International Relations/ Global Health

zapfino
Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:14:48 +0000

I agree with much of BIGeast’s advice to you, especially what he says about figuring out what you want to do and getting some real skills.

Right now, international studies/IR is a very sexy major. The fact is the US and developing nations don’t need a lot of ill-educated wannabe ambassadors. Global health is another very sexy concentration. The fact is that we’ve had public health programs focused on international health for a long time, though usually at the graduate level. What is new is the sprouting of these programs at the undergrad level—throw together a few courses on epidemiology, a little medical anthropology, and some environmental studies and, voila, we now have another ill-educated wannabe. There is nothing wrong with studying these topics. However, what developing countries do need, are people that have real skills----skills like nursing, public health, nutrition, sanitary engineering, etc. You can always supplement technical skills with the relevant policy and cultural knowledge. (Keep in mind, however, that some of the technical skills can follow via a graduate program.) There are many routes to an international career via these specialties.

Now since you are going to attend the University of Iowa, I don’t see any particular reason to transfer, especially if you are paying in-state tuition and if you like the school. Iowa offers strong programs in all the major health-related fields. Iowa even has options for global health and African studies under its International Studies major, though as I commented I don’t believe these are a substitute for real skills in the health area. As far as African studies are concerned, Iowa isn’t the first place that comes to mind. Wisconsin or Michigan State, for example, are much stronger in African studies, but that’s not necessarily a reason to transfer. Iowa will still provide suitable opportunities to enhance your knowledge of that region, and you can pursue this interest further in summer or study abroad programs, or graduate studies at a different university.

As BIGeast said, figure out what you want to do. I provided some links for your consideration. These are just to expand your horizons about what possibilities are out there and to suggest some directions that may not have occurred to you yet:

[ASA : ASA](http://www.africanstudies.org/p/cm/ld/fid=8)

[Association of African Studies Programs](http://aasp.asrc.cornell.edu/)

[ASTMH | Home](http://www.astmh.org/AM/)

[Programs - Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine](http://www.sph.tulane.edu/main/academics/programs.htm)

[Lillian Carter Center for International Nursing](http://www.nursing.emory.edu/lccin/index.html)

[Home[/url]

[url=http://www.msf.org/]Mdecins Sans Frontires International Homepage](http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/gha/Pages/default.aspx)

[Peace Corps](http://www.peacecorps.gov/)

[ASPH | education, academic public health, education, graduate, employment, fellowships, internships](http://www.asph.org/)

[Home - Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy - Tufts University](http://nutrition.tufts.edu/)

[Go Global! The International Careers Website](http://go.global.wisc.edu/)