PhD Certificate
Overview
The certificate program in Global Health is a 5-course curriculum that provides new training, research, and career opportunities for doctoral students in the social sciences, humanities, and biomedical/health sciences. Northwestern University is recognized as a leader in Global Health, fostering inter-disciplinary training and research in this domain for over 20 years. Global Health training at Northwestern is distinctive, spanning across colleges and disciplines rather than being contained within a Medical School or School of Public Health, as is the case at most universities.
The goal of the certificate program is to provide students with the tools necessary to articulate their research and scholarly work to the emerging inter-disciplinary domain of Global Health, working collaboratively to address long-standing problems of health disparities and inequalities.
Students in the certificate program are required to take a total of five (5) courses, three (3) core requirements for all students (Public Health 390, Global Health 302, and a Methods Course) and two (2) elective courses on advanced topics (see Table below). The curriculum provides a grounding in global health concepts, bioethics, and qualitative and/or quantitative methods. Additionally, the diverse set of methods and elective course options ensures that this certificate program is accessible to students from a wide range of PhD disciplines.
Programs and Events
In addition to the formal coursework, students are encouraged to attend and participate in the Global Health Seminar Series. Students in the certificate program will also have opportunities to serve as Teaching Assistants for undergraduate classes in Global Health Studies (GHS). Those students in the certificate program who have been Teaching Assistants in GHS courses will be eligible to teach their own evening or summer classes in GHS through the School of Professional Studies (SPS).
Who Should Apply?
Doctoral candidates from any field are eligible to apply to join this intellectual “home” outside their department.
How to Apply
Enrolled PhD students in The Graduate School may pursue this certificate with the permission of their program. In order to petition to have a Graduate Certificate awarded and appear on the transcript, students must submit the Application for a Graduate Certificate once all Graduate Certificate requirements have been completed, but no later than the time that the student files for graduation (in the final quarter of study).
Who to Contact
Please contact Professor Bill Leonard who is listed below, with questions about this program:
William R. Leonard,
Watkins Family Professor in Global Health
847-491-4839
Certificate requirements
The required five-course curriculum for the Certificate in Global Health is outlined below:
| Course Number and Title | Required or Elective? | |
| 1 | Public Health 390: Introduction to Global Health | Required |
| 2 | Global Health 302: Global Bioethics | Required |
| 3 |
Methods Course: One class from the list below:
|
Required |
| 4 & 5 |
Electives: Two classes from the list below:
|
Elective |