VCU School of Public Health launches new minors for fall 2026
VCU students will have the opportunity to expand their public health knowledge with two new minors offered this fall.
As the VCU School of Public Health enters its third year, it is partnering with VCUArts to expand its course offerings for undergraduate students.
Public Health
This minor is ideal for students studying clinical radiation science, dental hygiene, pharmaceutical science, psychology, sociology, urban and regional studies or are simply curious about how public health impacts the world around them.
After completing the 19 required credits, students will have a greater understanding of what influences and improves public health. Courses like “How Health Policy and Health Systems Work” and “Health In the Global World” will teach foundational principles essential to improving and protecting public health for all.
“We are growing and looking to be innovative in how we present public health through curriculum, experiential learning, and collaboration across the university,” said Krista Mincey, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., M.C.H.E.S., director of undergraduate public health education and training at the School of Public Health. “These minors signify a shift in exposing more students to public health early in their collegiate career and showing them all of the possibilities that exist to enhance and improve the health of communities.”
Public Health and the Arts
Originally written by Kim Catley, for VCUArts.
Offered by the School of Public Health in collaboration with VCUarts, the minor in Public Health and the Arts is designed for students with an interest in careers at the intersection of health, nonprofits, public agencies and creative organizations.
The minor takes a creative approach to confront and address real-world challenges in community health. Students will build a foundation in the principles that shape community well-being, from history and policy to public health and health promotion. They will also explore how visual art, performance, sound, moving image and design can community health information in ways that data and policy alone cannot. The minor also includes hands-on experience working directly in the Richmond community through internships and applied projects with real-world outcomes.
“The minor in Public Health and the Arts is an outcome of growing research in public health and the arts led by faculty from both VCU Health and the School of the Arts,” says James Wiznerowicz, associate dean for academic affairs. “Coursework reveals the complex nature of services and policies around health. Students will also have an opportunity to connect their creative practices and develop work related to advocacy, visual elements of health communication, design principles, and other means of connection and messaging around wellness and well-being.”
Explore more new minors offered by VCUArts here.
It’s not too late to apply for our Master in Public Health program for the fall. Visit our website for details and to apply by June 1, 2026.
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