Interdisciplinary Health Humanities, Certificate
Explore how empathy, mindfulness, resilience and compassion intersect with health research and care. This undergraduate certificate applies humanities methods to medicine, giving you an edge as you prepare for a career in health care.
Quick facts
Credits
Additional facts
Accreditation
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Certificate description
Interdisciplinary Health Humanities certificate program description
The interdisciplinary health humanities certificate program brings humanities methodologies to analyses of health and medicine. You learn ways to address challenges in health policy and health care practice and gain an advanced understanding of the cultural formations of health, illness and the body.
The curriculum offers you courses in the history of medicine, bioethics, disability studies, sociocultural aspects of health, and narrative medicine. These courses include critical analyses of representations of health and illness in literature and other media, as well as training in narrative and structural competency for health care professionals. A capstone course, internship or applied project offers experiential or project-based learning in this field.
Why earn an interdisciplinary health humanities undergraduate certificate at ASU?
This undergraduate certificate treats health as a grand social challenge shaped by many disciplines. You draw on faculty expertise and curricular resources in the humanities units across ASU, an institution that encourages and supports interdisciplinary work, and learn to address health and healthcare challenges through the lens of the humanities.
Many medical schools offer their own health humanities training. Getting this introduction at the undergraduate level can make you a more competitive candidate for any health-professions field.
Coursework spans the history of medicine, bioethics, disability studies, sociocultural aspects of health and narrative medicine. You analyze how health and illness appear in literature and other media, then apply what you learn through a capstone course, internship or applied project.
Additional details
You may want to join the Medical Humanities Society at ASU, a student-run organization that helps pre-health students become compassionate healers. Members take part in narrative medicine projects, community service and interdisciplinary events such as art therapy panels.
The Department of English also offers the Glendon and Kathryn Swarthout Awards in Writing, among the most generous university writing prizes in the country. Students in any program on the Tempe campus or online are eligible to apply.
Courses
This undergraduate certificate includes courses focused on a specialized topic, so you can advance your skills for further professional opportunities. Explore all courses below:
2026-2027 Catalog Year
The certificate requires 15 credit hours. A "C" minimum is required for all courses in the certificate, although students must maintain a 3.00 GPA in the post-baccalaureate certificate program.
| Requirement | Minimum grade | Credit hours |
|---|---|---|
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The interdisciplinary health humanities certificate requires a total of 15 credit hours. A minimum of 12 upper-division credit hours are required, with at least nine of those credit hours taken in courses offered by The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for students on the Tempe campus, or by the School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences for students on the West Valley campus. All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" (2.00 on a 4.00 scale) or higher. |
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ENG 203 Introduction to Health Humanities
3 credit hours
Minimum
grade:C
|
C | 3 |
|
ENG 484 Internship
or
ENG 498 Topic: Interdisciplinary Health Humanities Projects
or
ENG 499 Individualized Instruction
3 credit hours
Minimum
grade:C
|
C | 3 |
|
Some elective courses may be available only on the Tempe campus or the West Valley campus.
9 credit hours
Minimum
grade:C
|
C | 9 |
|
Prerequisite courses may be needed in order to complete the requirements of this certificate.
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Enrollment requirements
A student pursuing an undergraduate certificate must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at ASU. Undergraduate certificates are not awarded before the completion of an undergraduate degree. A student who already holds an undergraduate degree may pursue an undergraduate certificate as a nondegree-seeking graduate student.
Here are the admission and application details
Paying for college
Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students receive financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Get an estimateCareer opportunities
Careers this interdisciplinary health humanities undergraduate certificate prepares you for
Students can become more marketable and advance their career options when they complement their major with this methodological specialization in interdisciplinary health humanities.
Graduates who have completed this undergraduate certificate often pursue employment in the health professions. Advanced degrees or certifications may be required for academic or clinical positions.
Contact information
Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
Department of English
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RBHL 170
englishadvising@asu.edu
480-965-3168
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
