Health communication is defined by the Centers for Disease Control as the “study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual decisions that enhance health.” Our graduate program equips health communication students with practical and theoretical know-how to examine the ways individuals and groups understand, shape, and accommodate to health and illness.

Our curriculum features a comprehensive approach to health delivery and promotion. Students who chose to pursue a graduate degree with our program gain knowledge in various subjects, including:

• Provider-patient communication
• Social marketing and communication campaigns on health-related behavioral change
• Cultural influences on health meanings and treatment preferences
• Health citizenry and health literacy
• Communication within healthcare organizations
• Risk and crisis management
• The influence of narrative and interactive media -- including e-health and telemedicine -- on public understanding and health promotion

Featured Courses

• COMM 6335 - Health Comm. Theory & Research
• COMM 6336 - Communication in Healthcare Contexts
• COMM 6341 - Comm & Crisis Across Lifespan
• COMM 6345 - Health Campaigns

For a full list of graduate-level courses at the Valenti School of Communication, view the UH Graduate Catalog.