Minor in Health Communication
Catalog Year: 2026-2027
Banner Code: LA-MINOR-LA-HCOM
Health communication, one of the fastest growing fields in the broader communication discipline, addresses how communication intersects with all aspects of health (social, mental, and physical).
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on program requirements and courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes. Requirements may be different for earlier catalog years. See the University Catalog archives.
Policies
Eight credits of coursework must be unique to the minor and students must earn a minimum grade of 2.00 in all courses applied to the minor. For policies governing all minors, see AP.5.3.4 Minors.
Minor Requirements
Total credits: 18
Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.
Core Courses
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 304 | Foundations of Health Communication | 3 |
| COMM 318 | Persuasion | 3 |
| COMM 334 | Family and Health Communication | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
One Additional Communication Course
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 3 credits from the following: 1 | 3 | |
| Special Topics in Health Communication | ||
| Special Topics in Communication 2 | ||
| Environmental Communication, Campaigns, and Social Movements | ||
| Total Credits | 3 | |
- 1
Other COMM courses may be substituted with approval of the minor director.
- 2
Requires approval of the minor director.
Electives
Students should confer with the health communication minor program director when making choices among these courses. Other courses may be substituted with approval of the minor director.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Health Care Delivery in the United States | ||
| Healthcare Ethics | ||
| Healthcare Finance | ||
| Health Economics and Policy | ||
| Introduction to Health Care Politics and Policy | ||
| Introduction to Health Services Research | ||
HEAL 230 |
Introduction to Health Behavior (Mason Core) | |
HEAL 310 |
Drugs and Health | |
HEAL 325 |
Human Sexuality | |
HEAL 327 |
Women's Health | |
HEAL 331 |
Men's Health | |
HEAL 350 |
Health Interventions for Vulnerable Populations | |
HEAL 351 |
Relationship Health | |
HEAL 372 |
Health Communication | |
| Global Health (Mason Core) | ||
| Introduction to Public Health | ||
| Health Behavior Theories | ||
| Health Promotion and Education | ||
| Health and Environment | ||
| Fundamentals of Epidemiology | ||
| Social Determinants of Health | ||
| Violence, Gender, and Sexuality (Mason Core) | ||
| Conflict, Trauma and Healing | ||
| Contemporary Health: Intersections in Science and Society (Mason Core) | ||
NUTR 295 |
Introduction to Nutrition (Mason Core) | |
NUTR 422 |
Nutrition throughout the Life Cycle | |
| Lifespan Development (Mason Core) | ||
| Child Development | ||
| Adolescent Development | ||
| Clinical Psychology | ||
| Behavior Modification | ||
| Psychopathology | ||
| Therapeutic Communication Skills | ||
| Psychological Factors in Aging | ||
| Science of Well Being | ||
| Death, Dying, and Grieving | ||
| Psychology of Intimate Relationships | ||
| Sociology of Health, Illness, and Disability | ||
| Substance Use, Misuse, and Disorder: Programs and Policies | ||
| Child and Family Welfare | ||
| Introduction to Gerontology | ||
| Social Determinants of Health | ||
| Total Credits | 6 | |