated by colons. The numbers have the following significance:

First Number: credits for the course
Second Number: hours of lecture or seminar per week for the course
Third Number: hours of laboratory for the course

For independent study, readings, topics, or similar courses, individual instructors set hours.

* The Second Practicum experience may be fulfilled through GMU's Summer International Development Institute