Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are “born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age” that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes. The SDOH are grouped into five domains: economic stability, education access and quality, healthcare access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context (Healthy People 2030). The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) framework is now one of the foundational components of an education in public health. The purpose of this graduate certificate program in SDOH is to prepare students to address the public health challenges where disparity and inequity in the five domains listed above are an important component.

Upon completing this certificate,  students will have the skills to work independently or on teams to solve problems from a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) perspective, identify and quantify health disparities in communities using population health data across various demographic and socioeconomic areas of life, plan health interventions and public health approaches to improving wellbeing using a SDOH lens and assess community needs in the areas of equity and inclusion across domains such as housing, transportation, health, and education.

The certificate program is open to current graduate students at the University of Georgia in any discipline, provided the student has a satisfactory academic and/or professional background. Post-baccalaureate individuals not currently enrolled in a graduate program may be admitted as non-degree graduate students.

Contact

For more information or questions contact: Heather McEachern, Academic Affairs & Student Services, [email protected].

Course Requirements (3 hours)

Students are required to take one core course and may choose from the courses below.

• HPAM 8340 – Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities (Every Fall)
• HPRB 7990 – Diversity and Social Justice in Public Health (Every Spring)

Electives (9 hours)

Then students should choose 9 hours from the following courses. Additional courses
may be approved by the certificate coordinator.

• HPAM 7040/7040E – Health, Poverty, Economic Disparity and Socioeconomic Development
• HPAM 7650/7650E – Comparative Healthcare Systems
• EPID 7600 – Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology for Public Health Practice
• EHSC 7650: Water Quality: Protection, Monitoring, and Management for Health
• GLOB 7100 – Foundations of Global Health
• GLOB  8820 – Global Health Policy
• GRNT 7100E – Early Life Influences on Aging (Even year Fall semester)
• GRNT 7200E – Lifespan Health Psychology (Odd year Fall semester)
• GRNT 7150E – Aging in Society

You can apply to enroll in the SODH certificate program by submitting this online form.

If you have any additional questions, contact Heather McEachern, Academic Affairs & Student Services, [email protected].

Once all course requirements are complete, students must apply to graduate in Athena. 

Candidates for completion of the certificate must apply to graduate using the graduation application available in Athena by the withdrawal deadline of the semester in which they intend to graduate. Detailed instructions on how to apply to graduate can be found here on the UGA Office of the Registrar website.

Use the following links to learn more about the Social Determinants of Health:

• World Health Organization (WHO)  
• Center for Disease Control (CDC)