Earn your BA in Health Studies
The BA in health studies is designed for students who want a more flexible health science curriculum. The major interconnects the systems, technologies, and policies driving the U.S. wellness and health care industries. It provides flexible opportunities to work with faculty in developing the knowledge and skills needed to understand health determinants and anticipate continuing changes in preventive and clinical health delivery.
Students who earn the major in health studies can earn a minor in human physiology, but:
- May not also earn a major in either exercise science or health promotion
- May not earn a minor in lifestyle medicine
The Bachelor of Arts with a major in health studies requires a minimum of 120 semester hours, including at least 37–41 semester hours of work for the major. A minimum of 16 semester hours in the major must be earned at the University of Iowa. Students must maintain a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 in all courses for the major and in all UI courses for the major. They also must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GE CLAS Core.
Required coursework
For full curriculum, please visit the catalog.
County Health Rankings model
As a health studies student, you'll learn how different elements affect health outcomes and explore the measures that influence how long and how well we live.
Learning outcomes
- Gain a broad education in the health sciences
- Employ their fundamental knowledge of human physiology and health sciences
- Use and understand scientific methods to solve problems at the level needed in their chosen professional and/or graduate career fields
- Instill an understanding and appreciation of the relevance of healthy behaviors to a fulfilling and productive life
- Engage in and encourage life-long learning in the rapidly evolving fields of physiology and the health sciences
Questions?
Shawn Flanagan
Create your academic path
You'll find degree overviews, requirements, course lists, academic plans, and more to help you plan your education and explore your possibilities.
Current course list
The MyUI Schedule displays registered courses for a particular session and is available to enrolled students. The list view includes course instructors, time and location, and features to drop courses or change sections.
Additional course information
Health Studies Alumni Spotlights
Health Studies Alumni Spotlights
Tram-Anh Doan
Jessica DiGrazia
Lindsay Bright
Ian Rowland
"As a graduate of the health studies program, I can say my learning experience was unmatched through this program...I not only learned the necessary information, but I also learned how to apply it, how to critically think about it, and how to harness it to discover what avenues I wanted to pursue in my career with health care. The professors and their dedicated TAs worked with me diligently to ensure I was comfortable, prepared, and had the same opportunities excel, even with my challenging and full schedule as a student-athlete. My professors and TAs were always encouraging and educated me
Health studies faculty
Stephanie Borst
Lucas Carr
Shawn Flanagan
Amy Fletcher
Megan Jacobi
Megan Lewey
Kelli Saginak
Aaron Schneider
