Global Health (BA)

Global Health is the study and practice of improving health and achieving health equity for all people worldwide. The program addresses transnational health issues and the structures that shape our capability to live healthy lives, locally and globally. With a multi-disciplinary focus that provides exposure to healthcare, public health, social determinants of health, and planetary health, students learn to approach the complexity of health in a way that makes Global Health an ideal degree for students interested in entering the health profession, especially medicine and public health. As the first undergraduate global health program in Canada, Maclean’s magazine listed it as one of York’s “stand out” programs.
The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and growing rates of obesity and diabetes are examples of global health challenges that do not recognize borders. Our health and that of the rest of the world’s population is intertwined with broader issues, including population growth and migration, wealth disparity, environmental degradation, corporate activity, and government policy. Health not only involves the absence of disease, but also the promotion of physical, mental, and social well-being – with keen attention to how the conditions that ensure health and health equity require positive health practices on both an individual and societal level.
Tomorrow’s health professionals, both clinical (e.g., physician, nurse, physician’s assistant, respiratory therapist) and non-clinical (e.g. healthcare managers, NGO leaders, health data analysts, policy researchers, pharmaceutical representatives), will need to understand the global structures and processes that impact individual and population health in Canada and around the world. York’s School of Global Health prepares you to be one of these professionals through a comprehensive education that encompasses the biomedical sciences, social sciences, and humanities, looking at topics such as infectious disease, chronic disease, anatomy and physiology, epidemiology, health promotion, health policy, health ethics, and health law. Students in the Global Health program also benefit from small class sizes and research opportunities where they enjoy direct interaction with fellow students and with professors who are experts and professionals in their fields.
Admission requirements for the BSc and BA in Global Health will differ. You can find admission requirements based on your situation below under Show my Admission Requirements.