NOTE: SIT will make every effort to maintain its programs as described. To respond to emergent situations, like COVID-19, SIT may have to modify programs. Visit the SIT website for more details.
Examine community-based health in South Africa, exploring the roles of the state, the media, and nongovernmental organizations in mobilizing community assets.
WHY STUDY HEALTH IN SOUTH AFRICA?
The legacy of apartheid has left a large section of South Africa poorly educated and struggling with systemic poverty. Despite the country’s progressive policies, racial and gender inequalities still have adverse effects on health outcomes. You’ll examine a range of health services across Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, and other areas to gain a deeper understanding of how traditional healers, the state, the media, nongovernmental organizations, and state-of-the-art hospitals address health challenges. Learn and practice the isiZulu language and travel from city to village to learn about health communication strategies, health education, and prenatal care. As part of a lecture series, you’ll hear from academics, healthcare workers, and researchers. Stay with a variety of homestay families and witness firsthand how different communities face obstacles to healthcare access. During the program, visit Boulders Beach penguin colony; see wildlife in Kruger National Park; and journey to Cape Point, Africa’s most southwesterly tip.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Network with NGOs, academics, healthcare workers and healthcare researchers.
- Compare health services across Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria, and Johannesburg.
- Enjoy three days of orientation while you observe wildlife along the banks of Crocodile River.
- Build your résumé with a customized internship or Independent Study Project.
Please visit the SIT Study Abroad website for details on the program courses (including syllabi), educational excursions, and housing.
KEY TOPICS OF STUDY
- Healthcare access, promotion, and prevention in rural South Africa
- Use of media campaigns to influence health outcomes
- Civil society, laws and social policies ensuring the right to health
- Mixed methodologies: narrative making epidemiology accessible
- The inclusion of traditional healing in the health system
- Ethics of Independent Study Project or internship in South Africa
MONEY MATTERS
Be sure to discuss how study abroad costs are handled at your school with your study abroad advisor.
SIT tuition and room and board fees include the following:
- All educational costs, including educational excursions
- All accommodations and meals for the full program duration
- Transportation to and from the airport, and on all educational excursions
- Health and accident insurance
SCHOLARSHIPS
- SIT awards nearly $1.6 million in scholarships and grants annually.
- All scholarships and grants are need-based.
- Awards generally range from $500 to $5,000 for semester programs.
- Contact the financial aid and/or study abroad office(s) at your college or university to learn if your school’s scholarships and grants and federal and state aid programs can be applied to an SIT Study Abroad program.
CONTACT SIT STUDY ABROAD
Program Details
Eligibility: 7.5 cumulative GPA; background and coursework in public health.
Reviewed by: Staff: Neva Barker
Advising Notes: This program requires a faculty reference. Faculty referees may use the Scripps form or the student can provide a link to the online reference form.
Visa Information: All students must have a passport valid for at least six months after the program’s end date to study in another country. Students should apply for a passport as early as possible; in some cases, passport applications may need to be expedited. Students may need one or more visas, in addition to a valid passport. Visa application processes vary widely, and some visa processes are multi-step and complicated. SIT Study Abroad helps students to understand the visa process for each program. The SIT admissions counselor can answer passport and visa-related questions and concerns. Non-US citizens should consult with SIT early to determine the visa requirements based on their country of origin. SIT Study Abroad cannot guarantee visas for its participants, and it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to secure the appropriate visa in a timely manner.
Budget Planning: For budget planning purposes,
click here to view the current cost of living comparison between Cape Town and Los Angeles.