Public Health Curriculum
The Public Health major offers a multi-disciplinary, liberal arts exploration of the scientific, social, cultural, and human dimensions of public health. Students will expand their knowledge of the complex intersecting factors that shape health, developing the ability to think critically about global and public health. A focal point of the program is an integrative approach to public health that addresses issues of health inequity and disparity across all dimensions of health and health care. Students will be prepared to work in multi-faceted environments with people of diverse backgrounds to help solve complex community, national, and global public health problems.
For course descriptions, visit the online Class Search.
NOTE: Degree requirements for incoming students may not reflect the actual degree requirements of current students.
A total of 50 credit hours, including both required and elective courses, must be taken to complete the Public Health major. No more than 1 course required of the major may count towards satisfying university core requirements.
- Introduction to Public Health Requirement (6 credit hours):
- PHE 101, Introduction to Public Health I (3 credits)
- PHE 102, Introduction to Public Health II (3 credits)
- Introduction Biology–Select one from the following (3 or 8 credit hours):
- BI 105, Introductory Cell Biology (3 credits)
- BL 210, Genetics–Fundamentals (4 credits) and BI 220, Cellular and Molecular Biology Fundamentals (4 credits)
- Statistics–Select one from the following (2 or 3 credit hours):
- SO 293, Statistics for Social Research (3 credits)
- BI 250, Biostatistics (3 credits)
- BSHS 450, Healthcare Biostatistics (3 credits)
- RX 427, Biostatistics and Research–Pharmacy Applications of Biostatistics and Research Design (2 credits)
- Social Disparities and Inequities and Impacts on Public Health–Select one from the following (3 credit hours):
- SW 361, Health Disparities (3 credit hours)
- BSHS 350, Health Disparities (3 credit hours)
- Social Disparities and Inequities and Impacts on Public Health–Select two from the following (6 credit hours):
- AN 302, Body and Society (3 credits)
- EN 370, Lit & Public Problems: Addiction (3 credits)
- RGS 100, Perspectives in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies (3 credits)
- RGS 201, Intersections of Identity (3 credits)
- HST 345, Eugenics (3 credits)
- JR 325, Gender and News: Global Views (3 credits)
- PE 128, Introduction to Health Education (3 credits)
- PO 354, Environmental Justice (3 credits)
- PO 387, Agriculture and Food Justice as a Social Movement (3 credits–junior status)
- SO 317, Gender and Society (3 credits)
- SO 319, Mental Illness, Culture, and Society (3 credits–permission of instructor)
- SO 354, Aging and the Life Course
- SO 356, Health, Illness, and Society (3 credits)
- SW 216-AN, Medical Anthropology (3 credits)
- TI 242-PL Marginalized in America–Gender at the Intersection of Race and Class (3 credits)
- TI 231-HST, Mad Women (3 credits)
- Global Health–Select one from the following (3 credits):
- AN 304, Medical Anthropology (3 credits)
- AN 342, Science, Technology, and Society (3 credits)
- AN 380, Africa, Techniques, Bodies, and Medicine (3 credits)
- AN 380, Global Reproductive Technologies (3 credits)
- AN 380, Africa, Gender, and Sexuality (3 credits)
- AN 380, Sex Education Across Cultures (3 credits)
- AN 380, Anthropology of Death and Dying (3 credits)
- BSHS 493, Global Health or HN 300 Intro to Public Global Health (3 credits)
- HST 381, Environment of the Global South (3 credits)
- IS 390, United Nations and Other International Organizations (3 credits)
- SW 270-IS, Understanding Global Issues (3 credits)
- SW 215, Being Human Anthropological Approaches to Life and Meaning (3 credits)
- SW 220-EC, Economy and Society (3 credits)
- Biomedical Basis for Disease and Public Health (6 credit hours)
- BI 257, Human Anatomy and Physiology (5 credits)
- BI 323, Immunology (2 credits)
- BI 325, Pathogenic Microbiology (3 credits)
- PX 326/327, Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II (8 credits)
- BSHS 334/335, Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II (10 credits)
- Epidemiology (3 credit hours)
- PHE 301, Epidemiology (3 credits)
- Ethics and Health Systems (5 credit hours)
- PHIL 363, Biomedical Ethics (3 credits) or BSHS 360, Healthcare Ethics (3 credits)
- BSHS 230, Healthcare Systems and Policy (2)
- Public Health Methods and Communication (4 credit hours)
- PHE 351, Public Health Experience (3 credits)
- ORG 357, Health Communication (3 credits) or PE 128, Introduction to Health Education (2 credits)
- Senior Seminar in Public Health (1 credit)
- PHE 490, Senior Seminar in Global Health (1 credit)
- Additional Electives (to complete up to 50 credit hours)
- AN 352, Ethnography
- BSHS 206, Poverty and Modern Day Slavery
- BSHS 215, Medical Terminology
- BSHS 225, Interprofessional Health Education
- BSHS 280, Emergency Medical Technician
- BSHS 285, Healthcare Immersion Abroad
- BSHS 340, Healthcare Communications
- BSHS 480, Integrative/Holistic Medicine
- BSHS 481-489, Medical Spanish courses
- BSHS 495, Hot Topics in Healthcare
- CCM 330, Representations of Race and Difference
- CCM481, Technologies of the Body
- CH 418, Chemical Issues in the Global Modern World
- CSD 231, Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders
- EC 346, Health Care Economics
- EC 373, Economics of Development
- EN 218, Topics in Medical Humanities
- ENV 300, Environmental Science and Human Health
- ENV 310, Global Environmental Conflicts
- ENV 390, Topics in Environmental Studies
- GR 316, Germany Today
- HST 306, Topics in the History of Science: Global Pandemics
- MS 377, Health Care Information and Technology Management
- PE 224, Coordinated School and Community Health
- PS 251, Determinants of Well-being
- PL 375, History and Philosophy of Medicine
- PO 330, Humanitarianism–The Politics of Policy and Practice
- PS 350, Social Psychology
- SO 352, Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System
- SW 280, Hunger and Obesity