Minor in Global Health Technologies
Program Learning Outcomes for the Minor in Global Health Technologies
Upon completing the minor in Global Health Technologies, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to prototype and build appropriate technologies that respond to global health design challenges or problems, and/or develop a community health plan or strategy to address these challenges. They will conduct independent research and design—from developing a research question and completing a literature review, to analyzing and interpreting data—to demonstrate the effectiveness of their proposed solution.
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of the issue of human health, disease, and health care planning from Natural Science, Humanities, and Social Sciences perspectives.
- Understand the basic elements of human health and disease from evolutionary, biological, and epidemiological perspectives.
- Demonstrate critical thinking and analysis skills within the realm of global health and its related disciplines, including the ability to critically and responsibly synthesize materials and methods from a range of disciplines to address global health problems or questions.
- Demonstrate a knowledge of how health and disease are, in part, social and cultural constructs; students will be able to explain how different populations of individuals within the same geographic locale or in very different geographic locales may understand health and disease differently. They will also demonstrate the ability to assess and explain how different kinds of health planning, delivery systems, institutions, and health products would be more or less effective for different populations.
- Communicate effectively at the college level by demonstrating the ability to write research papers, literature reviews, and other scholarly papers and by being able to verbally present this information effectively and correctly.
Requirements for the Minor in Global Health Technologies
Students pursuing the minor Global Health Technologies must complete:
- A minimum of 7 courses (21 credit hours) to satisfy minor requirements.
- A minimum of 4 courses (12 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above.
- A maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit. For additional program guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this minor. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the minor’s academic advisor or, where applicable, the Program Director. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the minor's Official Certifier). Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Minor in Global Health Technologies | 21 | |
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements 1 | ||
| GLHT 201 | INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL HEALTH | 3 |
| GLHT 360 / BIOE 360 | APPROPRIATE DESIGN FOR GLOBAL HEALTH | 3 |
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | ||
| SUSTAINABLE WATER PURIFICATION FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD | ||
| INNOVATION FOR SOCIAL IMPACT | ||
| NEEDS FINDING AND DEVELOPMENT IN BIOENGINEERING | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS | ||
| MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY | ||
| RESEARCH METHODS | ||
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select a minimum of 1 course (minimum of 3 total credit hours) from Natural Science/Engineering Electives (see course list below) | 3 | |
| Select a minimum of 1 course (minimum of 3 total credit hours) from Humanities/Social Science Electives (see course list below) | 3 | |
| Capstone Requirement | ||
| GLHT 451 | GLOBAL HEALTH DESIGN CHALLENGES I 2 | 3 |
| GLHT 452 | GLOBAL HEALTH DESIGN CHALLENGES II 2 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 21 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | All core courses will be offered each year:
The sequence indicated is the required sequence, as prerequisites do apply. If not selected as a Core course, some courses are also available as Electives (see below for course lists). |
| 2 | Prior to enrollment in the capstone courses GLHT 451 and GLHT 452, students must successfully complete all other GLHT minor core course requirements, although electives may be taken concurrently. |
Course Lists to Satisfy Requirements
Elective Requirements
To fulfill the remaining Global Health Technologies minor requirements, students must complete a minimum of 2 courses (minimum of 6 total credit hours) from Elective Requirements as listed below.
Natural Science/Engineering Electives
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select a minimum of 1 course (minimum of 3 credit hours) from the following: | ||
| BIOE 449 / GLHT 449 | TROUBLESHOOTING WORKSHOP FOR CLINICALLY-RELEVANT BIOMEDICAL EQUIPMENT | 1 |
| BIOS 318 | MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| BIOS 372 | IMMUNOLOGY | 3 |
| BIOS 424 | MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND GENETICS | 3 |
| BIOS 431 | EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES | 3 |
| BIOS 447 | EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AND THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE | 3 |
| BIOS 450 | VIRUSES AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES | 3 |
| BIOS 460 | CANCER BIOLOGY | 3 |
| CEVE 302 / ENGI 302 | SUSTAINABLE DESIGN | 3 |
| GLHT 314 / BIOE 365 / CEVE 314 | SUSTAINABLE WATER PURIFICATION FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD | 3 |
| GLHT 400 | GLOBAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS | 1-3 |
| GLHT 401 | GLHT RESEARCH PAPER WRITING AND SUBMISSION | 1 |
| GLHT 448 | TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR ENGINEERING | 3 |
| GLHT 510 / BIOE 510 | SEMINAR IN TROPICAL MEDICINE | 1 |
| KINE 319 | STATISTICS FOR THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL | 3 |
| STAT 280 | ELEMENTARY APPLIED STATISTICS | 4 |
| or STAT 180 | AP/OTH CREDIT IN STATISTICS | |
| STAT 305 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS FOR BIOSCIENCES | 4 |
Humanities/Social Science Electives
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select a minimum of 1 course (minimum of 3 credit hours) from the following: | ||
| ANTH 366 | SCIENCE, LOCAL AND GLOBAL | 3 |
| ANTH 381 | MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | 3 |
| ANTH 443 | ANTHROPOLOGY OF RACE, ETHNICITY AND HEALTH | 3 |
| ANTH 446 | ADVANCED TOPICS IN BIOMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | 3 |
| ECON 450 | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| ECON 460 | ADVANCED TOPICS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| ECON 481 | HEALTH ECONOMICS | 3 |
| ECON 484 | PUBLIC ECONOMICS: EXPENDITURES | 3 |
| ENGL 272 | LITERATURE AND MEDICINE | 3 |
| ENGL 273 / SWGS 273 | MEDICINE AND MEDIA | 3 |
| ENGL 386 / FILM 381 | MEDICAL MEDIA ARTS LAB | 4 |
| ENST 313 / ARCH 313 | CASE STUDIES IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN | 3 |
| ENST 315 | ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH | 3 |
| GLHT 364 / BUSI 364 / SOSC 364 | INNOVATION FOR SOCIAL IMPACT | 3 |
| HEAL 222 | PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY HEALTH | 3 |
| HEAL 313 | FOUNDATIONS OF HEALTH PROMOTION AND EDUCATION | 3 |
| HEAL 350 | UNDERSTANDING CANCER | 3 |
| HEAL 375 | THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
| HEAL 380 | DISPARITIES IN HEALTH IN AMERICA | 3 |
| HEAL 407 | EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3 |
| HEAL 422 | THEORIES AND MODELS OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR | 3 |
| HEAL 460 | PLANNING AND EVALUATION OF HEALTH PROMOTION AND EDUCATION | 3 |
| HIST 222 | HISTORY OF EARLY AFRICA | 3 |
| HIST 223 | HISTORY OF MODERN AFRICA | 3 |
| HIST 312 | ENVIRONMENT, MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| PHIL 266 | MEDICAL ETHICS | 3 |
| PHIL 354 | THE PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE | 3 |
| PJHC 371 | POVERTY, JUSTICE, AND HUMAN CAPABILITIES | 3 |
| POLI 260 / LEAD 260 | ADVOCATING FOR IDEAS TO CHANGE THE WORLD | 3 |
| POLI 329 | HEALTH POLICY | 3 |
| PSYC 345 | HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 370 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS | 3 |
| PSYC 409 | METHODS IN HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION | 3 |
| PSYC 480 | ADVANCED TOPICS | 3 |
| RELI 424 | RELIGION AND POLITICS IN AFRICA | 3 |
| SOCI 313 | DEMOGRAPHY | 3 |
| SOCI 345 | MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY | 3 |
| SOCI 377 | HEALTH DISPARITIES IN THE UNITED STATES | 3 |
| SOCI 381 | RESEARCH METHODS | 3 |
| SOCI 406 | BASIC DEMOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES | 3 |
| SOCI 453 | RACE, MIGRATION, AND HEALTH SEMINAR | 3 |
| SOCI 465 / SWGS 465 | GENDER AND HEALTH | 3 |
Policies for the Minor in Global Health Technologies
Admission
Courses with the GLHT subject code are open to all Rice students, including those not pursuing the GLHT minor, with the exception of GLHT 360 and the capstone course GLHT 451/GLHT 452. Preferential admission to GLHT 360 will be given to students who formally declared or state their intention to pursue the GLHT minor. For GLHT 360, the minor and course prerequisite (GLHT 201) is waived for students who have declared a major in Bioengineering (BIOE). For program-specific information on the declaration of minor process for the GLHT minor, please visit this website.
There is no requirement to initiate or declare the GLHT minor in the freshman year. It can be formally declared as late as the junior year (beginning of the fifth semester). It will be possible for students to receive credit for GLHT minor courses that also fulfill a requirement within their major.
Program Restrictions and Exclusions
Students pursuing the minor in Global Health Technologies should be aware of the following program restriction:
- As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, i.) students may declare their intent to pursue a minor only after they have first declared a major, and ii.) students may not major and minor in the same subject.
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Program Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the minor in Global Health Technologies should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guideline:
- No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the minor.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Global Health website: https://www.rice360.rice.edu/glht-minor/.
Opportunities for the Minor in Global Health Technologies
Academic Honors
The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.
Program Internships and Competition
Rice360 Global Health Technologies Summer Internship Program
The Rice360 Global Health Technologies Summer Internship Program gives Rice University undergraduate students - both science and non-science majors - first-hand exposure to health care in resource constrained settings. In partnership with clinics, schools, and organizations working in resource constrained settings, the internships allow students to advance their solutions to a global health design challenge in a real-world setting.
The summer internships are held in a number of national and international locations, exposing students to health care challenges and solutions in low-resource settings. In the past, our students have visited Malawi, Tanzania, Brazil, and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas among other locations. During the internship, students are responsible for the implementation of a GLHT project and a site specific project, both of which are assigned to them. In addition, participants select a project of their choice and work on identifying and documenting five novel ideas or technology ideas at the site.
Summer internships are fully funded experiences, covering the cost of your travel (airfare, visa, and traveler's insurance), immunizations, housing and a stipend for day to day living expenses (eg. food and local transportation).
For more information visit: https://www.rice360.rice.edu/internships.
Global Health Technologies Design Competition
The Rice360 Annual Undergraduate Global Health Technologies Design Competition is held each Spring at Rice University. It features over 20 student teams from national and international universities who present their low-cost global health technologies. Entries are judged on the quality of the problem definition, the effectiveness and potential impact of the design solution, and the likelihood that the solution can be successful in improving healthcare delivery in low-resource settings by faculty, clinicians, and private and public sector partners from around the country.
Information on the application process and competition guidelines can be found here:
https://www.rice360.rice.edu/design-competition.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Global Health website: https://www.rice360.rice.edu/glht-minor/.