Public Health (B.S.)
The Department of Public Health offers students skill-based professional training across the traditional public health disciplines. Our alumni are trained for meaningful public health careers in government agencies, hospitals and health care organizations, community-based and non-profit organizations, foundations and philanthropies, policymaking and research councils, and corporations. Our students have also gone on to complete graduate training in public health, medicine, pharmacy, social work, physician assistant studies, law, and a wide range of other professional fields. Students learn to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and utilize data to preserve, protect, and promote the health and of populations locally, nationally, and globally.
Admission Requirements
Admission requirements for this program are satisfied by the general requirements for undergraduate admission to the University.
Program Requirements
Candidates must complete 120 credits in course work including satisfaction of the University General Education Requirements and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Group Requirements, as well as the Departmental major requirements cited below. All course work must be completed in accordance with the regulations of the University and the College governing undergraduate scholarship and degrees. Students must receive a grade of C- or better in all Public Health core courses and in all approved electives. A grade point average of 2.0 in both Public Health and general required courses are required for graduation.
Major Requirements
The B.S. in Public Health is offered with three concentration options: 1) Advocacy and Practice concentration; (2) Research and Evaluation concentration; and (3) Interprofessional concentration. Students must complete a minimum of 39 credits distributed as follows (Core and Elective courses must be completed with a C- or better):
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| PH 2100 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| PH 3000 | Public Health Administration | 3 |
| PH 3100 | Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health | 3 |
| PH 3200 | Introduction to Biostatistics | 3 |
| PH 3300 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| PH 3500 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| PH 4400 | Quantitative Methods in Public Health | 3 |
| or PH 4500 | Qualitative Methods in Community Public Health | |
| Culminating Course | ||
| PH 5100 | Capstone Course in Public Health | 3 |
| or PH 5150 | Public Health Practicum | |
| Concentrations | ||
| Choose one of the following concentrations. | 15 | |
Advocacy and Practice | ||
| Advocating for Change in Public Health | ||
| Funding Public Health | ||
Choose three Public Health Elective courses. | ||
Research and Evaluation 1 | ||
| Health Data Visualization | ||
| Quantitative Methods in Public Health | ||
or PH 4500 | Qualitative Methods in Community Public Health | |
Choose three Public Health Elective courses. | ||
Interprofessional | ||
| Law and Public Health | ||
| Interprofessional Education and Public Health | ||
Choose three Public Health Elective courses. | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
- 1
Students who choose the Research and Evaluation concentration must select the methods course not taken in the core.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Elective Courses 2 | ||
| PH 2500 | Race and Ethnic Disparities in Public Health | 3 |
| PH 2550 | MENA Public Health | 3 |
| PH 3400 | Health in All Policies | 3 |
| PH 3410 | Global Health | 3 |
| PH 3550 | Public Health and the City | 3 |
| PH 3600 | Special Topics in Public Health | 3 |
| PH 3750 | Reproductive Health | 3 |
| PH 3900 | LGBTQ Health | 3 |
| PH 4050 | Crime and Public Health | 3 |
| PH 4600 | Special Topics in Health Disparities | 3 |
| PH 4900 | Directed Study in Public Health | 3 |
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Public Health majors can also choose as their electives any specialized PH course(s) required in the other 2 concentrations.
Public Health Honors
To be recommended for an honors degree from this program, a student must maintain a cumulative and major GPA of at least 3.30 and complete a minimum of twelve honors course credits, including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Practicum Requirement (Honors section of one of the following): | 2-4 | |
| Public Health Practicum | ||
or PH 4250 | Interprofessional Education and Public Health | |
| PH 5100 | Capstone Course in Public Health (Honors Section) | 3 |
| One Course in Public Health (PH) with an Honors Option 1 | 3-4 | |
| One 42XX level Honors Seminar 2 | 3 | |
- 1
Consult an advisor or the University Schedule of Classes for available Honors Sections.
- 2
A list of seminars is available in the list of Honors (HON) courses.
Public Health AGRADE Program
AGRADE provides qualifying Public Health students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with an opportunity to pursue an accelerated pathway to the Master of Public Health (MPH) program in the School of Medicine. The MPH prepares students for a professional career at the intersection of public, clinical and/or other allied health sciences.
Application
Undergraduate students enrolled in the Public Health major or minor are eligible to apply. Students can apply to AGRADE during the semester they plan to complete 90 credits, usually during the second semester of their junior year. Students should have senior standing during their first semester as an AGRADE student. They must also have successfully completed the following four undergraduate courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PH 2100 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| PH 3100 | Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health | 3 |
| PH 3200 | Introduction to Biostatistics | 3 |
| PH 3300 | Epidemiology | 3 |
Applicants must have a 3.6 GPA or better in coursework for their Public Health major or minor, and a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better.
Applications will be reviewed each semester. The GRE may be waived based on satisfactory performance in the AGRADE courses (at least a B grade in each AGRADE class). Acceptance to the BSPH-MPH AGRADE program is competitive. The MPH program admissions committee reviews all AGRADE applicant applications and makes decisions about admission to this accelerated track.
Requirements
Upon admission, students may elect 3-15 credits in approved graduate M.P.H. courses. These graduate level courses will complete public health major or minor elective requirements or bachelor's degree elective requirements, as well as fulfill the beginning of study toward the master's degree.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FPH 7011 | Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
| FPH 7012 | Social Justice in Public Health | 3 |
| FPH 7015 | Biostatistics I | 3 |
| FPH 7100 | Health Care Organization and Administration | 3 |
| FPH 7240 | Epidemiology | 3 |
The bachelor's degree will be awarded following the completion of the undergraduate degree requirements. Graduate course work taken in this program must be completed within eight years (from the time that the first graduate course is taken that is counted toward degree requirements) or within six years from the awarding of the bachelor's degree, whichever comes first.
For more information, contact the Public Health undergraduate academic advisors and consult the AGRADE FAQs.