Make Your Decision on Health Communication.
Why Health Communication?
Now, more than ever, we need communicators who can develop clear, culturally relevant messages aimed at influencing health literacy and healthy behaviors. Communication skills are vital to improved outcomes and patient satisfaction in clinical health contexts, public health settings, and the myriad of other spaces people get information about their health.
What Sets Us Apart?
The B.S. in Health Communication at Minnesota State Mankato is truly interdisciplinary. Students combine coursework from majors such as Communication and Media, Technical Communication, and Applied Health Sciences to create a major tailor-made to their interests and career goals.
Who Is It For?
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in the health or medical field with an emphasis on effective communication, this major is for you. It’s also a great fit if you’ve taken coursework toward a health or medical degree and wish to shift the course toward developing strong communication skills in the field. This major is also excellent for students with strengths in communication and a specific interest in health issues.
What Our Students Are Saying:
Tiana Tran, Minor in Health Communication
I've always known I wanted to help people, just like I’ve always considered writing as one of my biggest strengths. That's why I chose to major in Technical Communication. By combining the two, I naturally found myself minoring in Health Communication as well. The biggest takeaways I took from my coursework are identifying my audience and putting myself into their perspective. There are so many ways health information can be written, interpreted, and understood. Health Communication helps me identify these aspects and present them to my audience: simply, clearly, and effectively. Through minoring in health communication, I can help people in the best way I know how–with my writing skills.
Audrey Hopwood, Minor in Health Communication
I’m a double major in Biomedical Science and Medical Laboratory Science with a Health Communication Minor. I want to eventually get into dental school. The reason I chose Health Communication as a minor is that it works nicely with my major. I feel like I have seen time and time again a healthcare provider will tell a patient something but the patient just nods and says “okay,” not fully understanding what is going on. Working with patients, I need to be able to communicate effectively. I can help with explaining things better to patients because I know a background in health literacy, as well as be able to help patients of color not get discriminated against because of poor health communication amongst other healthcare providers. As a dentist, I will be able to actively use these skills throughout my day.
