Degree Requirements
Curriculum Overview
Through the Bachelor of Science in Public Health*, students build skills in public health focused on matters related to the health of societies locally, nationally, and globally. While students in both the BA and the BS take the same core public health courses, the BS offers students the flexibility to complete required courses in basic and applied sciences, building toward possible careers in epidemiology, environmental health, occupational health or professional programs toward careers as doctors, dentists, pharmacists and other clinical roles.
With a BS in Public Health, graduates can pursue entry-level positions in the public health workforce or graduate school within the health sciences or related fields by building the necessary prerequisite course work into their studies. Those who go on to careers in medicine, nursing, or dentistry (to name a few) will find that the School of Public Health provides a broad foundation in the biological and behavioral sciences, viewed from social ecology and population-based perspectives.
*Curriculum below is pending University of Illinois Board of Trustees approval.
Undergraduate Student Handbook
Degree Requirements
General Education Courses
- ENGL 160 – Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts (3 semester hours)
- ENGL 161 – Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research (3 semester hours)
- PUBH 100 – Health and the Public (3 semester hours)
- PUBH 110 – Public Health and Global Societies (3 semester hours)
- Analyzing the Natural World – Life Science course with a lab – Select from: BIOS 110 or BIOS 120 (4 semester hours)
- Select an additional course in at least one of these General Education categories depending on how PUBH 100 and PUBH 110 are used to satisfy General Education Requirements (3 semester hours)
- Exploring World Cultures
- Understanding U.S. Society
- Understanding the Individual and Society
- Understanding the Past(3 semester hours)
- Understanding the Creative Arts (3 semester hours)
- Additional General Education Credits (5 semester hours)
Required Major Courses
- Quantitative Reasoning course – Select from: PUBH 130 – Introductory Statistics for Public Health Decision Making, STAT 101- Introduction to Statistics or STAT 130 – Introduction to Statistics for the Life Sciences (4 semester hours)
- PUBH 105 – Public Health Seminar I (1 semester hour)
- PUBH 200 – Human Health and the Environment (3 semester hours)
- PUBH 205 – Public Health Seminar II (1 semester hour)
- PUBH 301 – Epidemiology (3 semester hours)
- PUBH 320 – Public Health Biology (3 semester hours)
- PUBH 330 – Health Equity and Health Disparities (3 semester hours)
- PUBH 345 – Critical Thinking and Health Communication (3 semester hours)
- PUBH 350 – Health Systems, Policy, and Advocacy (3 semester hours)
- PUBH 370 – Applied Public Health Methods (3 semester hours)
- PUBH 395 – Public Health Seminar III (1 semester hour)
- PUBH 397 – Baccalaureate Project in Public Health (3 semester hours)
- PUBH 420 – Public Health Problem Solving: Epidemiology in Action! (3 semester hours)
- Community Health course – Select from: PUBH 310 – Public Health and Global Citizenship, PUBH 360 – Local Citizenship and Community Health Initiatives or PUBH 415 – Historical and Contemporary Public Health Challenges (3-4 semester hours)
- Experiential Learning (0-3 semester hours) – This requirement can be met either through coursework such as PUBH 393 – Public Health Fieldwork, or non-credit bearing experiences. Students should consult their Advisor for more information.
- Focus Area (minimum of 9 credit hours) – Credits in the focus area should fulfill one of the following objectives: pre-medical/pre-professional studies; coursework toward a minor; a specific public health disciplinary focus; progression into the joint BS-MPH program; or other focus area in consultation with the student’s Advisor. Courses in the Focus Area are required to be upper-level courses.
Free Electives
Students can use these electives for coursework toward minors, prerequisites for professional programs (Medical School, Dental School, etc.), baccalaureate certificates, and other free electives. If any of the selective courses have prerequisites that are not already satisfied by the University and General Education Requirements, students are advised to choose free electives that will work toward satisfying these prerequisite requirements.