Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Sophomore or above
Location: Africa, Kenya
GPA: 2.75

Program Overview

Cutting-edge public health initiatives are being implemented in Kisumu, a Kenyan port city on Lake Victoria and home to the largest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention facility outside North America. The CDC’s relationship with the Kenya Medical Research Institute, which spans four decades, offers students unparalleled access to distinguished medical professionals, scholars, and scientists. Attend classes on a campus with high-speed internet and surrounded by gardens. Learn research protocol and how to gather and analyze data from experts developing improved delivery of treatments and vaccines for infectious diseases and translating findings into policy recommendations.

You’ll also study Kiswahili, the lingua franca of East Africa, and gain a range of perspectives from two homestay families, one in urban Kisumu and one in the rural hills and lakes region of Siaya County. As part of the program, you will also travel to Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, a center for relief, health, and human rights organizations, and to Rwanda, where you will survey its significantly lower rates of HIV and malaria. 

For further information about the program, including dates and course information, please visit: SIT: Global Health and Human Rights in Kenya

Dates and Deadlines

TermYearDeadlineArrival DateDeparture Date
Fall Semester20254/15/20259/1/202512/14/2025
Spring Semester202610/1/20252/2/20265/17/2026

If you are interested in applying to a SIT program, we strongly advise you to meet with an advisor prior to applying.

Selection for the program is based on a review of your written application, recommendation, transcript(s), and completion of the interview process. Qualified applicants are recommended by a GEO Study Abroad Program Advisor. The final selection of participants is made by SIT.

IMPORTANT: Application for a SIT program involves two parts:

  1. Completion of the GEO application process.
  2. Completion of the SIT application process.

Please note that the GEO deadline supersedes the SIT deadline. 

Hear from Our Students

Sadie Creemer, who participated in the Fall 2024 SIT: Health and Human Rights in Kenya program, turned an eye-opening experience abroad into research that was presented at the 2025 Undergraduate… read more
This program fundamentally changed how I am thinking about what I want to do with my future. Having the opportunity to take courses in the field of public health then apply them to an independent… read more

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $500 discount for this program to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.