Bachelor of Science in Public Health

The mission of the Bachelor of Science in Public Health Program is to use guidance from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, the Council on Education for Public Health, and the American Association of Colleges and Universities to assist students in developing the necessary skills to apply public health principles of health promotion and disease prevention to their future career or graduate school placement. This mission recognizes the vast opportunity for the application of public health skills across a wide array of experiences, both educational and occupational. The program further aims to impart a “Culture of Public Health” that provides guiding principles by which students frame their discussions, actions, and future endeavors.

Goals for the Bachelor of Science in Public Health program can be found here.

Freshman applicants can view their admission requirements on the Undergraduate Applicants page.

Students with 12 or more college credits may transfer in to the first or second year of the program. Courses must have been completed at a regionally accredited college or university with a grade of C or better for transfer. Math and science courses taken more than ten years prior to the anticipated date of matriculation to MCPHS will not be accepted.

While there are no specific required courses for entry into the first year of our program, the admission committee will look for success in any math and science courses you have already taken. If you complete any of the courses listed below, you may receive transfer credit and your first year course load may be lighter. However, due to the lock-step nature of MCPHS programs, entering the first year of the program with transfer credits will not change the total length of your program. Courses, other than elective courses, may not be moved forward in your schedule.

Required Courses For Entry to Year II:

• General Biology I & II with lab (8 credits)
• General Chemistry I & II with lab (8 credits)
• Calculus I & II (8 credits) Expository Writing I & II (6 credits)
• American Culture, Identity, and Public Life (3 credits) (Acceptable substitutions include Introduction to Sociology or upper-level sociology course)

Additional Courses Accepted for Transfer Credit:

• Statistics (3 credits) (Acceptable substitutions include Basic Statistics, Biostatistics, Psychological Statistics, Economic Statistics)
• Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
• Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)
• Interpersonal Communications for Health Professionals (3 credits)
• Humanities elective (3 credits) (Acceptable courses include Literature, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Ethics, Religious Studies, Select Fine Arts, Advanced Level Languages) General Elective (3 credits) (Acceptable courses include History, English, Fine Arts, Philosophy, Government, Ethics, Foreign Language, Psychology, Religious Studies, Anthropology, Communications, and Economics)
• Behavioral Sciences Elective (3 credits) (Acceptable courses include any upper-level psychology course)
• Microbiology with lab (4 credits)

Year I-Fall

Total credits to complete degree requirements: 123 sh (128 with premed minor)

YEAR II - SPRING: *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)

YEAR III - FALL: **Students choosing a premed minor substitute the following for general electives in Year III (Adds 3 sh to the program):

BIO 360 Cellular Biochemistry** (4 semester hours)
PHY 280/280L Physics I w/ Lab** (4 semester hours)
PHY 284/284L Physics II w/ Lab** (4 semester hours)

Public Health Required Core Courses 31 sh:

Public Health Electives (5 must be chosen from this category, 15 sh):

Our students learn from faculty who are leaders in their fields and are committed to the success of each student. Discover our full list of Public Health faculty.