Minor in Health Communication

smiling students
Health Communication Minor

Learn about interpersonal, organizational and mass health communication strategies, approaches and campaigns as you discover how health communication professionals think and act, preparing you for a career in various healthcare or communications settings.

16

Hours of Coursework

9

Hours Outside of your Major

About the Minor

The Health Communication minor is open to all undergraduate students.

  • The Health Communication minor requires a total of 16 hours of coursework.
  • Nine hours of coursework must come from outside of major requirements. Only 7 hours of overlap between major and minor courses is allowed for this minor.
  • 6 hours of coursework must be taken at upper division level.
  • 9 hours of coursework must be taken in residence.
  • All courses must be taken for a letter grade, unless the course is only offered on the pass/fail basis. Only courses with a grade of C- or better will be counted towards the minor.

Click on tab for the catalog year associated with your major. Only courses listed on your specific catalog will count towards your minor.

Students pursuing the Health Communication minor under the 2024-2026 catalog are responsible for the following requirements:

Requirement 1: COM 102 Introduction to Health Communication

Requirement 2: 3 hours chosen from the Interpersonal Communication list

  • CMS 330 Interpersonal Health Communication
  • CMS 332 Argumentation and Advocacy
  • CMS 332K Theories of Persuasion
  • CMS 344K Lying and Deception
  • CMS 358 Communication and Personal Relationship
  • HDF 337 Personal Relationships
  • HDF 266C/266L Guidance in Adult-in Child Relationships with Lab1

Requirement 3: 3 hours chosen from the Organizational Communication List

  • CMS 341 Digital Communications
  • CMS 353S Social Media and Organizations
  • CMS 357 Family Communication
  • HDF 304 Family Relationships
  • HDF 313 Child Development
  • HDF 347 Socioeconomic Problems of Families
  • HDF 378L Theories of Child and Family Development
  • N 310 Communication in Health Care Settings
  • SOC 308J Romantic Relationships and Family Formation
  • S W 360K  4 - Social Work Practice with Abused and Neglected Children and their Families (Topic 4 of Current Social Work Topics)

Requirement 4: 3 hours from the Population/Mass Media list

  • ADV 319 Psychology of Advertising
  • ADV 322 Health Communication: Messages, Campaigns, and the Media
  • CMS 372T Time Matters
  • ECO 325K Health Economics
  • EDP 350G Adolescent Development
  • EDP 350L Human Sexuality
  • EDP 371 Introduction to Statistics
  • GOV 370V The Politics of Health Care
  • GRG 334E Children's Environmental Health
  • H S 301 Introduction to Health and Society
  • HDF 313 Child Development
  • HDF 371 Adolescent Development in Context
  • HDF 378K  6 - Introduction to Early Childhood Interventions (Topic 6 of Advanced Child and Family Development)
  • HED 329K Child and Adolescent Health
  • HED 335 Theories of Substance Use and Abuse
  • HED 343 Foundations of Epidemiology
  • HIS 350R  18 - Women in Sickness and Health (Topic 18 of Undergraduate Seminar in United States History)
  • KIN 334 Children's Exercise and Physical Activity
  • N 309 Global Health
  • NTR 330 Nutrition Education and Counseling
  • NTR 331 International Nutrition: Social and Environmental Policies
  • NTR 332 Community Nutrition
  • NTR 337 Principles of Epidemiology in Nutritional Sciences
  • NTR 338W Issues in Nutrition and Health
  • NTR 365  4 - Obesity and Metabolic Health (Topic 4 of Selected Topics in Nutritional Sciences)
  • PBH 317 Introduction to Public Health
  • PBH 334 Global Health
  • PBH 338 Environmental Health
  • PBH 341R Public Health Research
  • PBH 356 Health Behavior Theory and Practice
  • PBH 358D Health Policy and Health Systems
  • PHL 325M Medicine, Ethics, and Society
  • PSY 319K Social Psychology
  • PSY 339 Behavior Problems of Children
  • PSY 341K  4 - Health Psychology (Topic 4 of Selected Topics in Psychology)
  • PSY 352P Psychopathology (formerly PSY 352 Abnormal Psychology)
  • PSY 364M Mental Illness and the Brain
  • S W 334 Social Work Practice in Organizations and Communities
  • S W 360K  9 - Loss and Grief (Topic 9 of Current Social Work Topics)
  • SOC 307P Introduction to Sociology of Health and Well-Being
  • SOC 321G Global Health Issues and Health Systems
  • SOC 354K Sociology of Health and Illness
  • SDS 302F Foundations of Data Analysis
  • URB 328S Human Behavior and Social Environment
  • WGS 301  20 - Fertility and Reproduction (Topic 20 of Introductory Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)
  • WGS 301  21 - Gender, Race, and Class in American Societies (Topic 21 of Introductory Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)
  • WGS 322C Sociology of Gender
  • WGS 345  35 - Psychosocial Issues in Women's Health (Topic 35 of Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)

Requirement 5: 6 additional upper division hours from the Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Communication and Population/Mass Media lists

1Course must be taken concurrently; only three hours of coursework will count towards the minor.

Students pursuing the Health Communication minor under the 2022-2024 catalog are responsible for the following requirements:

Requirement 1: COM 102 Introduction to Health Communication

Requirement 2: 3 hours chosen from the Interpersonal Communication list

  • CMS 330 Interpersonal Health Communication
  • CMS 332 Argumentation and Advocacy
  • CMS 332K Theories of Persuasion
  • CMS 344K Lying and Deception
  • CMS 358 Communication and Personal Relationship
  • HDF 337 Personal Relationships
  • HDF 266C/266L Guidance in Adult-in Child Relationships with Lab1

Requirement 3: 3 hours chosen from the Organizational Communication List

  • CMS 341 Digital Communications
  • CMS 353S Social Media and Organizations
  • CMS 357 Family Communication
  • HDF 304 Family Relationships
  • HDF 313 Child Development
  • HDF 347 Socioeconomic Problems of Families
  • HDF 378L Theories of Child and Family Development
  • N 310 Communication in Health Care Settings
  • SOC 308J Romantic Relationships and Family Formation
  • S W 360K  4 - Social Work Practice with Abused and Neglected Children and their Families (Topic 4 of Current Social Work Topics)

Requirement 4: 3 hours from the Population/Mass Media list

  • ADV 319 Psychology of Advertising
  • ADV 322 Health Communication: Messages, Campaigns, and the Media
  • AMS 370  1 - American Cultural History of Alcohol and Drugs (Topic 1 of Seminar in American Culture)
  • CMS 372T Time Matters
  • ECO 325K Health Economics
  • EDP 350G Adolescent Development
  • EDP 350L Human Sexuality
  • EDP 371 Introduction to Statistics
  • GOV 370V The Politics of Health Care
  • GRG 334E Children's Environmental Health
  • H S 301 Introduction to Health and Society
  • HDF 313 Child Development
  • HDF 371 Adolescent Development in Context
  • HDF 378K  6 - Introduction to Early Childhood Interventions (Topic 6 of Advanced Child and Family Development)
  • HED 329K Child and Adolescent Health
  • HED 335 Theories of Substance Use and Abuse
  • HED 343 Foundations of Epidemiology
  • HIS 350R  18 - Women in Sickness and Health (Topic 18 of Undergraduate Seminar in United States History)
  • J 349F Reporting Public Health and Science
  • KIN 334 Children's Exercise and Physical Activity
  • N 309 Global Health
  • NTR 330 Nutrition Education and Counseling
  • NTR 331 International Nutrition: Social and Environmental Policies
  • NTR 332 Community Nutrition
  • NTR 337 Principles of Epidemiology in Nutritional Sciences
  • NTR 338W Issues in Nutrition and Health
  • NTR 365  4 - Obesity and Metabolic Health (Topic 4 of Selected Topics in Nutritional Sciences)
  • PBH 317 Introduction to Public Health
  • PBH 334 Global Health
  • PBH 338 Environmental Health
  • PBH 341R Public Health Research
  • PBH 356 Health Behavior Theory and Practice
  • PBH 358D Health Policy and Health Systems
  • PBH 361P Public Health Internship
  • PHL 325M Medicine, Ethics, and Society
  • PSY 319K Social Psychology
  • PSY 339 Behavior Problems of Children
  • PSY 341K  4 - Health Psychology (Topic 4 of Selected Topics in Psychology)
  • PSY 352P Psychopathology (formerly PSY 352 Abnormal Psychology)
  • PSY 364M Mental Illness and the Brain
  • S W 334 Social Work Practice in Organizations and Communities
  • S W 360K  9 - Loss and Grief (Topic 9 of Current Social Work Topics)
  • SOC 307P Introduction to Sociology of Health and Well-Being
  • SOC 321G Global Health Issues and Health Systems
  • SOC 354K Sociology of Health and Illness
  • SDS 302F Foundations of Data Analysis (formerly SDS 302 Data Analysis for the Health Sciences)
  • URB 328S Human Behavior and Social Environment
  • WGS 301  20 - Fertility and Reproduction (Topic 20 of Introductory Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)
  • WGS 301  21 - Gender, Race, and Class in American Societies (Topic 21 of Introductory Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)
  • WGS 322C Sociology of Gender
  • WGS 345  35 - Psychosocial Issues in Women's Health (Topic 35 of Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)

Requirement 5: 6 additional upper division hours from the Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Communication and Population/Mass Media lists

1Course must be taken concurrently; only three hours of coursework will count towards the minor.

In addition to specific course requirements, students must also fulfill the hour totals for overall, in residence, and upper division coursework as well as meet the grade minimums for each minor course.

Students pursuing the Health Communication minor under the 2020-2022 catalog are responsible for the following requirements:

Requirement 1: COM 102 Introduction to Health Communication

Requirement 2: 3 hours chosen from the Interpersonal Communication list

  • CMS 330 Interpersonal Health Communication
  • CMS 332 Argumentation and Advocacy
  • CMS 332K Theories of Persuasion
  • CMS 344K Lying and Deception
  • CMS 358 Communication and Personal Relationship
  • HDF 337 Personal Relationships
  • HDF 266C/266L Guidance in Adult-in Child Relationships with Lab1

Requirement 3: 3 hours chosen from the Organizational Communication List

  • CMS 341 Digital Communications
  • CMS 353S Social Media and Organizations
  • CMS 357 Family Communication
  • HDF 304 Family Relationships
  • HDF 313 Child Development
  • HDF 347 Socioeconomic Problems of Families
  • HDF 378L Theories of Child and Family Development
  • N 310 Communication in Health Care Settings
  • SOC 308J Romantic Relationships and Family Formation
  • S W 360K  4 - Social Work Practice with Abused and Neglected Children and their Families (Topic 4 of Current Social Work Topics)

Requirement 4: 3 hours from the Population/Mass Media list

  • ADV 319 Psychology of Advertising
  • ADV 322 Health Communication: Messages, Campaigns, and the Media
  • ADV 327 Account Planning
  • AMS 370  1 - American Cultural History of Alcohol and Drugs (Topic 1 of Seminar in American Culture)
  • CMS 372T Time Matters
  • ECO 325K Health Economics
  • EDP 350G Adolescent Development
  • EDP 350L Human Sexuality
  • EDP 371 Introduction to Statistics
  • GOV 370V The Politics of Health Care
  • GRG 334E Children's Environmental Health
  • H S 301 Introduction to Health and Society
  • HDF 313 Child Development
  • HDF 371 Adolescent Development in Context
  • HDF 378K  6 - Introduction to Early Childhood Interventions (Topic 6 of Advanced Child and Family Development)
  • HED 329K Child and Adolescent Health
  • HED 335 Theories of Substance Use and Abuse
  • HED 343 Foundations of Epidemiology
  • HIS 350R  18 - Women in Sickness and Health (Topic 18 of Undergraduate Seminar in United States History)
  • J 349F Reporting Public Health and Science
  • KIN 334 Children's Exercise and Physical Activity
  • N 309 Global Health
  • NTR 330 Nutrition Education and Counseling
  • NTR 331 International Nutrition: Social and Environmental Policies
  • NTR 332 Community Nutrition
  • NTR 337 Principles of Epidemiology in Nutritional Sciences
  • NTR 338W Issues in Nutrition and Health
  • NTR 365  4 - Obesity and Metabolic Health (Topic 4 of Selected Topics in Nutritional Sciences)
  • PBH 317 Introduction to Public Health
  • PBH 334 Global Health
  • PBH 338 Environmental Health
  • PBH 341R Public Health Research
  • PBH 356 Health Behavior Theory and Practice
  • PBH 358D Health Policy and Health Systems
  • PBH 361P Public Health Internship
  • PHL 325M Medicine, Ethics, and Society
  • PSY 319K Social Psychology
  • PSY 339 Behavior Problems of Children
  • PSY 341K  4 - Health Psychology (Topic 4 of Selected Topics in Psychology)
  • PSY 352P Psychopathology (formerly PSY 352 Abnormal Psychology)
  • PSY 364M Mental Illness and the Brain
  • S W 334 Social Work Practice in Organizations and Communities
  • S W 360K  9 - Loss and Grief (Topic 9 of Current Social Work Topics)
  • SOC 307P Introduction to Sociology of Health and Well-Being
  • SOC 321G Global Health Issues and Health Systems
  • SOC 354K Sociology of Health and Illness
  • SDS 302F Foundations of Data Analysis (formerly SDS 302 Data Analysis for the Health Sciences)
  • URB 328S Human Behavior and Social Environment
  • WGS 301  20 - Fertility and Reproduction (Topic 20 of Introductory Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)
  • WGS 301  21 - Gender, Race, and Class in American Societies (Topic 21 of Introductory Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)
  • WGS 322C Sociology of Gender
  • WGS 345  35 - Psychosocial Issues in Women's Health (Topic 35 of Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)

Requirement 5: 6 additional upper division hours from the Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Communication and Population/Mass Media lists

1Course must be taken concurrently; only three hours of coursework will count towards the minor.

In addition to specific course requirements, students must also fulfill the hour totals for overall, in residence, and upper division coursework as well as meet the grade minimums for each minor course.

Students pursuing the Health Communication minor under the 2018-2020 catalog are responsible for the following requirements:

Requirement 1: COM 102 Introduction to Health Communication

Requirement 2: 3 hours chosen from the Interpersonal Communication list

  • CMS 330 Interpersonal Health Communication
  • CMS 332 Argumentation and Advocacy
  • CMS 322K Theories of Persuasion
  • CMS 344K Lying and Deception
  • CMS 358 Communication and Personal Relationships
  • HDF 337 Personal Relationships
  • HDF 266C/266L Guidance in Adult-in Child Relationships with Lab1 (formerly HDF 466 Guidance in Adult-in Child Relationships)

Requirement 3: 3 hours chosen from the Organizational Communication List

  • CMS 341 Digital Communications
  • CMS 353S Social Media and Organizations
  • CMS 357 Family Communication
  • HDF 304 Family Relationships
  • HDF 313 Child Development
  • HDF 347 Socioeconomic Problems of Families
  • HDF 378L Theories of Child and Family Development
  • N 310 Communication in Health Care Settings
  • S W 360K Social Work Practice with Abused and Neglected Children and their Families (Topic 4 of Current Social Work Topics)
  • WGS 301  19 - Diversity in American Families (Topic 19 of Introductory Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)
  • WGS 301  23 - Romantic Relationships and Family Formation (Topic 23 of Introductory Topics in Women's and Gender Studies)

Requirement 4: 3 hours from the Population/Mass Media list

  • ADV 319 Psychology of Advertising
  • ADV 322 Health Communication: Messages, Campaigns, and the Media
  • ADV 327 Account Planning
  • AMS 370  1 - American Cultural History of Alcohol and Drugs (Topic 1 of Seminar in American Culture)
  • BIO 361L Clinical Bacteriology Laboratory
  • CH 107 Health Professions Seminar
  • CMS 372T Time Matters
  • ECO 325K Health Economics
  • EDP 350G Adolescent Development
  • EDP 350L Human Sexuality
  • EDP 371 Introduction to Statistics
  • GOV 370V The Politics of Health Care (formerly GOV 370L  23 - The Politics of Healthcare, Topic 23 of Topics in American Government and Politics)
  • GRG 334E Children's Environmental Health (formerly GRG 356  1 - Children's Environmental Health, Topic 1 of Topics in Environmental Geography)
  • H S 301 Introduction to Health and Society
  • HDF 313 Child Development
  • HDF 371 Adolescent Development in Context
  • HDF 378K  6 - Introduction to Early Childhood Interventions (Topic 6 of Advanced Child and Family Development)
  • HED 329K Child and Adolescent Health
  • HED 335 Theories of Substance Use and Abuse
  • HED 343 Foundations of Epidemiology
  • HED 360 Adolescent Health Risk Behavior
  • HED 361 Psychosocial Issues in Women's Health
  • HED 370K  1 - Foundations of Health Promotion I (Topic 1 of Topical Seminar in Health Promotion)
  • HED 371K Foundations of Health Promotion II
  • HIS 350R  18 - Women in Sickness and Health (Topic 18 of Undergraduate Seminar in United States History)
  • J 349F Reporting Public Health and Science
  • KIN 334 Children's Exercise and Physical Activity
  • KIN 378  3 - Sexual Health I (Topic 3 of Fieldwork in Health)
  • N 309 Global Health
  • N 275 Public Health Nursing
  • NTR 330 Nutrition Education and Counseling
  • NTR 331 International Nutrition: Social and Environmental Policies
  • NTR 332 Community Nutrition
  • NTR 337 Principles of Epidemiology in Nutritional Sciences
  • NTR 338W Issues in Nutrition and Health
  • NTR 365  4 - Obesity and Metabolic Health (Topic 4 of Selected Topics in Nutritional Sciences)
  • PBH 317 Introduction to Public Health
  • PBH 334 Global Health
  • PBH 338 Environmental Health
  • PBH 341R Public Health Research
  • PBH 356 Health Behavior Theory and Practice
  • PBH 358D Health Policy and Health Systems
  • PBH 361P Public Health Internship
  • PHL 325M Medicine, Ethics, and Society
  • PSY 319K Social Psychology
  • PSY 339 Behavior Problems of Children
  • PSY 341K  4 - Health Psychology (Topic 4 of Selected Topics in Psychology)
  • PSY 346K Psychology of Sex
  • PSY 352P Psychopathology (formerly PSY 352 Abnormal Psychology)
  • PSY 364M Mental Illness and the Brain
  • S W 327 Human Behavior and Social Environment
  • S W 334 Social Work Practice in Organizations and Communities
  • S W 360K  9 - Loss and Grief
  • SOC 307K Fertility and Reproduction
  • SOC 307L Gender, Race, and Class in American Society
  • SOC 307P Introduction to Sociology of Health and Well-Being
  • SOC 310S Women's Reproductive Health for Nonscience Majors
  • SOCI 321G Global Health Issues and Health Systems
  • SOC 333K Sociology of Gender
  • SOC 354K Sociology of Health and Illness
  • SOC 368D Social Context of Public Health
  • SDS 302F Foundations of Data Analysis (formerly SDS 302 Data Analysis for the Health Sciences)
  • SDS 304 Statistics in Health Care
  • SDS 332 Statistical Models for the Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • T C 358 Public Health, Medicine and Social Policy

Requirement 5: 6 additional upper division hours from the Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Communication and Population/Mass Media lists

1Course must be taken concurrently; only three hours of coursework will count towards the minor.

In addition to specific course requirements, students must also fulfill the hour totals for overall, in residence, and upper division coursework as well as meet the grade minimums for each minor course.

The Health Communication minor is open to all undergraduate majors following the eligible catalogs.

Eligible Catalogs: 2018-2020, 2020-2022, 2022-2024 and 2024-2026

A student's major college may have additional criteria that they must meet in order to pursue a minor. Prior to applying, students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor in their own major to discuss how the minor fits into their degree plan.

Visit this page and use the following directions:

  1. Click on link for "Request Restricted Minor"
  2. Select "COM Communication" for Field of Study
  3. Click "Continue"
  4. Select "HEALTH COMMUNICATION (MNCCOM02)"
  5. Click "Continue"