Program Overview

Spanish for Health Professionals Certificate

The Spanish for Health Professionals certificate prepares students to engage Spanish-speaking populations in the field of healthcare. It offers a critical advantage to health professions students who will be much better positioned in the job market if they can certify their ability to use Spanish in the workplace and engage with patients in culturally sensitive ways.

Program Requirements

• Category 1: Spanish language coursework
  • SPAN 113: Spanish for Healthcare Professionals I
  • SPAN 211: Spanish for Healthcare Professionals II
  • SPAN 212: Spanish for Healthcare Professionals III
• Category 2: Latin American/Latinx Health coursework
  • BACS 255: Multicultural Counseling
  • HSAD 316: Health Care across Cultures
  • HSAD 328: Health Care for Diverse Groups
  • PBHL 101: Public Health 101
  • PBHL 303: Overview of Issues in Global Health
  • PBHL 304: Introduction to Health & Human Rights
  • PBHL 309: Public Health Ethics
  • PBHL 333: Health Inequality
  • PHIL 321: Biomedical Ethics
  • PHIL 335: Global Ethical Issues
  • SPAN 320: Introduction to Language for the Professions (When focused on health professions, taught in Spanish)
  • SOC 313: Sociology of Global Health
• Total Credits: 18.0-26.0

Additional Course Options

In addition to the course options above in Category 2, approved community-based/study abroad courses include:

• GST 231: Introduction to Identities and Communities (Disaster & Resilience in Puerto Rico: Community-Based Learning Course)
• LANG T180: Special Topics in Languages (Intensive Spanish for Medical Professional: Costa Rica study abroad course)
• HSAD 366: Global Aging Intensive Course Abroad
• HSAD T480: Special Topics in Health Services Administration (Health Care Systems in Latin America: Costa Rica study abroad course)
• CHP 691: Public Health Practice in and with Latino Communities
• CHP 692: Migration and Health Relevant special topics and study abroad courses will be considered with department permission. GST 261 and GST 361 can also be approved for Category 2, Latin American/Latinx Health coursework, when focused on relevant subject matter.

Writing-intensive Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid "clustering" these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.