Strategic Health & Risk Communication
Applications are accepted how through April 1 for the next SHRC cohort. Click here for the application and more details.
The Strategic Health & Risk Communication certificate offers undergraduate students the knowledge, skills and experience related to applying communication principles to address public health problems. It will help prepare students to better meet the evolving health needs of society at large and use their health promotion and/or communication skills in an applied manner. The program will culminate in a capstone course in which students will create a public health communication campaign for a community client, providing students with valuable experiential and hands-on learning.
This interdisciplinary certificate program is expected to benefit students as it will qualify them to claim expertise in strategic health and risk communication, and expand their career opportunities in the fast-growing area.
The SHRC track requires 6 courses in a balanced curriculum: two core courses at Grady College, two courses at the College of Public Health, and two elective special topics courses. Students will apply for acceptance into the certificate program. However, students outside the certificate can take these courses, thus broadening the number of students introduced to this discipline.
What is Strategic Health and Risk Communication?
Industry and societal demand for graduates with strategic health and risk communication skills and knowledge are increasing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the health care industry will increase by at least 20%, with more jobs available for health care marketing managers, health marketing analysts, health/ medical service managers, and health marketing communication specialists. This 18-credit certificate features courses from both departments, including core courses such as ADPR Health, Health and Risk Communication Campaigns (new course), Public Health Communication, and Health and Wellness. Two elective courses are required with topics ranging from storytelling and digital/social/crisis communication strategies, to an array of public health topics and their foundations.
Specifically, the following educational objectives will be met by this program:
- To provide students with foundational knowledge in health promotion and health/risk communication.
- To communicate the value of applying strategic health and risk communication to health promotion practice.
- To illustrate the process of developing empirically-informed health and risk communication campaigns for public health purposes.
- To practice the application of strategic public health and risk communication through project-based and experiential learning opportunities.
Strategic Health and Risk Communication Track Eligibility
Admission is open to majors in Grady College who meet the following criteria: the completion of 30 hours, including a statistics course (any STAT course, BUSN 3000, BIOS 2010+L), and one upper-division studies course (3000 or above) offered by the Department of Advertising and Public Relations (for example, ADPR 3100 Principles of Advertising or ADPR 3850 Public Relations). Applicants must have an overall GPA of 3.2 or higher to apply. Applicants must submit a formal essay explaining their interest in strategic health and risk communication. Application cycles are at the start of each Spring semester. Grady College students apply either when they apply to be a Grady College major or their first semester as a major.
Certificate Track: How It Works
The certificate program is designed to be completed in four semesters. Upon admission, students take two required core courses—one offered by Grady College, one offered by College of Public Health—as a cohort. Students then take two additional required courses and two electives. Students will work closely with an advisor to choose electives that align with the student’s interests.
