Programs

Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree program offers an applied liberal arts curriculum, combining a general education foundation with a public health curriculum that includes foundational courses, advanced courses, and electives.

Program Highlights 

• Full-time, four-year undergraduate degree
• For incoming freshmen and transfer students
• Fall semester start
• Interdisciplinary program offers public health coursework grounded by a general education in math, science, and the liberal arts
• Opportunities in the senior year for experiential courses, service learning courses, and a capstone project 

Program Details

A bachelor's degree in public health is increasingly recognized as an ideal choice for obtaining an interdisciplinary education with practical applications and meaningful employment.

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health program prepares students equally well for careers or advanced degrees in public policy, health promotion, health care administration, environmental science, law, and medicine. In addition, the public health sector has a growing need for personnel.

Public health majors also have curricular opportunities to complete a minor concentration, take courses in language and international studies, and pursue study abroad and travel courses. Graduates may enter a career or pursue graduate study at the master's (MPH) or doctoral (DPH) level. Students with advanced degrees enjoy opportunities in:

• Epidemiology
• Biostatistics
• Biomedical science
• Health policy and management, and more

To remain in good academic standing, students must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA. To meet the residency requirement for the BS in Public Health, students must complete at least 62 s.h. at the College. 

Curriculum

Year I-Fall

COURSE	TITLE	SEMESTER HOURS
BIO 150	Biology I Laboratory	1
BIO 151	Biology I: Cell and Molecular Biology	3
CHE 131	Chemical Principles I (w/lab)	4
LIB 111	Expository Writing I	3
MAT 151	Calculus I	3
FYS 101	First Year Seminar	1
TOTAL		15

Year I-Spring

COURSE	TITLE	SEMESTER HOURS
BIO 152	Biology II: Biology of Organisms (w/lab)	4
CHE 132	Chemical Principles II (w/lab)	4
LIB 112	Expository Writing II	3
MAT 152	Calculus II	3
Lib 133	American Culture, Identity and Public Life	3
TOTAL		17

 

Year II-Fall

COURSE	TITLE	SEMESTER HOURS
PBH xxx	Intro to Public Health	3
HSC 310	Health Care Informatics	3
LIB 120	Introduction to Psychology	3
MAT 261	Statistics	3
	General elective*	3
TOTAL		15

Year II-Spring

COURSE	TITLE	SEMESTER HOURS
BEH xxx	Health Promotion	3
BIO 255	Medical Microbiology (w/lab)	4
SSC 230	Cultural Anthropology	3
SSC 495	Evolution of the Health Professions	3
	General elective*
TOTAL		16

*Students choosing a premed minor substitute organic chemistry for general electives (Adds 2sh to the program):
CHE 231 - Organic Chemistry I (w/lab) (4 semester hours)
CHE232/4 - Organic Chemistry II (w/lab) (4 semester hours)


*HSC3010 Health Promotion may substitute for BEHxxx Health Promotion

 

Year III-Fall

COURSE	TITLE	SEMESTER HOURS
LIB 220	Interpersonal Communication	3
MAT 461	Biostatistics	3
LIB 512	Health Care Ethics	3
	General elective*	3
	General elective **	3
TOTAL		15

**Students choosing a premed minor substitute the following in Year III

PHY 280/280L Physics I (w/lab)* (substitutes for General Elective- adds 1 sh (4 semester hours)
PSB 331 Biochemistry I** (substitutes for General Elective) (3 semester hours)
PHY 284/284L Physics II (w/lab) * (substitutes for General Elective – adds 1 sh) (4 semester hours)
PSB 332 Biochemistry II** (substitutes for Public Health Elective) (3 semester hours)

Year III-Spring

COURSE	TITLE	SEMESTER HOURS
BIO 405	Plagues Past, Present, and Future	3
PBH xxx	Environment and Health	3
PBH xxx	Epidemiology	3
	Public Health elective	3
	General elective	3
TOTAL		15

Year IV-Fall

COURSE	TITLE	SEMESTER HOURS
PBH 420	Community Health	3
	Field Placement	3
	Behaviorial Health elective	3
	Public Health electives	6
	Humanities elective	3
TOTAL		15

Year IV-Spring

COURSE	TITLE	SEMESTER HOURS
PBH xxx	Public Health Capstone Seminar	3
	Public Health electives	6
PBH xxx	Field Placement	3
SSC xxx	Public Policy and Public Health	3
TOTAL		15

Total credits to complete degree requirements: 123 sh (127 with premed minor)

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Public Health Required Core Courses 34 sh):

COURSE	TITLE
BEH xxx	Health Promotion or
HSC 301	Health Promotion
BIO 255	Medical Microbiology (w/lab)
BIO 405	Plagues Past, Present and Future
HSC 310	Health Care Informatics
MAT 461	Biostatistics
PHB xxx	Intro to Public Health
PHB xxx	Epidemiology
PHB 420	Community Health
PHB xxx	Environment and Health
SSC 495	Evolution of the Health Professions
SSC xxx	Public Policy and Public Health

Public Health Electives (4 must be chosen from this category, 12 sh):

COURSE	TITLE
BEH 250	Health Psychology
BEH 260	Behavioral Health
BEH 454	Stress and Illness
BIO 455	Advanced Microbiology
BIO xxx	Parasitology
BIO 260	Molecular Biology
PSB 220	Introduction to Health Care Delivery
PSB 425	Health Care Management
SSC 432	Medical Anthropology
SSC 444	Cigarettes in American Culture
SSC xxx	Disease and Society

Public Health Experiential and Capstone Courses (6 sh):

COURSE	TITLE
PBH xxx	Field Placement
PBH xxx	Public Health Capstone Seminar

Accreditation

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences 

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences(MCPHS) is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is authorized to grant undergraduate and graduate degrees in the health sciences and related fields. MCPHS is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), Inc. through its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.

For Transfers

MCPHS welcomes students from other institutions. Any applicant to MCPHS who has completed at least one semester of college coursework (12 credits or more) is considered to be a transfer applicant. Students who have been out of high school for more than two years are strongly encouraged to take math and science courses at another accredited college or university and then to apply for transfer to MCPHS.

The transfer requirements may be different for different MCPHS programs. To find the requirements for transferring into this program, please click the link below.  

Transfer Requirements for Public Health (BS/MS)