Advising Course Plan - Public Health Major - Plan for Interest in MPH or other Graduate Programs
Master of Public Health (MPH) programs could be broader/more general OR more specific when you can select a concentration (e.g. Epidemiology, Environmental Health, etc). You’ll notice that there is a substantial amount of flexibility in the course plan, which will be modified to meet your particular area(s) of interest within Public Health. Speak to your advisor if you have a particular area of interest in mind. The plan below is flexible enough to allow you to also pursue a minor/ major in another area that could strengthen your overall educational background. The plan can also be easily adjusted to meet requirements for other graduate programs other than MPH.
The following course plan could also be used (with some modifications and help from your advisor) to help you prepare for Master degrees in bio-medical sciences, nutrition science and other health-related master degrees.
Although not necessary, depending on your interests, following minors/programs are recommended (alphabetically listed):
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Economics
- Foreign Languages
- Health Sciences
- Latin American studies
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Sustainable food systems
Highly recommended minors/programs for those who may be interested in global health or working with diverse/ immigrant communities:
- Language (Spanish, French, Arabic)
- PeaceCorp preparation
Please make sure to look at various graduate program requirements for different universities. The earlier the better (usually during the first two years of your undergraduate education)
Students will apply to graduate public health programs (usually MPH) using the Centralized Application Service for Public Health (SOPHAS): http://www.sophas.org/
The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) maintains a list of nationally-accredited, by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), programs across an array of areas within public health: http://www.aspph.org/program-finder/
Before applying, students will need to take the GRE standardized exam.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Units | |
| BIOL 141P or CHEM 141P* | Introductory Biology: Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics General Chemistry I | 1 |
| SOCI 101S | Understanding Society: An Introduction to Sociology (recommended) or General Education Requirement | 1 |
| FSEM 100 | First Year Seminar | 1 |
| PUBH 140V* | Introduction to Public Health (or Language) | 1 |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 142P or CHEM 142P* | Introductory Biology: Animal and Plant Physiology General Chemistry II | 1 |
| PSYC 101S | Introduction to Psychology (or General Education Requirement) | 1 |
| General Education Requirement | 1 | |
| PUBH 140V* | Introduction to Public Health (or Language) | 1 |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PUBH 284* | Foundations of Epidemiology | 1 |
| General Education Requirement or General Elective course | 1 | |
| CHEM 201* | Organic Chemistry I (or PUBH elective* or General Education Requirement) | 1 |
| PUBH elective* or General Education Requirement | 1 | |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Spring | ||
| PUBH 301* | Foundations of Environmental Health Science | 1 |
| General Education Requirement or General Elective course | 1 | |
| BIOL 301* | Microbiology (or General Education Requirement) | 1 |
| PHIL 316V* | Bio-Medical Ethics (or General Education Requirement) | 1 |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PUBH 303* | Global Health (or Statistics requirement (speak with your advisor to choose the Statistics course)) | 1 |
| General Education Requirement or General Elective course | 1 | |
| Junior Seminar | 1 | |
| PUBH 284* | Foundations of Epidemiology (or General Elective or General Education Requirement) | 1 |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Spring | ||
| PUBH 303* | Global Health (or Statistics requirement (speak with your advisor to choose the Statistics course)) | 1 |
| PUBH 301* | Foundations of Environmental Health Science (or General Education Requirement or General Elective course) | 1 |
| PUBH 498* | Senior Research Proposal | 1 |
| PUBH Elective* or General Education Requirement or General Elective course | 1 | |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PUBH 499* | Senior Project | 1 |
| PUBH Elective* or General Education Requirement or General Elective course | 1 | |
| PUBH 397* | Public Health Internship (or General Education Requirement or General Elective course) | 1 |
| General Education Requirement or General Elective course | 1 | |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Spring | ||
| PUBH 397* | Public Health Internship | 1 |
| General Education Requirement or General Elective course | 1 | |
| PUBH Elective * or General Education Requirement or General Elective course | 1 | |
| PHIL 316V* | Bio-Medical Ethics (or General Education Requirtement) | 1 |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Total Unit: 32 | ||
- *
Major requirement