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 Explore the links between public health, gender, and community action in India and Thailand.
Program Highlights
- Study in New Delhi, India’s central hub for policymakers and organizations active in the field of public health.
- Spend extensive time in the field.
- Focus on women, children, tribal communities, and other underserved populations.
- Participate in a weeklong workshop with an NGO or public health organization to learn about community health efforts in awareness building and advocacy with the government.
- Learn Hindi.
- Learn about India’s 5,000-year-old indigenous medicine system, with special focus on Ayurveda and yoga.
- Choose an Independent Study Project or internship to enhance your intercultural and professional skills.
Please visit the SIT Study Abroad website for details on program courses (including syllabi), educational excursions, and housing.
Independent Study
During the final four weeks of the program, you can choose to use your new language and cultural skills and the academic knowledge you have acquired to complete an Independent Study Project (ISP) on a topic of interest to you or complete an Internship with a local community organization, research organization, business, government agency, or international NGO
The ISP is conducted in North India or in another approved location in India. You will be matched with an ISP advisor who will work with you on the design, implementation, and evaluation of the research project. ISP advisors include professors of public health; environment, health, and human rights activists; health policy planners and advocates; and healthcare professionals.
Sample topics:
- Traditional healing practices including Ayurveda and yoga
- Traditional medicine approaches to mental healthcare and psychological wellbeing in India
- Maternal and child health issues and practices
- International, national, and regional responses to epidemics and pandemics
- Health equity and disability
SIT internships are hands on and reflective. In addition to completing the internship, you will submit a paper processing your learning experience on the job and analyzing an issue important to the organization you interned with, and/or you will design a socially responsible solution to a problem identified by the organization.
Topics and placements may vary according to the availability of each institution. Sample internship sites:
- Learning about traditional healthcare practices and holistic and traditional philosophy in Ayurveda and yoga at Kayakalp
- Learning about Jamkhed’s community health model at Comprehensive Rural Health Project
- Taking stock of LGBTQ rights and women’s access to healthcare in India at Naz Foundation
- Gaining an understanding of complex, interdisciplinary approaches to sustainable development and public health at Seva Mandir
- Learning about issues, challenges, and ways forward with regard to public health in a Himalayan rural community at Aarohi
Key Topics of Study
- Public health systems in India and Thailand
- Indian systems of medicine (Ayurveda and yoga)
- Social determinants of health (poverty, gender, and caste) and health equity
- Public health challenges: water, sanitation, and environment
- The scourge of malnutrition and responses of the community
- The political economy of health and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Regional and grassroots approaches to improving access to healthcare
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.
- The SIT Pell Grant Match provides matching grants to all students receiving Federal Pell Grant funding when it is applied to an SIT Study Abroad semester program.
- 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
Study in India a Semester!
Institution
SIT Study Abroad offers small (10-35 participants) semester and summer programs for undergraduate students in Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as comparative programs in multiple locations. Students step beyond the boundaries of a traditional classroom to analyze the critical issues shaping local communities around the globe. The India: Public Health, Policy Advocacy, and Community program studies the relationship between public health and the community in a field-study context. Students will analyze specific case studies that illuminate the problems, prospects, and potential methods of promoting health.
Location
In addition to spending time in the program's home base of New Delhi the program will include excursions to various other areas of India.
Academic Calendar
- Fall Semester: Late August to Early December
- Spring Semester: Early February to Mid May
For more information about the Academic Calendar and program details please visit the
SIT India web page.
Housing
By living with Indian host families, you will have an excellent opportunity to practice language skills and share daily life, including many memorable meals. You may also experience special cultural activities, including religious ceremonies and weddings.
Other accommodations during the program may include apartments, guest houses, educational institutions, or small hotels.
Financial
Program Costs
Paid to Appalachian State
| |
Semester |
| 1SIT Tuition |
See SIT |
| SIT Housing & Meals |
See SIT |
| 2OIED Program Development Fee |
$200 |
| Intl Health Dev Fee |
$60 |
1Tuition, fees, meals and housing are charged at the SIT rate.
2The OIED Program Development Fee will be placed on students’ accounts upon acceptance by the Education Abroad Office. The fee payment confirms your spot and is non-refundable.
Estimated Additional Costs
| |
Semester |
| Airfare |
$1400 - $2000 |
| 1Personal Expenses |
$800 - $1400 |
| Books and Materials |
$100 |
| Local Transportation |
$100 - $200 |
| Visa (for US Citizens) |
$211 |
| Passport |
$150 |
| SIT Deposit |
$400 |
| 2US Based Health Insurance |
Varies |
| 3Personal Travel and Spending |
$900 - $1500 |
1Personal expenses includes but is not limited to: toiletries, cell phone, emergency funds, laundry, basic travel and entertainment, etc.
2Students are encouraged to maintain a US based health insurance plan while abroad (to exempt out of AppState insurance students must follow the App exemption process - proving that they have insurance coverage for the entirety of the semester.
3Personal Travel and Spending amounts will vary by student and will be affected by how often a student goes out, travels, and the items they purchase.
Please note that non-billable costs are estimates only and will be affected by personal spending habits, currency fluctuations, etc. Prices listed in USD unless otherwise noted.
Students are encouraged to start planning for their study abroad program costs well in advance. Please use the Student Financial Planning Worksheet to help estimate your anticipated expenses and your anticipated financial resources. When planning for estimated additional costs students are encouraged to research currency conversion rates.
Financial Aid
The majority of financial aid and scholarships can apply to semester and year-long study abroad programs. For more information please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid web page.
Scholarships
SIT Pell Grant Match
SIT offers matching funding to Pell Grant recipients. To qualify for the Match program students must submit a scholarship application through SIT.
SIT Need-Based Scholarships
SIT Study Abroad only awards need-based scholarships and grants. Average awards range between $500 and $5,000 for our semester programs, and between $500 and $3,000 for our summer programs. Our scholarships and grants are available to all students accepted into an SIT Study Abroad program irrespective of citizenship, national origin, or home school.
OIED Scholarships
Each semester OIED offers a variety of different scholarship opportunities for students. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $2000.
Benjamin A Gilman Scholarship
The Gilman Scholarship Program application is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide.
Fund for Education Abroad
Applicants from groups underrepresented in study abroad and those destined for non-traditional locations are given preference, in an effort to make the demographics of U.S. undergraduates studying abroad reflect the rich diversity of the U.S. population.
For information about additional scholarships please visit our External Scholarships web page.
Academics
SIT offers a field-based, experiential approach to learning in a small group environment. The India: Public Health, Policy Advocacy, and Community program studies the relationship between public health and the community in a field-study context. Students analyze specific case studies that illuminate the problems, prospects, and potential methods of promoting health. Policy advocacy efforts for the right to health on the national and international levels are also examined, along with relevant best health practices including the international bill of rights.
The program includes five credit-bearing courses:
- Two thematic seminars that incorporate educational excursions and a one-week workshop
- Hindi intensive language course: beginning and intermediate levels
- Field Methods and Ethics
- Independent Study Project or internship
In the final month of the program, you will conduct an Independent Study Project (ISP) or Internship. This will provide you with an opportunity to pursue original research on a situation or topic of particular interest to you.
For more information about the courses and structure of the program please visit the SIT India web page.
All students are expected to maintain at least the equivalent of a full time course load according to Appalachian State and the host university while abroad (whichever is greater). Students participating on the SIT India program will be required to enroll in 16 credits per semester. For more information about study abroad enrollment policies, credit approval, and credit and grade conversions please visit the Academics section of our website.
How to Apply
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and some programs may fill up before the listed deadline. Each year applications for Fall, Spring, and Summer will open up on August 1st. Once open the deadline will be listed below and an Apply Now button will be available at the top and bottom of this page. Most applications will have a 2 part application process so students are encouraged to complete their OIED application well before the listed deadline.
Students applying to a SIT program should complete the
SIT application while also completing the Appalachian application.
For more information about deadlines and how to apply please visit our
Guide Me webpage.