A-Z Overview
After the prerequisites, there are three elements of the GHP minor:
1. Coursework
Core Courses
Completion of these two courses during the junior year:
GHP 350 (Critical Perspectives in Global Health)
Cross-listed as SPI 380
This course explores the fundamentals of health policy in the global and domestic context. We examine frameworks for understanding the challenges in global and U.S. health, using lecture, discussion, and activities to analyze the burden of disease and the role of multiple actors in our health care systems. Topics include infectious and noncommunicable diseases; maternal and child health; comparative systems of universal health care, and health care costs, financing, and delivery. We will investigate the complex interactions and tradeoffs in interventions to improve health, including the role of governments, NGOs, and the private sector.
GHP 351 (Epidemiology)
Cross-listed as SPI 381 / EEB 351
This epidemiology course for undergraduate students in global health and health policy focuses on the distribution and determinants of disease. Diverse methodological approaches for measuring health status, disease occurrence, and the association between risk factors and health outcomes will be presented via classic and contemporary studies of chronic and infectious illness and disease outbreaks. Emphasis on: causal inference, study design and sampling, bias and confounding, the generalizability of research, health policy and research ethics. Prerequisite: an approved basic statistics course.
GHP-APPROVED ELECTIVES
- Complete four additional health-related electives approved by the GHP program.
- At least one elective must be in an area outside of your department of concentration.
- Elective options:
- One elective may be taken during the freshman or sophomore year; all other electives must be completed in the junior and senior years.
- One elective course may be taken with the P/D/F grading option. With prior program approval, one health-related course taken as part of a non-Princeton study abroad program may count as a GHP elective. (This would also count as the one course allowed with the P/D/F grading option.)
Next Steps: View current courses *
2. Summer Research Project
Conduct an approved field- or lab-based research project during the summer between your junior and senior year. Options include:
- A research-focused internship
- With advance approval, a summer "service" internship in global health and health policy with a research component may qualify.
- Participation in a faculty member's research
- Independent research
The project or internship must last a minimum of 8 weeks and must be full-time. Students will be asked to report their plans for fulfilling the GHP summer requirement late in the spring semester.
Next steps: Plan research * See student research library
3. Global Health Senior Thesis
Write a senior thesis in your department of concentration that addresses or relates to global health and health policy in an interdisciplinary manner. The thesis requirement can be fulfilled in three ways:
- An integrated thesis on a health topic
- A final chapter that connects the thesis to health and health policy (typically 8-15 pages)
- A separate research paper on a topic directly relevant to health and health policy (typically 8-15 pages)
The topic must be approved by the GHP program in the fall of your senior year.
Next steps: Plan your thesis
Special Situations
If You Wish to Study Abroad or Anticipate Departmental Conflicts: Consult the course planning guide as soon as possible to arrange your schedule and ensure completion of the GHP prerequisites and program of study. Exceptions may be granted for students studying abroad or with conflicting departmental requirements in the junior year.