Certificate in Interdisciplinary Health Communication
Requirements

Objective

The objective of the Certificate in Interdisciplinary Health Communication is to train students to understand the processes of health communication and the principles for communicating about health across multiple channels. Graduate students learn to use theory-informed health communication strategies in applied practice, academic and research settings.

Requirements

Requirements for the Certificate are completing:

• 3 credits in a required course on health communication theory and research (HBHE 825/JOMC 825);
• 3 credits in a course from the approved list and outside the student’s home department/school;
• 3 credits in another course on the approved list;
• 2 credits in the colloquia class for 2 semesters (HBHE 826/JOMC 826); and
• A thesis, master’s paper, dissertation, or equivalent on a health communication-related topic, broadly defined.

Only one of the three three-credit courses can count toward the student’s primary graduate degree (e.g., their Ph.D.). The Certificate will be awarded only when all requirements have been met, including submission of the thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School.

Course selection should focus on one of two substantive areas:

1. Psychological processes - examining the processes that underlie health communications intended to change health behaviors, including how thinking (cognition) and feeling (affect) influence the information used in health decision making. This track includes the study of customized messages and campaigns that result in effective public health interventions. Relevant courses focus on theories of persuasion and attitude change and the processes and effects of mass communication.


2. Integrated communication strategies - creating and delivering health communication messages and interventions through complementary channels, including interpersonal communication, print and electronic media. This track includes the study of eHealth -- the use of emerging technologies, especially the Internet, to improve or enable health and healthcare. Courses in public relations, marketing, intervention design, health information systems, and e-health are relevant for this track.

Instructions for Enrollment and Fulfillment

• Fill out the enrollment form (available in both Word and PDF format).
  
  Obtain a signature from your Degree Program Advisor. This is your academic advisor in your home department.
Send the form in campus mail to your assigned IHC Certificate Advisor (see table below). Your IHC Certificate Advisor will obtain the signature from the appropriate Director of Graduate Studies and file the form.


• Have your master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation topic approved by the IHC Certificate Committee.
  
  
• Complete the fulfillment form (available in both Word and PDF format).

Students may enroll at any time during their graduate studies. Your IHC Certificate Advisor is assigned based on your home school. To fulfill the requirements for the Certificate, maintain an ongoing relationship with your IHC Certificate Advisor. This will help ensure that all certificate requirements are met.

IHC Certificate Committee

360 Carroll Hall
Campus Box 3365
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3365
(919) 962-4089

Jane Brown (representative for students from School of Journalism and Mass Communication) Jane_Brown@unc.edu
Noel Brewer (representative for students from the School of Public Health) ntba@unc.edu
Barbara Wildemuth (representative for students from the School of Information and Library Science) wildem@ils.unc.edu
Students from other schools or departments should submit their forms to one of these committee members.