Students in the Global Health (GBHL) and Environmental Science and Policy - Environmental Justice (ENSP-EJ) majors have access to a number of resources and opportunities to enhance and support your academic, co-curricular, and career goals.
GEOH advisors are happy to speak with current and prospective UMD students interested in our programs.
GEOH Academic Advising
Chat with a GEOH Advisor
Throughout the year, if you see this widget on our web page, a GEOH advisor is available to answer general questions via text chat. No AI bots here!
To protect your privacy, we ask that you please use chat for general questions. For personal questions requiring us to view your student record, schedule an appointment or send an email to gbhl@umd.edu.
Schedule an appointment
Current UMD students can schedule a 30-minute appointment with a member of the GEOH Undergraduate Advising Team through your TerpEngage Advising portal (UMD login required).
Drop-in Advising
During the fall and spring semesters, GEOH advisors offer virtual and in-person drop-in advising hours two days a week.
Drop-in advising hours will resume in late August 2025.
GEOH Undergraduate Team
Ms. Catherine Donohoe advises all prospective and current Global Health and ENSP-Environmental Justice majors on degree completion requirements, course planning and scheduling, academic opportunities and general questions.
Christine Kim BS'24 MPH'25 advises prospective GEOH majors, and is happy to answer questions about finding internships and applying to grad school. Christine is an SPH alum of Global Public Health Scholars and UMD Fellows, completing her MPH in Health Care Management.
Global Health Major Advising
Dr. Hassanatu Blake is the Director of the Global Health Undergraduate program. Current Global Health majors can contact Dr. Blake with questions about GBHL course content, experiential learning, career or internship planning, or general questions about the field of Global Health.
ENSP-Environmental Justice Major Advising
Arielle Wharton is the Faculty Advisor for ENSP-Environmental Justice majors. Current ENSP-EJ majors can contact Arielle to ask about ENSP-EJ course content or substitutions, career and internship preparation, or general questions about the field of environmental justice.
During the summer, ENSP-EJ majors should contact Catherine with questions.
Prospective Students
Applying to UMD soon and want to know more about majors in Public Health? See how to connect with the SPH recruitment advisor.
Ready to change your major to Global Health? See how to declare an SPH major.
Students interested in learning more about the Environmental Science and Policy major and Environmental Justice specialization should review the Prospective ENSP major website.
Certain SPH majors are required to meet with an advisor before registering for fall or spring semester classes:
- All first year and transfer students in your first semester at UMD
- All NCAA Student-Athletes
- All ENSP-EJ majors, every semester
- GBHL majors with 75 or more credits
- Accelerated BS-MPH applicants who are GBHL or ENSP-EJ majors
- Students on academic probation or dismissal
Learn more about SPH mandatory advising
What about everyone else?
We encourage you to check in with a major advisor at least once a semester, whether in drop-in advising or by scheduling an appointment in TerpEngage.
Ultimately, you, the student, are responsible for abiding by university and SPH academic policies, making decisions and meeting requirements and deadlines for your degree.
See all SPH major benchmarks and sample 4 year plans
Maximum credits
Students in the School of Public Health can register for up to 17 credits during early registration. As of the first day of the fall semester, you will be able to register for up to 20 credits. The 17 credit limit is designed to give all students equal access to a full schedule during early registration.
When prioritizing courses, you will want to register first for those that are part of a progression in your major (like ANTH210) and then those that you need but that fill quickly. If there are requirements for which you have a choice of courses, or courses that you have a guaranteed seat (like a living-learning program) then you can plan to register for those on the first day of the semester.
Permission to Enroll at Another Institution
Once you are enrolled at UMD, you must take Fundamental English (FSAW) and Fundamental Math (FSMA) requirements at UMD.
Once you declare the Global Health major, you must take GBHL200 at UMD.
For all other courses, you must request advance approval to take courses away from UMD.
Procedure: Complete the SPH Exceptions to Policy: Permission To Enroll Form first. At the conclusion of the form, you will be prompted to log in with your credentials and click on request Permission to Enroll to fill out a second form.
Study Abroad courses: see the Education Abroad course selection and approval process.
Exceptions to policy
If you are facing extreme or extenuating circumstances, you may request an exception to certain university policies through the SPH Dean’s Exception to Policy process. You have the opportunity to provide supporting documentation, but note that there is no guarantee that an exception request will be approved. Common examples of exception to policy requests are:
- benchmark extension
- third attempt at a course
- withdrawing from a course after the deadline
- credit overloads (in final term only)
- course time conflicts
- exceeding the total number of repeatable credits
Review UMD academic policies and the procedures for requesting a Dean's Exception to Policy as an SPH major.
FERPA
It is SPH policy that if a student wishes to bring parents, legal guardians or family members to a meeting with an advisor, faculty member or other School official, the student must schedule the meeting at least 1 business day in advance, and University parties involved must be notified that the student’s parent, legal guardian, or family member will be present at the meeting.
The student must also have a Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Academic Release Information Form on file with the department.
Global Health Major Policies and Requirements
See all GBHL Major Requirements and Approved courses
- Global Health Experiential Learning Requirement handbook
- World Language requirement
- GBHL major course substitution policy and procedures
- SPH Major Policy Agreement (BS, Global Health)
GBHL Sample Plan and Major Checklist
- More GBHL Sample Plans (Freshmen Connection, pre-health, transfer students, etc.)
Environmental Science and Policy Major Policies and Requirements
ENSP Environmental Justice overview and contacts
Note: Declared ENSP-EJ majors follow SPH procedures for requesting exceptions to policy and permission to enroll at another institution
GEOH Advising Resources
ELMS: GBHL and ENSP-EJ majors are invited to the GEOH Undergraduate Advising Toolkit in Canvas (UMD login required).
Email: We send official communications, including academic deadlines, career events and internship opportunities, to students’ Terpmail. Archives can be seen by current majors in the GEOH-UG Google Group.
GBHL and ENSP-EJ majors who need permission to enroll in a major required course (such as EPIB301, HLTH230 or MIEH300) should schedule an advising appointment or email Catherine Donohoe.
UMD students interested in an ENVH, GBHL, or MIEH course with restrictions, including MIEH309, can email gbhl@umd.edu for guidance.