Faculty of Health

Addiction and mental health issues are major public health concerns that require a multidisciplinary approach to understand and address challenges. This Minor will be of interest to students who want to understand the challenges of addictions and mental health and to advocate for their own and for the mental health of others.

The Addictions, Mental Health, and Policy Minor will ensure coverage of the neuroscience, biology, socio-behavioral, health system, and policy aspects of mental health and addictions. All participants in the Minor will be required to take courses from each of these core content areas:

• Mental health literacy
• Neuroscience and biology
• Psychosocial and policy
• Methods and statistics

Requirements

1. The Minor is open to all University of Waterloo students.
2. An overall minimum average of 67% will be required for courses presented for the Minor.
3. Students must be in level at least 2A to declare the Minor.
4. Successful completion of 5.0 total units from the following lists.
   • Mental health literacy course (0.5 unit): AHS 105
   • Neuroscience and biology courses (1.0 unit): HLTH 290, HLTH 358
   • Psychosocial and policy courses (1.5 units): HLTH 260/GSJ 260, HLTH 392, PSYCH 257/PSYCH 257R
   • Research methods course (0.5 unit): HLTH 205, HLTH 333, BIOL 361, PSYCH 291, REC 373, SDS 251R, SOC 221
   • Statistics course (0.5 unit): HLTH 204, KIN 232, ARTS 280, PSYCH 292, REC 371, SDS 250R, SOC 280, STAT 202, STAT 221, STAT 231
   • Elective courses (1.0 unit):
     • Neuroscience and biology courses: HLTH 458/KIN 458, HLTH 461, HLTH 465, HLTH 471, BIOL 476, PSYCH 335
     • Psychosocial courses: HLTH 427, HLTH 448, HLTH 449, HLTH 479, PSYCH 317, PSYCH 451, REC 251, SOC 249/LS 226, SOCWK 365R
     • Policy courses: HLTH 410, SDS 312R/SWREN 312R
     • Thesis, independent study, and seminar courses (see Note 2): HLTH 373, HLTH 432A, HLTH 432B, HLTH 472, HLTH 473, KIN 431, KIN 432, KIN 433, KIN 472, PSYCH 483, PSYCH 484, PSYCH 499A and PSYCH 499B and PSYCH 499C (all three PSYCH honours thesis courses must be completed), REC 455, REC 471A, REC 471B, REC 472, SDS 450R, SDS 499A, SDS 499B, SOC 498, SOC 499A, SOC 499B

Notes

1. It is recommended that students take HLTH 290 before the other neuroscience and biology courses.
2. The thesis, independent study, and seminar courses must be a topic on the neuroscience, biology, psychosocial, or policy aspects of addictions or mental health that is approved by the School of Public Health and Health Systems associate director, undergraduate studies.