UT One Health Minor Program

Emerging infectious diseases, controlling zoonoses, antibiotic resistance, and food safety threaten economic stability, human life, and biodiversity. Global One Health initiatives have been developed to protect global health security by creating transdisciplinary collaborations among human, animal, and environmental sectors.

The One Health minor is for undergraduate and graduate students wishing to develop skills to prepare themselves for careers in agricultural, environmental, and human sciences in addition to scientific policy and communication. The required courses are interdisciplinary and will provide training in communication and leadership, translation of evidence to policy, and One Health that is relevant for all majors.

For advising needs, students should contact the One Health Scholar within their college. Any special requests (e.g., substitutions) or items needing administrative approval will be reviewed by a committee composed of (at minimum): the One Health Initiative Director or Associate Director, a One Health Scholar, and the One Health Scholar within the student’s college.

For more information on the One Health minor, contact us at onehealth@utk.edu.

Minor Requirements

The minor consists of 18 hours, including at least one course from each of the six categories below (AGNR 101 Introduction to One Health is required; AGNR 117 and AGNR 217 may be substituted by Honors students). At least nine hours must be at the 300 or 400 level. Some classes listed may have prerequisites or grade-level requirements. 

Category 1: Introduction

  • AGNR 101 – Introduction to One Health (required)

OR

  • AGNR 117 – HCA Honors Freshman Seminar and
  • AGNR 217 – Research Ethics, Compliance, and Methods

Category 2: Communication and Leadership

This category introduces students to the importance of communicating scientific information by gaining skills in oral communication and leadership. (Select one course.)

  • ALEC 102 – Interpersonal Leadership Development
  • ALEC 202 – Leadership and Diversity in Organizations and Communities
  • CCI 150 – Communication in an Information Age
  • CFS 220 – Marriage and Family: Roles and Relationships
  • CFS – 385 Diversity Among Children and Families
  • CMST – 416 Interpersonal Health Communications
  • PSYC 220 – Behavior and Experience: Humanistic Psychology
  • PSYC 235 – Intergroup Dialogues
  • PSYC 360 – Social Psychology
  • PSYC 454 – Animal Communication

Category 3: Policy

This category allows students to gain knowledge in analyzing and understanding public policy and its impact on One Health at the national and global levels. (Select one course.)

  • AREC 470 – Policy Analysis for Environmental and Natural Resource Management
  • BCPP 480 – Policy Process/Program Eval
  • BCPP 481 – Advanced Policy Process and Program Evaluation
  • ECON 362 – Environmental and Natural Resource Policy
  • FORS 422 – Forest and Wildland Resource Policy
  • POLS 311 – Contemporary Issues in American Public Policy
  • SOCI 465 – Social Values and the Environment

Category 4: Global Issues

This category prepares students to experience One Health at a global level. One option is for students to obtain international One Health educational experiences by taking a faculty-led study abroad course, completing an international internship, or enrolling in a foreign academic institution; all of which will need require approval. Alternatively, students can elect to obtain this experience through classroom experiences structured to explore global societies offered in the courses below. (Select one course.)

  • AGNR 180 – Global Dynamics: Food, Biodiversity, and the Environment
  • AGNR 480 – How to Feed the World
  • ALEC 340 – Marketing and Public Strategies for Global Sectors
  • ANSC 150 – Global Animal Agriculture Systems and Society
  • AREC 270 – Economic Perspectives on Natural Resource and Environmental Issues
  • CFS 360 – Family Stress
  • EPP 123 – Chocolate: Bean to Bar
  • EPP 201 – Impact of Insects and Plant Diseases on Human Societies
  • FDSC 150 – History and Culture of Food
  • FWF 320 – Human Dimensions of Natural Resources
  • FWF 420 – International Natural Resource Issues
  • GEOG 333 – Climate Change and Human Response
  • GEOL 202S – Earth as an Ecosystem: Modern Problems and Solutions
  • PLSC 115 – Plants That Changed the World
  • PLSC 250 – World Food and Fiber Plant Production
  • PSYC 435 – Multicultural Psychology
  • PUBH 401 – Global Public Health
  • PUBH 420 – Environmental Public Health
  • SOCI 363 – Food, Agriculture, and Society

Category 5: Science

  • ANSC 380 – Animal Health Management
  • CFS 210 – Human Development
  • CFS 211 – Development in Infancy and Childhood
  • EEB 412 – Environmental Toxicology
  • EEB 450 – Comparative Animal Behavior
  • EPP 313 – Introductory Plant Pathology
  • EPP 410 – Diseases and Insects of Ornamental Plants
  • EPP 411 – Forest Insects and Diseases
  • EPP 425 – Medical and Veterinary Entomology
  • ESS 210 – Introduction to Soil Science
  • ESS 220 – Waters and Civilizations
  • ESS 454 – Environmental Soil Biology
  • MICR 3– – Global Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases
  • MICR 330 – Immunology
  • MICR 420 – Microbial Pathogenesis
  • MICR 431 – Advanced Immunology
  • MICR 440 – Virology
  • MICR 470 – Microbial Ecology
  • NURS 371R – Nursing Research
  • PSYC 211 – Brain Science Applications
  • PSYC 295 – Introduction to Psychological Research Methods
  • PSYC 301 – Foundations of Behavioral Neuroscience
  • PSYC 395 – Advanced Research Methods in Psychology
  • PUBH 202 – Introductory Epidemiology
  • WFS 401 – Ecology and Management of Wildlife Health

Category 6: One Health Capstone

This category allows students to gain a deeper understanding of being a leader within the One Health community through a hands-on management or leadership perspective. This may be obtained through coursework (as listed below) or through undergraduate (or Honors) research and creative courses offered within various departments (pre-approval required). (Select one course.)

  • AGNR 498 – Honors Thesis
  • ALEC 441 – Issues and Crisis Communication in Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • ALEC 450 – Servant Leadership in Agriculture and Natural Resources
Minor Requirements

The minor consists of 10 hours (four courses) in three areas of focus as detailed below.

Category 1: Communication and Leadership (3 credits)

This category introduces students to the importance of communicating scientific information by gaining skills in oral communication and leadership. (Select one course.)

  • ALEC 520 – Leadership Development in Organizations and Community Nonprofit
  • ALEC 522 – Supervisory Leadership
  • ALEC 535 – Communicating in Agriculture and Natural Resources   
  • ALEC 551 – Servant Leadership in Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • CMST 554 – Organizational Communication, Strategic Leadership, and Culture

Category 2:  Translation of Science to Policy (3 credits)

This category allows students to gain knowledge in analyzing and understanding public policy and its impact on One Health at the national and global levels. (Select one course.)

  • POLS 514 – Research Design and Methodology in Public Administration     
  • POLS 549 – Environmental Policy
  • POLS 551 – Energy Policy
  • POLS 556 – Policy Analysis

Category 3:  One Health Focus (4 credits total)

This category prepares students to explore and respond to One Health issues at a local and global level. (Select both courses.)

  • CEM 506 – One Health
  • CEM 611 – Journal Club in Emerging Infectious Diseases

Students should declare their intent to complete the One Health minor as early as possible by filling out the form below. This will ensure that they receive notices of our events and have access to opportunities to help them gain as much One Health experience as possible. 

View the Undergraduate minor in the 2022-23 course catalog

View the Graduate minor in the 2022-23 course catalog