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:

  1. 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.
  2. Demonstrate a broad understanding of the issue of human health, disease, and health care planning from Natural Science, Humanities, and Social Sciences perspectives.
  3. Understand the basic elements of human health and disease from evolutionary, biological, and epidemiological perspectives.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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

Total Credit Hours Required for the Minor in Global Health Technologies21

Minor Requirements

Core Requirements 1
GLHT 201INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL HEALTH3
GLHT 360 / BIOE 360APPROPRIATE DESIGN FOR GLOBAL HEALTH3
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 451GLOBAL HEALTH DESIGN CHALLENGES I 23
GLHT 452GLOBAL HEALTH DESIGN CHALLENGES II 23
Total Credit Hours21

Footnotes and Additional Information 

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

Select a minimum of 1 course (minimum of 3 credit hours) from the following:
BIOE 449 / GLHT 449TROUBLESHOOTING WORKSHOP FOR CLINICALLY-RELEVANT BIOMEDICAL EQUIPMENT1
BIOS 318MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY2
BIOS 372IMMUNOLOGY3
BIOS 424MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND GENETICS3
BIOS 431EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES3
BIOS 447EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AND THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE3
BIOS 450VIRUSES AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES3
BIOS 460CANCER BIOLOGY3
CEVE 302 / ENGI 302SUSTAINABLE DESIGN3
GLHT 314 / BIOE 365 / CEVE 314SUSTAINABLE WATER PURIFICATION FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD3
GLHT 400GLOBAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS1-3
GLHT 401GLHT RESEARCH PAPER WRITING AND SUBMISSION1
GLHT 448TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR ENGINEERING3
GLHT 510 / BIOE 510SEMINAR IN TROPICAL MEDICINE1
KINE 319STATISTICS FOR THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL3
STAT 280ELEMENTARY APPLIED STATISTICS4
or STAT 180 AP/OTH CREDIT IN STATISTICS
STAT 305INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS FOR BIOSCIENCES4

Humanities/Social Science Electives

Select a minimum of 1 course (minimum of 3 credit hours) from the following:
ANTH 366SCIENCE, LOCAL AND GLOBAL3
ANTH 381MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY3
ANTH 443ANTHROPOLOGY OF RACE, ETHNICITY AND HEALTH3
ANTH 446ADVANCED TOPICS IN BIOMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY3
ECON 450ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT3
ECON 460ADVANCED TOPICS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT3
ECON 481HEALTH ECONOMICS3
ECON 484PUBLIC ECONOMICS: EXPENDITURES3
ENGL 272LITERATURE AND MEDICINE3
ENGL 273 / SWGS 273MEDICINE AND MEDIA3
ENGL 386 / FILM 381MEDICAL MEDIA ARTS LAB4
ENST 313 / ARCH 313CASE STUDIES IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN3
ENST 315ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH3
GLHT 364 / BUSI 364 / SOSC 364INNOVATION FOR SOCIAL IMPACT3
HEAL 222PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY HEALTH3
HEAL 313FOUNDATIONS OF HEALTH PROMOTION AND EDUCATION3
HEAL 350UNDERSTANDING CANCER3
HEAL 375THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH3
HEAL 380DISPARITIES IN HEALTH IN AMERICA3
HEAL 407EPIDEMIOLOGY3
HEAL 422THEORIES AND MODELS OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR3
HEAL 460PLANNING AND EVALUATION OF HEALTH PROMOTION AND EDUCATION3
HIST 222HISTORY OF EARLY AFRICA3
HIST 223HISTORY OF MODERN AFRICA3
HIST 312ENVIRONMENT, MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN LATIN AMERICA3
PHIL 266MEDICAL ETHICS3
PHIL 354THE PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE3
PJHC 371POVERTY, JUSTICE, AND HUMAN CAPABILITIES3
POLI 260 / LEAD 260ADVOCATING FOR IDEAS TO CHANGE THE WORLD3
POLI 329HEALTH POLICY3
PSYC 345HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY3
PSYC 370INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS3
PSYC 409METHODS IN HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION3
PSYC 480ADVANCED TOPICS3
RELI 424RELIGION AND POLITICS IN AFRICA3
SOCI 313DEMOGRAPHY3
SOCI 345MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY3
SOCI 377HEALTH DISPARITIES IN THE UNITED STATES3
SOCI 381RESEARCH METHODS3
SOCI 406BASIC DEMOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES3
SOCI 453RACE, MIGRATION, AND HEALTH SEMINAR3
SOCI 465 / SWGS 465GENDER AND HEALTH3

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/.