Earn a certificate in 12 credit hours
If a Masters’ degree is not the right track for you right now, but you want to build skills and expertise in Health Communication, we offer four 12-credit certificate options to meet your continuing education goals. Each certificate takes, on average, one year to complete; you can choose your own courses from the HCOM curriculum and design a schedule that works for you. The tuition rate is the same per credit hour as HCOM ($740 USD per credit hour), and you receive the same quality experience in the same classes as the HCOM program, just with fewer credit hours to complete. All certificate credits can also be transferred to the HCOM program if you decide at any time that you’d like to pursue a Masters’ degree. Learn more about each of our certificates and find the perfect fit for you!
Will I find value in a certificate program?
Will I find value in a
certificate program?
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General Health Communication (CHC)
The CHC is the most customizable, flexible version of our certificate program. You can choose from any course in the HCOM curriculum (with two exceptions: Research Methods and the Capstone), customize your own schedule, and diversify your skill and expertise in Health Communication. This certificate is ideal for students who want to learn more about the Health Communication field as a whole or who would like to try HCOM as a non-degree seeking student before switching to the Masters’ degree.
Choose any combination of 12 credits from the following recommended courses >
| Course | Credits | Term Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Health Communication | 4 | Fall 2025 |
| Provider-Patient Communication | 4 | Spring 2026 |
| The Future of Work in Healthcare | 4 | Fall 2025 |
| Health Marketing | 4 | Spring 2026 |
| Stigma in Healthcare | 2 | Fall 2026 |
| Cultural Considerations in Healthcare | 2 | Fall 2025 |
| Health Disparities | 2 | Spring 2026 |
| Healthcare Teams | 2 | Spring 2025 |
| E-health | 2 | Fall 2025 |
| Picturing Health | 2 | Spring 2026 |
| Conflict Management in Health | 2 | Spring 2026 |
| Mass Media and Health | 2 | Fall 2026 |
| Health and Family Communication | 2 | Spring 2025 |
| (New Course) Health Advocacy | 2 | Fall 2025 |
Patient Care Communication (CPC)
The CPC is an ideal choice for students who are looking for more expertise in the interpersonal aspects of healthcare. Providers with direct patient contact, at-home caregivers, social workers, pharmacists, or any other professionals who provide one-on-one care to others: this is the ideal certificate track for you. The courses offered in this track will teach you how to overcome common challenges in the provider-patient relationship, manage conflict, hone your approach to be mindful of cultural considerations and stigma, and navigate the complexities of one-on-one care to others.| Course | Credits | Term Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Health Comm | 4 | Fall 2025 |
| Stigma in Healthcare | 2 | Fall 2026 |
| Cultural Considerations in Healthcare | 2 | Fall 2025 |
| Health Disparities | 2 | Spring 2026 |
| Provider Patient Communication | 4 | Spring 2026 |
| Conflict Management in Health | 2 | Spring 2026 |
| Health and Family Communication | 2 | Spring 2025 |
Communication and Health Promotion (CHP)
The CHP is an ideal choice for students with marketing and PR, public health, crisis communication, and health campaign experience (or for those who would like more experience in this arena). The courses offered in this track will teach you to tailor your messages to specific audiences, being mindful of different channels of media and the benefits and pitfalls of each. You will also learn how to optimize your messages to better influence health-related behaviors in both large and small-scale promotion efforts.Choose any combination of 12 credits from the following recommended courses >
| Course | Credits | Term Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Health Comm | 4 | Fall 2025 |
| Stigma in Healthcare | 2 | Fall 2026 |
| Health Disparities | 2 | Spring 2026 |
| Health Marketing | 4 | Spring 2026 |
| eHealth | 2 | Fall 2025 |
| Picturing Health | 2 | Spring 2026 |
| Mass Media and Health | 2 | Fall 2026 |
Communication and Health Management (CHM)
The CHM is an ideal choice for students in administrative or managerial roles in health care. The courses offered in this track will help you better understand optimization of organizational systems, how to recognize and repair organizational communication at every level of the healthcare field: between coworkers, within teams, and throughout entire systems. Integration of health information technology, skills for effective management and skills for navigating an increasingly complex network of professions are the hallmarks of this certificate track.| Course | Credits | Term Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Health Comm | 4 | Fall 2025 |
| The Future of Work in Healthcare | 4 | Fall 2025 |
| Health Disparities | 2 | Spring 2026 |
| Healthcare Teams | 2 | Spring 2025 |
| eHealth | 2 | Fall 2025 |
| Picturing Health | 2 | Spring 2026 |
| Conflict Management in Healthcare | 2 | Spring 2026 |
| (New Course) Health Advocacy | 2 | Fall 2025 |
How to Apply
- A current resume
- A brief personal statement explaining your interest in the certificate and the track(s) that you intend to pursue. Please also indicate the specific courses that interest you the most.
- A scanned copy of the transcript with your highest degree awarded