PROGRAM IN GLOBAL HEALTH STUDIES

Adjunct Major Requirements

General guidelines

GHS Adjunct Major Worksheet 

The adjunct major in Global Health Studies must be accompanied by a primary, stand-alone major. To earn an adjunct major in Global Health Studies, students must: 

• Complete 11 courses  

• Consisting of 4 core GHS courses, 3 additional GHS courses, and 4 non-GHS elective courses. 

• Students may elect to study abroad as part of their Global Health Studies curriculum.  

• Global Health Studies does not permit double-counting classes. 

• Speak with your standalone major advisor to see what is permissible before contacting your assigned GHS Director of Undergraduate Studies advisor to have a class double counted. Some units within WCAS and other colleges do allow it. 

Note: The terms GHS advisor and GHS Directors of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) are used interchangeably.  

Course requirements

A. Four Core Global Health Courses

1. Introduction
   • GBL_HLTH 201: Introduction to Global Health
   • Formerly GBL_HLTH 301: Introduction to International Public Health, which counts for a requirement if taken prior to Fall 2022
2. Global Bioethics
   • GBL_HLTH 302: Global Bioethics
3. One of the following courses:
   • GBL HLTH 222: The Social Determinants of Health
     • Formerly GBL HLTH 322, which counts for this requirement if taken prior to Fall 2022
   • GBL HLTH 309/HIST 379 Biomedicine and World History
   • GBL HLTH 322 Global Epidemics 
   • GBL HLTH 325 History of Reproductive Health
   • GBL HLTH 327 Infectious Disease Eradication
4. One of the following Methods courses:
   • GBL HLTH 320 Qualitative Research Methods in Global Health
   • GBL HLTH 303 (Re)Mixing Qualitative Methods
     • While no longer offered, this course will still fulfill this requirement if you have already completed it. Formerly GBL HLTH 390, which counts for this requirement if taken prior to Fall 2022. 
   • GBL HLTH 318 Community-based Participatory Research
     • Formerly GBL HLTH 390, which counts for this requirement if taken prior to Fall 2022.

B. Three Additional GBL_HLTH Courses

• Only one approved 200-level course can count towards this requirement.
• Select courses listed on our Course Descriptions page. 
  • All Global Health courses count, except for GBL HLTH 399 and courses taught abroad (GBL HLTH 3XX-SA).
  • The following co-listed courses, taught together with other departments and programs, count interchangeably as GHS courses for the major. None of the courses, however, can count as non-Global Health Studies electives.  
    • GBL_HLTH 221-0 and GNDR_ST 221-0 
      
    • GBL_HLTH 309-0 and HISTORY 379-0 
    • GBL_HLTH 317-0 and NAIS 317-0 
    • GBL_HLTH 326-0 and NAIS 326-0 
    • GBL_HLTH 337-0 and ENVR_POL 337-0 
    • GBL_HLTH 338-0 and ENVR_POL 338-0 
    • GBL_HLTH 339-0 and ENVR_POL 339-0 
    • GBL_HLTH 357-0 and ANTHRO 357-0

C. Four Non-GBL_HLTH Electives Courses

Global Health Studies (GBL_HLTH) courses may not be used for elective credit towards a Global Health Studies degree.

• Non-GBL HLTH electives approved by our program are offered by other departments and shared before pre-registration each quarter. Please see the schedule for each quarter. 
  • Only one approved 200-level course can count towards this requirement.
  • Approved Non-GHS Electives (last updated April 2026)
    • When using this document, please ensure the course title matches entirely. Occasionally professors change the name of a course over time, and the newer iteration may no longer meet the GHS threshold for approval. If this occurs, discuss this with your assigned GHS DUS, preferably before registration. 
    • Additional 300-level courses may also be considered as electives with approval from the Global Health Studies program. 
  • Up to two elective courses can be taken through study abroad or domestic opportunities, please see below. 

Experiential Learning: STUDY ABROAD, CHICAGO FIELD STUDIES, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES  

You may elect to participate in a substantial public health experience abroad or domestically. Please review the Study Abroad webpage for more information.

Students who study abroad or engage in a domestic experience such as Engage Chicago may earn up to 2 elective credits. Students who study abroad or engage in a domestically more than once may earn up to an additional 2 elective credits.

• Most Global Health Studies students choose to complete one of Northwestern's public health programs, offered in France, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and South Africa. Two of your Global Health Studies elective requirements can be completed on a public health study abroad program. 
• Domestic opportunities include specific Chicago Fields Studies courses listed in Part C above. 
• You may also participate in a non-Northwestern public health program (either affiliated with the university or not).  

Senior Honors Theses

At this time, there is not an opportunity for adjunct majors to complete a ssenior honors thesis within Global Health Studies. Interested students should pursue a senior honors thesis within their other major.