Health Communication (BS)

Summary

Health communication provides multidisciplinary skills for communicating in health settings or about health and medical topics. Students analyze and evaluate health communication’s role in hospitals and medical contexts, in mediated messages for diverse audiences, and in everyday conversations. Students create written, visual, oral, and digital communications that deliver health messages in a clear, ethical, and culturally competent manner. Students are prepared for a diverse range of career paths as a professional communicator in the rapidly expanding healthcare field. 

Catalog Year

2024-2025

Degree

Bachelor of Science

Major Credits

48

Total Credits

120

Locations

Mankato

Career Cluster

Arts, Audio/Video, Technology, and Communications

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Program Requirements

Required General Education

Nature, functions, responsibilities and effects of the media in contemporary society.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-09

Diverse Cultures: Purple

Students in this course approach writing as a subject of study by investigating how writing works across a variety of contexts.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-1A

Major Common Core

Basic techniques of gathering information and writing readable and accurate media stories.

Prerequisites: none

Creation of photo, audio, video, and written content for multi-platform distribution. Includes critical consideration and application of content creation tools, social media management tools, and legal and ethical issues.

Prerequisites: none

Communication impacts every facet of our experience of health and well-being. This course introduces students to the subdiscipline of health communication, its key concepts, and important theories and research in the field.

Prerequisites: none

A focus on the theory and practice of developing advocacy campaigns. Topics include audience research, message creation, message distribution, network analysis, and campaign effectiveness.

Prerequisites: none

Special interest courses devoted to specific topics within health communication. Topics vary, and course may be retaken for credit under different topic headings.

Prerequisites: none

Introduction to learning the written and oral communication of technical information. Assignments include writing and presenting proposals, reports, and documentation. Emphasis on use of rhetorical analysis, computer applications, collaborative writing, and usability testing to complete technical communication tasks in the workplace.

Prerequisites: ENG 101

Goal Areas: GE-02, GE-13

This course provides analysis and training focused on concepts and practices of visual design as they relate to technical and professional communication.

Prerequisites: none

This course addresses the skills required for technical communication within the context of health and medicine. Students will discuss typical audiences, purposes, and genres of health and medical communication. Students will adapt complex health and medical information for audiences with varying levels of knowledge, demonstrating awareness of audience analysis, visual design, plain language, and ethics.

Prerequisites: none

Major Restricted Electives

Intercultural Competency - Choose 4 Credit(s). * COMM 415 and COMM 440 must be intercultural topics and requires permission of chair.

Special interest courses devoted to specific topics within relationship communication. Topics vary, and course may be retaken for credit under different topic headings.

Prerequisites: none

Special interest courses devoted to specific topics within the intersecting fields of rhetoric and culture. Topics vary, and course may be retaken for credit under different topic headings.

Prerequisites: none

This course interrogates difference as a communicative production. Students will examine social identities - in the form of race, social class, sex/gender/sexuality, age, and ability - as socially constructed communication phenomena used to understand the self and others. The course will involve both historical and contemporary investigations of how social identities have been produced through time, and how they continue to affect - and be affected by - everyday communication practices. In short, this course will investigate the dynamic relationship between culture and identity, and how communication facilitates that relationship.

Prerequisites: none

A course designed for students who have a general interest in communication studies. Content of each special topics course will be different. May be retaken for credit.

Prerequisites: none

Capstone - Choose 1 Credit(s).

Students synthesize research and learning and/or prepare portfolios and job application materials. Course must be taken in the last semester in the major.

Prerequisites: none

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Prerequisites: none

On-site field experience, the nature of which is determined by the specific needs of the student's program option. May be repeated with change in topic.

Prerequisites: none

Health Specialization - Choose 11 Credit(s). At least 7 credits must be upper-division. Other health electives may be substituted with approval.

Systems approach to the structure of the human body. The course is designed for students majoring in biology or health related programs. Lab included.

Prerequisites: none

For health care personnel, emphasis on spelling, pronunciation and meaning.

Prerequisites: none

Introduces theories and models in the context of health education. Examines approaches to health education program planning as well approaches to explain and predict health behavior and their application to interventions in health education. NOTE: HLTH 360 may be taken concurrently with HLTH 260 with instructor permission.

Prerequisites: HLTH 260

Health Communication and Advocacy focuses upon the development of communication and advocacy skills for the health educator. Identifying credible sources, communicating public health information, health media campaigns, health advocacy; written and verbal communication skills emphasized.

Prerequisites: HLTH 101, HLTH 360

Addresses the history, organization, influences, and delivery of healthcare in the United States (U.S.) and abroad. A focus will be on analyzing the factors that have shaped the healthcare system, including the U.S. Constitution, compared to other parts of the globe. Additional focus will be placed on the legal and social justice framework for urgent public health issues.

Prerequisites: none

Behavior Change Foundations and Strategies (3 semester credits) is a course that focuses upon the complexity of health behavior change and the skills necessary for a health promotion professional to assess, plan, and evaluate behavior change interventions for individuals and communities. Health behavior change theories and strategies will be discussed. Topics covered in class will include: behavior modification, goal setting, self-management, coping skills, and social support. Emphasis will also be given to the impact of policy and environmental influences on behavior.

Prerequisites: none

Focuses on entry-level competencies related to the administration and management of health education programs. These include obtaining acceptance and support for programs, leadership, managing human resources, facilitating partnerships in support of health education, grant writing, and training individuals involved in the implementation of health education.

Prerequisites: HLTH 380W

4-Year Plan

The 4-Year Plan is a model for completing your degree in a timely manner. Your individual 4-Year plan may change based on a number of variables including transfer courses and the semester/year you start your major. Carefully work with your academic advisors to devise your own unique plan.
* Please meet with your advisor on appropriate course selection to meet your educational and degree goals.

First Year

Fall - 14 Credits

Students in this course approach writing as a subject of study by investigating how writing works across a variety of contexts.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-1A

Spring - 14 Credits

Basic techniques of gathering information and writing readable and accurate media stories.

Prerequisites: none

Second Year

Fall - 15 Credits

Introduction to learning the written and oral communication of technical information. Assignments include writing and presenting proposals, reports, and documentation. Emphasis on use of rhetorical analysis, computer applications, collaborative writing, and usability testing to complete technical communication tasks in the workplace.

Prerequisites: ENG 101

Goal Areas: GE-02, GE-13

Spring - 15 Credits

Creation of photo, audio, video, and written content for multi-platform distribution. Includes critical consideration and application of content creation tools, social media management tools, and legal and ethical issues.

Prerequisites: none

Third Year

Fall - 16 Credits

Communication impacts every facet of our experience of health and well-being. This course introduces students to the subdiscipline of health communication, its key concepts, and important theories and research in the field.

Prerequisites: none

This course addresses the skills required for technical communication within the context of health and medicine. Students will discuss typical audiences, purposes, and genres of health and medical communication. Students will adapt complex health and medical information for audiences with varying levels of knowledge, demonstrating awareness of audience analysis, visual design, plain language, and ethics.

Prerequisites: none

Spring - 15 Credits

This course provides analysis and training focused on concepts and practices of visual design as they relate to technical and professional communication.

Prerequisites: none

Fourth Year

Fall - 16 Credits

Special interest courses devoted to specific topics within health communication. Topics vary, and course may be retaken for credit under different topic headings.

Prerequisites: none

Spring - 15 Credits

Policies

Double-Counting Credits: Students may not double-count courses between majors or minors in the department of Communication and Media or the Department of English.

COMM 110 and COMM 221W may be taken concurrently with department permission.

COMM 498 and COMM 499 Limits: Students may apply no more than 8 credits of COMM 498 and 4 credits of COMM 499 to fulfillment of a major. Additional credits may be applied for graduation requirements.

Internship Requirements (COMM 497, COMM 498): In compliance with federal policy, standard expectations are 45 hours of on-site internship experience for each credit hour earned.

P/N Grading: Total credits in the department must not exceed 25 percent P/N for a major.