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As a health communication major, you will train to perform one of the most vital roles in today’s health care industry—improving health outcomes by applying health communication and behavior theory to a wide range of strategies, campaigns and policy.

Strengthening health care—through communication

Effective communication is at the heart of nearly every aspect of today’s complex health care landscape. Communication professionals are highly sought-after for their expertise in everything from improving doctor-patient interaction to influencing policy and managing large-scale public health campaigns. At Dominican, you’ll master the interpersonal and professional communication skills necessary to succeed as a communication leader in health care. You’ll study both theory and the latest best practices. You'll learn about the factors that influence health behaviors from cultural value patterns to different types of media.

A curriculum of broad scope and specialized career paths

You’ll engage an innovative curriculum that includes courses from all four colleges at Dominican. This integrated cross-disciplinary approach speaks to the nature of the health communication field. Based on your career goals, the health communication degree program allows the flexibility to incorporate elements from psychology, business, social work, informatics, sociology, nutrition, public health, medicine and more. You’ll also examine ethical and intercultural dimensions. Through a choice of electives, you can specialize in health for advertising and public relations, journalism and media, health education, and more. You’ll be ready to enter the field or continue your education at the graduate level.

Katarzyna Szwedo

Health Communication student

“I’m learning so much in my classes that I can apply in my job as a medical assistant. The program allows me to explore related fields, so I always have a choice of classes that interest

me most. And I got to conduct research on ways to improve communication with patients.”


 

Special Opportunities
  • You’re just 10 miles from the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic and creative cities. Around 93% of our students complete internships or other high-impact experiences outside class. We’ll help you unlock all that opportunity.
  • In the Mazzuchelli Scholars Honors Program, you can explore life’s biggest questions, conduct research alongside pre-eminent scholars and access rare opportunities, including a chance to study at Oxford.
  • Gain a global perspective by studying abroad in programs on four continents.
  • Prepare for leadership in your chosen field by earning your master’s degree at Dominican. Through our accelerated program, you can earn an MBA or Master of Social Work with just one additional year of study.
Our connections are your connections

Practical, hands-on experience is built into our health communication curriculum. Our internships draw on Chicago’s vast media, communication and medical resources. You’ll test-drive your dream job, gain invaluable real-world experience and build a portfolio of professional quality work. Job growth in the field is high. Hospitals are seeking public relations specialists. The general public is hungry for accurate, clear and authoritative information on health. And the medical community depends on communicators who can disseminate the latest guidance, research findings and advances in language and formats accessible to all. Through Dominican, you’ll have access to all that opportunity.

Christine Platt, PhD

Assistant Professor, Corporate and Health Communication

“A degree in health communication from Dominican provides a unique skill set in high demand. Communication experts are found across all areas of health care, developing multimedia public awareness campaigns, researching the effectiveness of mobile health apps, and more.”