<p>Comments on the options you presented:</p>
<p>Health Sciences + Latin American Studies: This is a good combination if you’d like to work in Latin America or certain areas in the US. If you take principles of economics, you’ll have the prerequisite for a course in Latin American economics as part of the LA studies major. Even though you might not focus on public policy, you can take a course in LA politics as part of the LA studies major. To take a course in LA politics, you might need a prerequisite political science course, e.g., Intro to Comparative Politics.
Health Sciences + Africana Studies: This is a good combination. The same considerations I mentioned above apply, except pertaining to Africa. Are you planning to study an African language or French?
Health Sciences + Globalization Studies: This is a good combination. Does the Globalization Studies major have subspecialty options? At some schools, such a major often does require you to choose a thematic option. Frequently, the choice of thematic options includes one on Global Health (sometimes combined with one on the environment and/or development). If your school requires a thematic option for this major, you might be able to fit in some courses on LA or African economics, politics, etc. Also, at some schools with such a major require you to choose a regional focus. I don’t know if your school does, but this could accommodate some focus on LA and/or Africa.
Health Sciences + Organization/Management Studies: You can probably develop some of your skill set in this area by getting involved with volunteer health projects in your community or through some study/volunteer abroad experiences. The coursework in this second major might focus on complex organizations in developed societies and as such, it might not be as relevant to developing countries.
Health Sciences + Public Policy: The coursework in this second major might focus on an American context and as such, it might not be as relevant to developing countries. Also, courses in LA or African economics and politics as part of an area studies would be more relevant.
(For knowledge and experience in economics, policy, organizations, etc. courses pertaining to microfinance, co-ops, community development/rural sociology, development economics, nonprofit management might be relevant. Some schools offer certificates in nonprofit management. The other types of courses might be found in an ag econ dept., rural sociology, or international ag program in a college of agriculture—if you happen attend a landgrant public university, which you might not—I don’t know what type of school you attend.)
Health Sciences + Biology or Environmental Science: It seems some biological/environmental aspects would be covered already in your health sciences courses, either as required courses or as electives. Courses in microbiology, entomology, virology, parasitology, nutrition, would be among the more relevant types of bioscience courses for work in developing countries. If you decide to go the bioscience route, can you do a major in microbiology? If you do that, why not just do a microbiology major instead and take some health science/public health courses as electives to supplement it. You could still do a second major in one of the area studies programs. Courses in environmental health might be relevant if they’re offered in the environmental sciences major and if they focus on areas relevant to developing societies, but usually they’re offered under public health. Can you take an elective course or two as part of your health sciences major? If you decide to do a biology or environmental science major, your course selection for next semester should focus on pre-requisites for those majors (e.g., biology, chemistry), which you might already have started as pre-requisites for the health sciences major.</p>
<p>Some other questions/comments:
Have you considered a major in nursing? Some nursing programs allow a study abroad option in developing countries. What about a MSN degree in international nursing after your undergrad studies (in an MSN program for students who did not do their undergrad studies in nursing)? You might check out the nursing schools at Case Western Reserve or at Penn. See my posts in these threads:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/780164-starting-major-too-late.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/780164-starting-major-too-late.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/1007189-nursing-college-study-abroad-africa.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/1007189-nursing-college-study-abroad-africa.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/1013793-career-international-social-work-my-choice-majors.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/1013793-career-international-social-work-my-choice-majors.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/960575-international-relations-global-health.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/960575-international-relations-global-health.html</a>
and this link: [International</a> Programs](<a href=“Global Development | CALS”>Global Development | CALS)
It will be hard to fit in all your interests in an undergrad program. Have you considered a grad program in public health after you finish your undergrad studies?
If you had any interests in grad study in nursing or public health, then that might affect your choice of majors toward preparing for admission to those fields and you could focus less on the health science aspect now since you could pick that up in a grad program. Instead you could focus more on language and area studies or some other field, e.g., microbiology, global studies, or social science courses relevant to health care delivery/developing counties. Since you are only in your freshman year, then you should focus your next semester course selections on your distribution requirements or lower-division pre-requisites for whatever field you decide upon for a major or second major.
Another field that might be relevant for a second major is anthropology, with a focus on cultural anthropology and certain aspects of biological anthropology. This also would tie in with your interests in Latin America and Africa. Some anthropology depts. offer coursework in medical anthropology, which would be quite relevant to your stated interests. If this interests you, your next semester’s course selections might include intro courses in anthropology.
Still another field that might be relevant for a second major is rural sociology/community development (if you happen to attend a landgrant public university with an ag college).</p>