Public Health Sciences

Theodore K. Gideonse, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Education

The B.S. in Public Health Sciences and the B.A. in Public Health Policy degree programs train students in multidisciplinary approaches to public health practice and research. The degrees explore both quantitative and qualitative aspects of public health at all levels of analysis. Graduates will advance, through selective employment or further education, to become the new generation of public health professionals prepared to face the emerging challenges to human health from a population perspective using cutting-edge approaches for preventing diseases.

Students who are interested in pursuing a premedical program should note that additional courses will be needed beyond the requirements of the public health degrees to fulfill requirements for medical school.

Students considering the public health degrees should carefully evaluate their academic preparation and career goals before enrolling in either the B.S. or B.A. degree program. Changing from one degree program to the other is possible but will require completion of the required lower- and upper-division courses specified for each degree. It is also possible for a student to enroll in both the B.S. and B.A. degree programs (double major), provided the student completes all the requirements outlined under each degree.

The school also offers two undergraduate minors: one in Public Health and a second in Global Health. Students seeking advice on either minor should visit the School of Population and Public Health Student Affairs Office.

Advising

Academic Advising

Academic, Career, Health Sciences/Public Health

AIRB Suite 2010
School of Population and Public Health Student Affairs Office

Academic Advising

The Public Health Student Affairs Office coordinates the advising program and provides academic counseling. Undergraduate Public Health students should consult the Public Health Student Affairs Office for information on academic requirements for their degree(s), career opportunities, the Public Health 198/199 Research Program, the Public Health Honors Research Program, and student organizations such as the Public Health Association and the Global Health Research, Education, and Translation (G.H.R.E.A.T.). Students can also visit the Public Health Student Affairs Office to process change-of-major requests, apply for graduation, seek academic support, professional development, or for any other help they might need related to their academic career at UCI.

Peer Academic Advisors

The Peer Academic Advisors are upper-division Public Health majors who bring with them valuable academic, social, and professional experiences. Their functions include counseling students in matters of major selection, program planning, petitioning, tutoring, development of learning skills, and participation in co-curricular and extracurricular activities. The Peer Advisors are located in the School of Population and Public Health Student Affairs Office. Office hours are posted at the beginning of each quarter.

Career Advising

Information on graduate and professional schools in public health can be obtained from the Public Health Student Affairs Office. The UCI Division of Career Pathways provides services to students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, a career library, and workshops on resume preparation, job search, and interview techniques. Visit the Division of Career Pathways website.

Areas of opportunity open to those with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences degree include public health agencies, clinical laboratories, biotechnology and health care companies, not-for-profit organizations specializing in health care, health management organizations, advanced public health training programs in county, state, and federal agencies, and graduate and professional education in public health and related health-care disciplines. A bachelor’s degree is necessary to pursue studies leading to master's and Ph.D. degrees. The B.S., plus short training periods, may prepare students for employment in education, medical technology, allied health positions, and various other areas.

Areas of opportunity open to those with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Policy degree include population health management organizations, health care administration and planning, health insurance companies, public health agencies, public health advocacy groups, corporate planning, health promotion, health education (in hospitals, clinics, government agencies, etc.), mental health, chemical dependency, case managing, insurance, health strategizing, fundraising, community organization, social and legislative work for health, and graduate and professional education in public health and related health-care disciplines. The B.A., plus brief training periods, may prepare students for employment in education, administration, nonprofit corporations, and various other areas.

Education (community colleges, state colleges, or private schools), medical illustration, and public health (which includes hospital administration, biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, social work, public health education, maternal and child health, and chronic, infectious, and tropical diseases) are fields in which opportunities are available upon completion of a master’s program. Other areas where advanced degrees are necessary include medicine, dentistry, law, nursing, actuary, optometry, podiatry, osteopathy, physical therapy, and veterinary medicine.

Health Sciences/Public Health Advising

Students desiring to enter the health sciences should have their majors checked in the Public Health Student Affairs Office. Admissions tests for medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, veterinary medicine, and graduate schools should be taken in the spring, a year and one-half before the student plans to enter.

Administrators and academic leaders in nearly all health professional schools recommend that students prepare to seek admission to their school's plan to obtain a bachelor’s degree. Students who plan to enter a school of dentistry, medicine, or other areas of the health sciences may receive the required pre-professional training at UCI. This pre-professional training may be accomplished by (1) completing a major in Public Health Sciences or Public Health Policy and specializing the degree to complete specific course requirements of the dental, medical, or other professional school the student expects to attend or (2) majoring in any school or department and fulfilling concurrently the specific course requirements of the dental, medical, or other professional school the student expects to attend.

Practicum

The Public Health Practicum is a two-course sequence (PUBHLTH 195P and PUBHLTH 195W) required for students majoring in Public Health Policy or Public Health Sciences. In the Public Health Practicum (PUBHLTH 195P), students are given the opportunity to work in the community at agencies, non-profits, or laboratories dedicated to public health practice. Students gain practical work experience during the internship, and class discussions and assignments focus on the analysis of their experience, connecting the work environment to their academic studies, and understanding public health professional paradigms and their roles within them. In the Writing for Public Health Practice (PUBHLTH 195W), which is taken concurrently or immediately after PUBHLTH 195P, students work to understand public health communication strategies through the production of two major writing projects that address issues they have identified at their practicum sites. This course fulfills the upper-division writing requirement.

Preparation for the Practicum sequence requires that each student interview at one of the approved Practicum sites. There is an online catalog of approved organizations that have agreed to accept, train, and supervise Public Health students in the ongoing activities of the organization. Students must choose a placement site listed in the Practicum catalog. Unlisted sites may be considered at an approved organization through an application process. All students are required to spend 100 hours (10 hours per week, on average) at the public health organization during the quarter in which they are enrolled in PUBHLTH 195P.

The Practicum courses are open only to upper-division Public Health students who are in good academic standing, have completed all prerequisite course work, and have submitted a graduation application. Practicum must be taken for a letter grade. PUBHLTH 195P is taken as Pass/Not Pass and PUBHLTH 195W must be completed with a minimum letter grade of C.

Additional information, including Practicum enrollment procedures and prerequisites, can be found at the Guide to the Undergraduate Practicum.

Requirements

Requirements for the B.S. in Public Health Sciences

All students must meet the University Requirements.

All students must meet the School Requirements.

Major Requirements

1. PUBHLTH 10 must be taken for 4 units.
2. PSY 9 and COGS 7A may not be taken for credit if taken after COGS 9A or COGS 9B.
3. Upon petition, PUBHLTH 100 may also be taken to fulfill upper-division course work in specific topic areas, depending on course content.
4. Note additional prerequisites.
5. Taken for upper-division writing credit.