Steps in Building a Health Humanities Program

This tool describes the process institutions have used to build health/medical humanities programs at various academic levels. The information was collected through a survey of U.S. undergraduate and graduate health/medical humanities programs in March 2021. See “Developing New Academic Programs in the Medical/Health Humanities: A Toolkit to Support Continued Growth”in The Journal of Medical Humanities 25 (4): 523-534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-021-09710-5 for more detail.
StepBaccalaureate MajorBaccalaureate MinorBaccalaureate Certificate*Graduate CertificateGraduate Masters/PhD
Step 1Consulting with key stakeholdersConsulting with key stakeholdersWrite curriculumFind a championConsulting with key stakeholders
Step 2Find administrative homeFind administrative homeConsulting with key stakeholdersIdentify program directorFind a champion
Step 3Write curriculumWrite proposalFind administrative homeFind administrative homeFind administrative home
Step 4Write proposalWrite curriculumWrite proposalConsulting with key stakeholdersMap learning outcomes to university goals
Step 5Identify program directorFind a championUniversity curriculum approvalWrite proposalWrite proposal
Step 6Find a championUniversity curriculum approvalDevelop new coursesWrite curriculumDiscussion with external consultants
Step 7Discussion with external consultantsDevelop new coursesIdentify program directorSecure fundingIdentify program director
Step 8University curriculum approvalIdentify program directorMap learning outcomes to university goalsMap learning outcomes to university goalsUniversity curriculum approval
Step 9Map learning outcomes to university goalsMap learning outcomes to university goalsUniversity curriculum approvalSecure funding
Step 10Develop new coursesConsult with enrollment & marketingDevelop new coursesDevelop budget
Step 11Develop budgetSecure fundingApply for GrantsWrite curriculum
Step 12Consult with enrollment & marketingDiscussion with external consultantsDiscussion with external consultantsDevelop new courses
Step 13Secure fundingRecruit facultyDevelop budgetApply for Grants
Step 14Apply for GrantsApply for GrantsRecruit facultyConsult with enrollment & marketing

* Baccalaureate Certificate programs did not include many of the steps in their responses 

How to Cite This Document

Craig M. Klugman, Rachel Conrad Bracken, Rosemary I. Weatherston, Catherine Burns Konefal, Sarah L. Berry (2021). Developing New Academic Programs in the Medical/Health Humanities: A Toolkit to Support Continued Growth. Journal of Medical Humanities 42 (4, 2021). doi: 10.1007/s10912-021-09710-5

© 2021 Health Humanities Consortium. The HHC gives permission for this text to be used in part or in whole for the writing of any health humanities related proposal without attribution to this source.

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