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All students are required to take the core class, One Health in Practice, which requires students to have completed one or more classes in biology, environmental or sustainable studies, public health, or a related field. Round out your selections with classes in STEM, Spanish language, and/or Mayan culture. Classes are taught in English, apart from Spanish language.

Core Class

(required)
This course prepares students to apply the One Health approach to complex health, sustainability, and environmental challenges at the intersection of human, animal, environmental, and social systems. Grounded in the real-world context of the Yucatán Peninsula, the course examines how ecosystems, food systems, infectious disease, environmental risk, social inequity, culture, ethics, and community engagement with indigenous communities shape One Health decision-making and intervention in practice. The course is organized around One Health competency domains, which define the knowledge, skills, and professional capacities needed to address complex health challenges across disciplines, sectors, and communities. Moving beyond One Health as a solely biomedical or epidemiological framework, the course emphasizes systems thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, communication, ethics, behavior change, policy, implementation, and community-engaged practice. Students will analyze local, regional, and national case studies, engage with ethnographic and community-based learning methods, and develop applied responses to One Health challenges in Mérida, the Yucatán Peninsula, and across Mexico. This course integrates theoretical and applied learning. The theoretical component introduces key One Health concepts, competencies, systems thinking, and analytical tools. The applied component engages students in community-based learning and culminates in a community and problem-based project that translates course concepts into a feasible, context-sensitive One Health intervention, communication strategy, implementation plan, or policy recommendation. (3 U.S. semester credit hours)

STEM

This course introduces the fundamentals of microbiology, including microbial diversity, cellular structure and function, microbial systems, and the impact of microbes. In addition, it integrates advanced topics that may not have obvious clinical relevance, such as environmental and applied microbiology. It also leverages examples and research from the host context to encourage students to contextualize their study abroad experience. (3 U.S. semester credit hours)

Designed to complement Microbiology (BI305-19), this practical lab course provides the foundation of general microbiology necessary for students who are interested in applying to health professional programs. (1 U.S. semester credit hours)

The course introduces students to environmental sustainability through a systems-based lens, with a particular focus on the Yucatán region. Drawing on concepts from environmental science, food systems, and sustainable agriculture, we will explore how ecological, social, and economic systems interact. Key topics include energy flow, biodiversity, population dynamics, environmental health, and the role of food production as a major driver of sustainability challenges. Special attention is given to agroecology, indigenous agricultural practices such as the milpa system, and regional environmental issues such as water systems and biodiversity conservation. The course culminates in a synthesis of integrated sustainability strategies, preparing students to analyze complex environmental challenges within both local and global contexts. (3 U.S. semester credit hours)

This course applies core evolutionary principles (natural selection, population genetics, adaptation) directly to questions of human health and disease, including antibiotic resistance, chronic diseases, and evolutionary mismatches. (3 U.S. semester credit hours)

Culture, Society, and Health

This interdisciplinary course examines the dynamic relationships among ecosystems, wildlife, environmental change, and human health through the framework of conservation medicine. Using the Yucatán Peninsula as a living laboratory, students explore how biodiversity, ecological processes, wildlife health, and human well-being are interconnected. The course integrates scientific approaches with Indigenous Mayan knowledge traditions as complementary analytical frameworks for understanding human–animal–environment relationships. Through case studies, readings, discussion, and community-engaged learning, students develop system-thinking skills and evaluate contemporary environmental and health challenges while designing ethical and culturally informed health solutions. (3 U.S. semester credit hours)

Food in today’s globalized world extends far beyond households and restaurants, and must be understood as a complex social, cultural, economic, and political phenomenon. Although food is universal, its meanings, availability, and quality vary across contexts, shaping identities, heritage, and even national security and economic development. This course examines food systems through global frameworks applied locally, using anthropological and sociological perspectives, and focuses on Mexico’s diverse culinary landscape to explore connections between culture, sustainability, health, and ecosystems. (3 U.S. semester credit hours)

Spanish Language

:ÌýRequires one to two semesters of university-levelÌýSpanish or equivalent
:ÌýRequires three semesters ofÌýuniversity-levelÌýSpanish or equivalent
:ÌýRequires threeÌýtoÌýfour semesters ofÌýuniversity-levelÌýSpanish or equivalent
:ÌýRequires fourÌýtoÌýfive semesters ofÌýuniversity-levelÌýSpanish or equivalent
:ÌýRequires five to six semesters ofÌýuniversity-levelÌýSpanish or equivalent

ELIGIBILITY

• You must be at least 18 years of age. Students under 18 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
• You must be currently attending or recently graduated from a U.S. or Canadian community college, technical college, two-year college, four-year college, or four-year university.
• You must have completed at least one (1) full-time semester of study at your home institution before the beginning of the term.
• Eligibility requirements can vary among host institutions. Please ask your ÖÐÎÄÎÞÂë Enrollment Counselor for specific information.

TRANSCRIPT

Upon completion of your program, ÖÐÎÄÎÞÂë will send an official Butler University transcript to your home university with your coursework converted to the U.S. semester credit hour system. You will also have access to an unofficial transcript in your ÖÐÎÄÎÞÂë Student Portal. The transcript reflects classes taken, credits attempted, and grades earned during your term abroad. This service is included in your study abroad program at noÌýadditionalÌýcost.ÌýSeeÌýTranscripts pageÌýfor more information.