BA in Public Health
Degree Requirements
To earn the Bachelor of Arts in Public Health degree from UIC, students need to complete the university and school degree requirements. University and school degree requirements for all Bachelor of Arts in Public Health students are outlined below. Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog for more information on completing the General Education requirements.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Summary of Requirements | ||
| Pre-Public Health (includes 11 semester hours of PUBH prerequisites) | 60 | |
| Major Course Requirements in Public Health | 35 | |
| Selectives | 15 | |
| Electives: Preapproved by advisor as relevant to plan of study | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 7 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Pre-Public Health
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGL 160 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| ENGL 161 | Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| Foreign language (16 hours in a single language or equivalent) a | 16 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning course b | 3-5 | |
| PUBH 100 | Health and the Public c, d | 3 |
| PUBH 105 | Foundations for Public Health e | 2 |
| PUBH 110 | Public Health and Global Societies c, f | 3 |
| PUBH 120 | Public Health and the Study of Disease and Epidemics g | 3 |
| Analyzing the Natural World - Life Science course with a lab. Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Human Evolution | ||
| Biology for Non-majors | ||
| Biology of Cells and Organisms | ||
| Biology of Populations and Communities | ||
| Exploring World Cultures course h, j | 3 | |
| Understanding U.S. Society course i, j | 3 | |
| Understanding the Individual and Society course h, i, j | 3 | |
| Understanding the Past course j | 3 | |
| Understanding the Creative Arts course j | 3 | |
| Additional General Education course(s) from any category, as necessary to total 24 hours of General Education credit. j | 1-3 | |
| Free electives to total 60 hours | 0-10 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- a
If a student has a background in a foreign language, proficiency in that language will be determined by testing. Should a student be deemed proficient, other coursework is chosen for this credit hour requirement. See the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences foreign language requirement for further explanation.
- b
See Quantitative Reasoning in the School of Public Health section. STAT 101 or STAT 130 is recommended to fulfill this requirement.
- c
This course is approved for the Understanding the Individual and Society General Education category. Courses approved for more than one General Education category may only be applied to one General Education category.
- d
This course is approved for the Understanding U.S. Society General Education category. Courses approved for more than one General Education category may only be applied to one General Education category.
- e
Required for new first year students in the School of Public Health as well as transfer students who enter the School of Public Health with less than 24 semester hours earned. Others may enroll with permission of instructor if space permits.
- f
This course is approved for the Exploring World Cultures General Education category. Courses approved for more than one General Education category may only be applied to one General Education category.
- g
This course is approved for the Analyzing the Natural World General Education category (nonlaboratory course).
- h
Students must take a course approved for this General Education category if not fulfilled by PUBH 110.
- i
Students must take a course approved for this General Education category if not fulfilled by PUBH 100.
- j
Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog for a list of approved courses in this category. All students must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of General Education course work with at least one course from each of the six General Education categories.
Major Course Requirements in Public Health
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Major Courses | ||
| PUBH 300 | Critical Thinking in Public Health | 4 |
| PUBH 301 | Critical Thinking in Public Health II | 2 |
| PUBH 310 | Public Health and Global Citizenship | 3 |
| PUBH 320 | Ecologies of Health and Modern Life | 3 |
| PUBH 330 | Health Equity and Health Disparities | 3 |
| PUBH 340 | Health Literacy | 3 |
| PUBH 350 | Health Systems, Health Policy | 3 |
| PUBH 360 | Local Citizenship and Community Health Initiatives | 4 |
| PUBH 370 | Using the Public Health Toolbox | 3 |
| PUBH 410 | Historical and Contemporary Public Health Challenges I | 2 |
| PUBH 411 | Historical and Contemporary Public Health Challenges II | 2 |
| PUBH 397 | Baccalaureate Project in Public Health | 3 |
| PUBH 395 | Professional Topics Seminar | 0 |
| Total Hours | 35 | |
Selectives and Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | ||
| Selectives from list of courses representing an array of disciplines (Black Studies, Anthropology, Communication, Education, Gender and Women’s Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, Psychology, Sociology, Urban Studies and 400-level public health courses, with the exception of MPH core, with permission of instructor). Students are highly encouraged to consider PUBH 393 for one of their selective options. | 15 | |
| Electives: preapproved by advisor as relevant to the student's plan of study. | 3 | |
| Free Electives a | 7 | |
| Total Hours | 25 | |
- a
If any of the selective courses have prerequisites that are not already satisfied with the University and General Education Requirements, students are advised to choose free electives that work toward satisfying these prerequisites requirements.
Sample Course Schedule
Note that students in specific preprofessional tracks (e.g., pre-medicine) will likely need additional semester hours in order to obtain all admission requirements for professional programs.
| Junior Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| PUBH 300 | Critical Thinking in Public Health | 4 |
| PUBH 330 | Health Equity and Health Disparities | 3 |
| PUBH 350 | Health Systems, Health Policy | 3 |
| PUBH 395 | Professional Topics Seminar | 0 |
| Elective(s) | 4 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PUBH 301 | Critical Thinking in Public Health II | 2 |
| PUBH 320 | Ecologies of Health and Modern Life | 3 |
| PUBH 340 | Health Literacy | 3 |
| PUBH 360 | Local Citizenship and Community Health Initiatives | 4 |
| PUBH 395 | Professional Topics Seminar | 0 |
| One elective/selective course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Summer Semester | ||
| PUBH 393 | Public Health Fieldwork (may be taken as a selective option any time from this point forward) | 3 |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PUBH 370 | Using the Public Health Toolbox | 3 |
| PUBH 410 | Historical and Contemporary Public Health Challenges I | 2 |
| Three elective/selective courses | 9 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PUBH 310 | Public Health and Global Citizenship | 3 |
| PUBH 397 | Baccalaureate Project in Public Health | 3 |
| PUBH 411 | Historical and Contemporary Public Health Challenges II | 2 |
| Two elective/selective courses | 6 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |