Identifying distinctions between undergraduate and graduate global health programs

Abstract

# Background The field of global health has traditionally been taught at the graduate level, but there are a small number of undergraduate level global health programs in the U.S. The development of undergraduate global health programs poses important questions for program administrators in terms of developing competencies and navigating overlap between undergraduate and graduate programs. Specifically, which competencies should undergraduate students be expected to master and how do these intersect with those of graduate programs? # Methods Faculty at a university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. were invited to participate in an in-depth interview about course content and their expectations for undergraduate students in global health programs. Interviews covered courses they teach (e.g., prerequisites, readings, course competencies) and competencies relevant at the undergraduate level. A total of 7 faculty members were interviewed. Interviews were recorded and transcribed in Microsoft Word (Microsoft Inc, Seattle, WA, USA), and then analyzed for common themes. # Results Interview responses indicate diverse discipline-specific approaches in undergraduate global health courses. When asked to articulate what they expect undergraduate students to learn from global health courses, participants noted that basic concepts can serve as a foundation for further studies or work experiences. Some participants noted that undergraduate global health programs should provide a foundation, but expected students to continue their global health education. Others thought employment opportunities should be achievable with an undergraduate degree in Global Health. There is consensus that, independent of discipline, field-based practicum opportunities are recommended to apply classroom concepts in real-world settings. # Conclusions These findings present faculty perspectives on undergraduate global health programs, expectations of students, and core competencies. A salient challenge for course instructors is to identify where undergraduate curriculum should end and graduate curriculum should begin. Future research should expand to institutions with established undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Global Health. Future studies are already underway using an online questionnaire to capture faculty perspectives from a range of institutions.