Recent years have demonstrated that infectious diseases can have long-lasting economic, social, and global impacts. Students pursuing careers in medicine, veterinary science, biomedical sciences, and public health should have a basic understanding of the biology of pathogens and how they interact with the host and the environment. The Minor in Infectious Diseases will provide students with an in-depth understanding of pathogen biology, host-pathogen interactions, and management of diseases. The courses included in the program of study provide a focus on infectious diseases that will complement the student’s discipline-specific major to enable them to pursue careers in a variety of infectious disease-related fields, including healthcare and life-science industries.
Requirements and Coursework
How to Apply
The Undergraduate Minor in Infectious Diseases is open to any currently enrolled UGA undergraduate students who wish to apply to the program. There are no application deadlines for the certificate.
Application to the minor is a two-step process:
- Complete the Application to the Undergraduate Minor in Infectious Diseases. This QuestionPro form will be routed to the program coordinator, who will notify you of your acceptance into the minor program.
- Apply in Athena for the Undergraduate Minor in Infectious Diseases.
- Login to Athena
- Under the Student tab/card, click My Programs menu item
- In My Programs, click Add Minor button
- Select the Undergraduate Minor in Infectious Diseases
- Confirm your selection
Program Requirements
The Undergraduate Minor in Infectious Diseases requires a minimum of 17 credit hours. All courses used to satisfy the minor must be passed with a grade of “C” (2.0) or better.
Courses / Program of Study
A list of required courses for this minor is available at the UGA Bulletin.
The below listing is current as of 3/2026.
Required Course (3 hours):
IDIS 3100(H): People, Parasites, and Plagues (3 hours)
Elective Courses (14 hours):
Choose 14 credit hours from the following groups, with a minimum of 3 credit hours from each of groups A-C. A maximum of 4 credit hours of research can apply toward the minor.
Group A: Infectious Agents
MIBO(IDIS) 4220/6220: Pathogenic Bacteriology (3 hours)
CBIO(IDIS) 4500/6500: Medical Parasitology (3 hours)
POPH(MIBO)(IDIS) 4650/6650: Introduction to Virology (3 hours)
Group B: Immunology/Host-Pathogen Interactions
CBIO(MIBO)(IDIS) 4100/6100-4100D/6100D: Immunology (4 hours)
VPHY(IDIS) 4850/6850: Immunophysiology: The Intersection of Immunology and Human Physiology (3 hours)
Group C: Disease and Population Health Management
IDIS 3120: Special Topics in Vector Ecology and Vector-Borne Disease (1 hour)
IDIS 3200: Infectious Disease Treatment and Prevention (3 hours)
ECOL(IDIS) 3820: Evolutionary Medicine (3 hours)
POPH(IDIS) 4010/6010-4010L/6010L: Vector Ecology Field Course (4 hours)*
*Students must apply for this course through the Domestic Field Study website.
ECOL(BIOL) 4150/6150-4150L/6150L: Population Biology of Infectious Diseases (4 hours)
IDIS(NUTR) 4200/6200: We Are What We Eat! How Your Gut Influences Your Overall Health (3 hours)
POPH(IDIS) 4750/6750: Decoding Disease: Computational Tools for Pathogen Analytics (3 hours)
IDIS(VPHY) 4880/6880: Bugs and Drugs: Biomedical Applications of Beneficial Microorganisms (3 hours)
Group D: Infectious Disease Research
IDIS 4900: Directed Research (1-4 hours)
IDIS 4960R: Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Research I (1-4 hours)
IDIS 4970R: Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Research II (1-4 hours)
IDIS 4980R: Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Research III (1-4 hours)
IDIS 4990R: Undergraduate Research Thesis (or Final Project) (1-4 hours)
Completing the Minor
Please follow the steps below so that credit for the minor is applied to your UGA transcript.
- When nearing completion of the required coursework for the minor program, complete the Final Program of Study Form. This QuestionPro form will be routed to the program coordinator, who will notify you of its receipt and confirm course eligibility.
- Upon approval of your Final Program of Study, the program coordinator will send you the exit questionnaire.
- Upon receipt of the exit questionnaire, the program coordinator will confirm all minor requirements have been met.
- The final step is to apply for graduation in Athena from the minor program.
