Gender and Health Certificate Program
OVERVIEW
The Gender and Health Certificate Program equips students with the knowledge, analytic tools, and practical skills needed to address one of the most powerful, and often overlooked, drivers of health inequities worldwide. Grounded in interdisciplinary gender theory and applied public health practice, the program prepares students to critically examine how gender norms, power relations, and intersecting social identities shape health outcomes, health systems, and policy responses.
Through coursework spanning gender analysis, women’s, men’s, and gender minority individual’s health, gender‑based violence research methods, and intersectionality, students gain hands‑on experience applying gender‑responsive approaches to real‑world public health challenges. The certificate is designed for students who want to integrate gender meaningfully into research, programs, advocacy, and policy – not as an add‑on, but as a core analytic lens. As demand grows for professionals who can demonstrate gender expertise, this certificate provides a strong credential for careers in NGOs, multilateral agencies, foundations, government, academia, and consulting, where gender analysis is increasingly required for funding, program design, monitoring and evaluation, and leadership roles.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the certificate program, students will be able to:
- Explain how gender and intersecting social identities shape health inequities and influence public health research and interventions.
- Apply gender theories and analytic frameworks to key public health issues, including sexual and reproductive health and gender‑based violence.
- Integrate gender analysis into the design, implementation, and evaluation of health research, programs, and policies.
- Position themselves for careers requiring gender expertise, with a clear understanding of how gender skills translate into roles in research, programming, policy, monitoring and evaluation, and leadership.
SPONSORING DEPARTMENTS
Population, Family and Reproductive Health
ADMISSIONS
Contact information and complete certificate program admission information are available on the certificate program page on the Bloomberg School of Public Health website.
REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION
The certificate requires a minimum of 18 term credits. Students must take all required and elective courses for a letter grade and maintain an overall GPA of 2.75 or higher in all certificate coursework. The certificate program length is flexible; it varies from student to student. However, the certificate must be completed within three years.
The student should review the section of the website that addresses completion before completing certificate program requirements. The student's transcripts will not indicate that the certificate was earned until the Notification of Completion form has been submitted, verified by the certificate program, and processed by the Registrar.
COURSE OF STUDY
Students should check the BSPH course directory to confirm when courses are offered. Students should also check for prerequisites and whether instructor consent is required.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PH.550.860 | Academic & Research Ethics at BSPH (All students are required to complete this online noncredit course in their first term of study) | |
| Required Courses: | ||
| PH.221.621 | Gender and Health: Foundational Theories and Applications (typically offered onsite in 1st term) | 3 |
| PH.221.701 | Applications to Gender Analysis Within Health Research and Interventions (typically offered onsite in 2nd term) | 3 |
| Gender and Women’s Health. Choose one course from the following: | ||
| PH.380.666 | Women's Health (typically offered onsite in 3rd term ) | 3 |
| PH.380.667 | Women's Health Policy (typically offered onsite and online in 4th term) | 3 |
| PH.380.668 | International Perspectives on Women, Gender, and Health (typically offered every other year onsite in 4th term) | 3 |
| PH.380.768 | Selected Topics in Women's Health and Women's Health Policy (typically offered online in 1st term) | 4 |
| Gender and Men’s Health. Choose one course from the following: | ||
| PH.220.632 | Integrating Men into Global Health Programming (typically offered onsite in 2nd term) | 2 |
| PH.380.720 | Masculinity, Sexual Behavior & Health: Adolescence & Beyond (typically offered onsite and online in 3rd term) | 3 |
| Gender and Gender Minority Individuals’ Health. Choose one course from the following: | ||
| PH.410.626 | The Epidemiology of LGBTQ Health (typically offered onsite in 1st term) | 3 |
| PH.410.683 | Global Perspectives on the Health of Sexual and Gender Minorities (typically offered onsite in 3rd term) | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| PH.221.607 | Towards Gender Transformative Leadership in Global Health: Essential Skills (typically offered onsite in 4th term ) Official Name: Essential Leadership Skills for Women and Allies Driving Change in Health | 3 |
| PH.306.660 | Legal and Public Health Issues in the Regulation of intimacy (typically offered onsite in 4th term) | 3 |
| PH.330.701 | Intersectionality in Public Mental Health (typically offered onsite and online in 3rd term) | 3 |
| PH.380.604 | Life Course Perspectives on Health (typically offered onsite and online in 1st term and online in 2nd term) | 4 |
| PH.380.628 | Public Health Perspectives On Abortion (typically offered onsite in 4th term) | 3 |
| PH.380.655 | Social and Economic Aspects of Human Fertility (typically offered onsite in 2nd term) | 3 |
| PH.380.663 | Gender-Based Violence Research, Practice and Policy: Issues and Current Controversies (typically offered onsite and online 3rd term) | 3 |
| PH.380.665 | Family Planning Policies and Programs (typically offered onsite in 3rd term) | 4 |
| PH.380.760 | Clinical Aspects of Reproductive Health (typically offered onsite and online in 3rd term) | 3 |