Program in Culture, Health, and Science
The Five College Program in Culture, Health, and Science (CHS) is a certificate program that allows undergraduate liberal arts students to explore human health, disease, and healing from interdisciplinary perspectives.
About the CHS Program
Graduate schools recognize that tomorrow's health experts will need interdisciplinary training to link their understandings of history, culture, and behavior with clinical, biological, and epidemiologic models of health and disease. Students design a plan of study that approaches "health" holistically from the perspective of natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Completing a CHS certificate builds on the liberal arts approach to equip students with tools to think critically about health issues. For example, students may learn to:
- Recognize historical patterns of disease distribution, treatment, and health disparities
- Appreciate the value of integrating literature, philosophy, and the arts with studies in STEM fields (and vice versa)
- Develop technical skills (such as research design, media literacy, gene editing, foreign languages, econometrics, doula training, or statistical analysis) to apply to health issues
- Navigate healthcare systems and be an advocate for themselves and others
- Apply contributions of multiple disciplines to the realm of public health, health promotion, cultural competence, disease eradication and global health
Students learn how behavior influences disease distribution, how biomedical categories change across time and culture, and how political and socioeconomic factors affect disease and treatment. CHS students learn to interpret and communicate their results to diverse audiences.
CHS is led by a Steering Committee of faculty members from all five colleges and a range of disciplines. CHS students work with their campus advisors to articulate objectives, select courses, and conduct independent projects or internships. Faculty and students alike are enriched by the cross-campus connections and interdisciplinary collaborations that the Culture, Health, and Science program fosters—locally and globally. Get on board!
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On This Page
The Five College Program in CHS firmly believes that the lived experiences and far-reaching consequences of structural anti-Black racism, white supremacy and racial inequalities are public health issues. This is a longstanding crisis, which is being exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing climate emergency. The recent protests and the unfinished work demanding an end to systemic racism bring renewed urgency to our interdisciplinary approaches and inspire us to learn from vital traditions and develop new frames of reference. CHS supports students to listen to, learn from, and work with a wide range of communities and individuals with varied vantage points and backgrounds to advance common causes. In this way, we view ending racism and averting a climate disaster as intertwined core concerns that demand decisive, sustained, and collective action.
Faculty
Culture, Health, and Science Campus Advisors are faculty members in a variety of disciplines at each of the five campuses who work directly with students pursuing the CHS certificate to guide students through the CHS program, answer questions and help students plan for successfully completing all certificate requirements.
If you are in your final year at one of the campuses and plan on completing the CHS certificate before graduation, or are just starting and want to learn more about the program, CHS advisors can help you find your way.
Read about the advisors at your institution through the links provided, and contact the advisor of your choice to arrange an advising session.
- Christopher Dole, Anthropology
- Alexandra Purdy, Biology
To be announced
- Felicity Aulino, Anthropology
- Sarah Bacon, Biological Sciences
- Anisha Chadha, Anthropology
- Christian Gundermann, Gender Studies
- Rebeccah Lijek, Biological Sciences
- Susan Levin, Philosophy
- Benita Jackson, Psychology
- Suzanne Zhang-Gottschang, Anthropology
- Kathleen Pierce, Art History
- Felicity Aulino, Anthropology
- Aline Gubrium, Public Health
- Betsy Krause, Anthropology
- Amanda Seaman, Asian Languages and Literatures
- Susan Shaw, Public Health
The CHS Program is guided by a steering committee comprised of faculty members from each of the five campuses and staff members of the Five College consortium.
Chris Dole, Anthropology
Jallicia Jolly, American Studies, Black Studies
Alexandra Purdy, Biology
To be announced
Sarah Bacon, Biological Sciences
Anisha Chadha, Anthropology
Christian Gundermann, Gender Studies
Rebeccah Lijek, Biological Sciences
Benita Jackson, Psychology
Kathleen Pierce, Art History
Suzanne Zhang-Gottschang, Anthropology
Felicity Aulino (Program Director), Anthropology
Aline Gubrium, Public Health
Susan Shaw, Public Health
Certificate
The Five College Certificate in Culture, Health, and Science complements any major, allowing students to deepen their knowledge of human health, disease, and healing through interdisciplinary inquiry. Under the guidance of faculty program advisors on each campus, students choose a sequence of seven courses available across the five campuses and identify (in consultation with their advisor) an appropriate project or internship that will count toward the certificate. (Four semesters of a second language is also recommended, but not required.) Together with the visiting lectures and seminars sponsored by the Program, CHS provides a structure that is adaptable for students interested in pursuing health-related careers, as well as those curious to learn how different disciplines analyze common human experience.
Interested in pursuing the Culture, Health, and Science Certificate?
First, reach out to a campus advisor and fill out the CHS student declaration form linked below. We also recommend that you download the CHS Certificate Completion Form (below) to help you and your advisor keep track of what courses you need and what requirements you have fulfilled.
Forms for Students
Certificate Requirements
The seven required courses are to be distributed across the following five categories of inquiry:
- Biocultural Approaches
Interdisciplinary and/or comparative approaches that explore the interdependent influences on human health and disease - Mechanisms of Disease Transmission
Mechanisms of disease growth and transmission within individuals and populations - Population Health and Disease
Exploring the relationships among social, behavioral, economic and other aggregate population forces on human health and disease - Engaged and Humanistic Approaches
Ethical, humanistic, artistic, and engaged approaches to human health and disease, including explorations of healthcare practice, policy, and activism. - Research Design and Analysis
Concepts of evidence, data collection, research ethics, measurement and modes of analysis
Further Details:
- No course can be used to satisfy more than one category.
- No more than three courses can “double count” toward a student’s major.
- Four semesters—or the equivalent—of a second language is recommended but not required. Such language training may be required for students seeking internships and summer research positions.
Independent Research Project
The Certificate requires the completion of an independent project such as an internship, thesis, Division III project, course project, independent study or other activity. You work with your campus CHS advisor to develop a project that satisfies both the Certificate requirements and your own interests. Not sure if you have an independent project that qualifies? Meet with your CHS Campus Advisor to find out.
Completion
When you complete the requirements for the CHS Certificate, return the completed Certificate Completion Form to your CHS campus advisor along with a copy of your transcript.
If you have any questions about the requirements or if you would like to pursue the certificate, contact your CHS Campus Advisor.
Courses
Note that if you don't see classes from all campuses currently listed, they will appear as the campuses release their course schedules for the semester. The five campuses release their schedules on different dates. Visit this page for specific dates.
Fall 2026 CHS Courses: Category 1 - Biocultural Approaches
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
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Fall 2026 CHS Courses: Category 2 - Mechanisms of Disease Transmission
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
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Fall 2026 CHS Courses: Category 3 - Population Health and Disease
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
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Fall 2026 CHS Courses: Category 4 - Engaged and Humanistic Approaches
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
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Fall 2026 CHS Courses: Category 5 - Research Design and Analysis
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
|---|
You can download the above document and search for regularly offered courses that have been approved to fullfil CHS certificate requirements. Search by campus, subject or number, as well as by each of the CHS requirement categories.
If you would like to fulfill a CHS requirement with a course that is not included on the approved CHS course list, please contact your campus certificate advisor to request special permission and discuss your course options. You and your advisor can petition to add a course to the Approved Course list with the Course Petition Form (below).
For a course to fulfill a CHS requirement, at least 30% of the content should be devoted to topics in human health. If you would like to suggest a course for the approved course list, please contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
The CHS certificate is a way to express a unifying thread in your undergraduate coursework. It enables students to demonstrate a multidisciplinary breadth that goes beyond a specific major. Pre-health students and those interested in health careers of all kinds use the certificate to express their ability to bridge a variety of different fields and develop a profile that is relevant to our multifaceted world.
Often, the answer is "yes." If your studies have been in the culture/health/science genres, some of the classes on your transcript may already fulfill CHS requirements. It’s ideal to go into the CHS certificate with intention, but the requirements are not impossible and it’s likely any remaining courses can be completed in just 2–3 semesters.
We strongly suggest you declare your interest as early as you can and get an advisor for the program. Fill out the Declaration of Interest Form as soon as possible and download the Certificate Completion Form to keep track as you complete the requirements. Again, please contact your campus faculty advisor early in your planning to get his/her advice.
No more than three of the courses used to satisfy requirements in your major may also count toward CHS requirements. The remaining four of the seven courses must be from departments outside of your major.
We work with the offices of the registrars at each campus to make sure the certificate appears on transcripts of graduating CHS students as long as there is space (some schools only will include 2–3 credentials on the transcript; check your campus rules).
CHS professors often hold spots in their classes for qualified Five College students. Check to make sure you have fulfilled the prerequisites for the class. It's a good idea to contact the professor early to let her/him know that you hope to use the course to satisfy a CHS requirement. Use the cross-registration procedures set up by your registrar to make sure that you are formally enrolled in the course.
Not necessarily. It is recommended, but not required, for students to study beyond their home campuses. CHS is an inter-campus, interdisciplinary program; this is one of our greatest strengths. For that reason, we encourage students to take advantage of the wide variety of health-related courses available on the five campuses in the consortium.
The independent project requirement allows students to design and carry out a health-related project suited to their own particular interests. The project can take the form of a summer or January-term internship, a substantial research paper for a course, laboratory research, a Hampshire Division III project, an independent study or an honors thesis. It's a good idea to consult with your campus faculty advisor about your plans. A report explaining how your particular project contributed to your knowledge of human health may be required.
Foreign language study is not explicitly required in order to earn the certificate. However, taking four semesters of a foreign language (or the equivalent) is recommended for the CHS certificate. Languages other than English are beneficial for those applying for international internships, graduate programs, and many jobs.
Review your certificate completion form and an unofficial copy of your transcript with your CHS advisor by the date listed on the checklist form. If your advisor agrees you have completed the requirements, the advisor will sign the form and send it to the CHS Steering Committee. At the end of each semester, the CHS Steering Committee reviews all completed forms and makes a final determination as to whether the certificate will be awarded. The certificate award is noted on the student's transcript by the student's home campus registrar.
There is no grade requirement, but you must pass a course to count it toward the certificate.
Online courses can be counted toward the certificate if the policy of your home institution allows you to count online courses toward your degree, and with the approval of your CHS campus advisor.
No.
If you want to have a course from another college or university count toward the Certificate, consult with your campus faculty advisor. Your advisor will want to see a copy of the course description, syllabus and any work you completed for the course. The advisor may use his/her discretion, in consultation with the CHS Steering Committee, to decide whether the course will qualify for your CHS Certificate requirements.
Visit the the CHS Email List page for more information and to sign up.
Send announcements of health-related events and opportunities to chs-director-l@amherst.edu. We will be happy to post notices of relevant health-related events!
Please contact us at chs-director-l@amherst.edu.
Testimonials from Past CHS Students
“Throughout all these settings, I learned about how traditional medicine and allopathic medicine coexist, the extreme challenges for Malagasy people to receive healthcare, and how integrated systems may best address Malagasy people’s health needs. Having stayed with two different host families, I got the opportunity to learn from them and observe the intimate connection that many Malagasy people have with the plants around them.”
- Elena Bauer, UMASS, Biology Major
“Overall, the certificate program has provided a comprehensive view of how biocultural, mechanistic, and population-based factors, as well as the ethical considerations and research methodologies, interact to shape public health and healthcare practices. This interdisciplinary approach has enriched my understanding of the complex connections between cultural, social, and scientific influences on health, providing me with a well-rounded perspective that is essential for addressing present-day health challenges”
- Estrel Kamnang, UMass, Operations & Information Management
“The CHS certificate became a stepping stone, encouraging me to explore multidisciplinary approaches not only in my coursework but also in my broader intellectual pursuits. By branching out into courses outside my major, I encountered eye-opening and engaging subjects that enriched my understanding and helped me integrate psychology into a more holistic framework”
- Maya Burd, MHC, Psychology
Reading List
Click here to view a reading list compiled by CHS faculty.
Contact Us
Questions? Want more information?
Contact: chs-director-l@amherst.edu
Program Director:
Felicity Aulino, Five College Professor of Anthropology
Program Assistant:
Jesse Young-Paulson, UMass Amherst Student
Five College Staff Liaison:
April Shandor, Academic Programs Coordinator
Connect:
For regular updates, join the CHS email list!