Integrated Health Studies

Welcome to Integrated Health Studies

Students planning on a career in healthcare need a strong science foundation for their professional programs. But equally important are knowledge of the social context of health, skills for navigating the multi-dimensional nature of health problems, and other practical, patient-centered healthcare practices.

The Integrated Health Studies (IHS) secondary major provides a liberal arts foundation in humanities, social sciences, and scientific reasoning, with opportunities for integrated learning and individual application in a capstone experience. It can be valuable to those interested in a variety of career fields and pathways, with particular connection to a pre-health track.

Why IHS?

  • Interdisciplinary learning
  • Health and health-adjacent career readiness
  • Healthcare and wellness
  • Multicultural awareness
  • Holistic care
  • Ethical reasoning
  • Integrated reflection

The Integrated Health Studies secondary major is appropriate for any student who wants to work in healthcare and is on a traditional pre-health track.

This program is also appropriate for students interested in health-related careers. A student who majors in social work and wants to work in a hospital will develop ethical and scientific reasoning skills necessary for solving complex individual and societal health problems. Biomedical engineering can also be paired with IHS as a way to combine the analytical skills associated with engineering with the ethical and interpersonal skills of IHS. IHS is a way to explore passions related to science, people and ethics alongside any major of choosing.

IHS supplements primary major requirements to provide students with a foundation in:

  • Interpersonal skills grounded in humanistic and social scientific understanding of health.
  • Ethical and scientific reasoning skills for solving complex individual and societal health problems.
  • Multicultural competence critical for dealing with diverse patient populations in the U.S.
  • Integrated learning culminating in a capstone experience.

Want to declare Integrated Health Studies?

Complete this Qualtrics survey to add or drop the secondary major in Integrated Health Studies.

IHS Capstone Projects

See the varied interests of IHS students and how they connect their passions and knowledge.

 

Programmatic Learning Outcomes

The Integrated Health Studies secondary major offers students a multidisciplinary perspective on health and healthcare, drawing from the biological sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Designed to complement a primary field of study, this program prepares students to engage with complex health issues in diverse contexts, promoting a holistic understanding of health across populations, systems, and environments.

  1. Social & Humanistic Dimensions of Health: Students will evaluate the social dimensions of health
  2. Ethics in Health Science: Students will analyze the ethical issues that arise in the application of science in health practice and policy and will be able to articulate ways to address them
  3. Multicultural Awareness: Students will evaluate and articulate how cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity in the US and globally intersects with health practice and outcomes
  4. Scientific Reasoning: Students will apply scientific reasoning to health questions and evaluate the implications of the same.

 

For information

Kaela Urquhart, Assistant Director of Interdisciplinary Programs
Email kaelaurquhart@k-state.edu
785-532-6904