BS in Public Health Sciences
Degree Requirements
To earn the Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences degree from UIC, students need to complete the university and school degree requirements. University and school degree requirements for all Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences 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 | ||
| University and General Education Requirements | 27 | |
| Public Health Sciences Major Requirements | 46-50 | |
| Free Electives | 43-47 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University and General Education Requirements
| 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 |
| PUBH 100 | Health and the Public a,b,d | 3 |
| PUBH 110 | Public Health and Global Societies a,c,d | 3 |
| Analyzing the Natural World - Life Science course with a lab. Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Biology of Cells and Organisms | ||
or BIOS 120 | Biology of Populations and Communities | |
| Understanding the Past course | 3 | |
| Understanding the Creative Arts course | 3 | |
| Select additional General Education courses to complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of General Education coursework. PUBH 100 and PUBH 110 may be applied toward General Education requirements; PUBH 130 and PUBH 200, which are part of the major, are also approved for General Education. e | 5 | |
| Total Hours | 27 | |
- a
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.
- b
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.
- c
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.
- d
A grade of C or better in PUBH 100 and PUBH 110 is required for progression to upper-level public health major coursework.
- e
Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog for a list of approved courses within each General Education category. All students must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of General Education coursework with at least one course from each of the six General Education categories.
Public Health Sciences Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning Course. Select one of the following (PUBH 130 is preferred): | 4 | |
| Introductory Public Health Statistics for Public Health Decision-Making a | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistics for the Life Sciences | ||
| PUBH 105 | Public Health Seminar I | 1 |
| PUBH 200 | Exploring Connections between Human Health and the Environment b | 3 |
| PUBH 205 | Public Health Seminar II | 1 |
| PUBH 301 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| PUBH 320 | Public Health Biology | 3 |
| PUBH 330 | Health Equity and Health Disparities | 3 |
| PUBH 345 | Critical Thinking and Public Health Communication | 3 |
| PUBH 350 | Health Systems, Policy, and Advocacy | 3 |
| PUBH 370 | Applied Public Health Methods | 3 |
| PUBH 395 | Public Health Seminar III | 1 |
| PUBH 397 | Baccalaureate Project in Public Health | 3 |
| PUBH 420 | Public Health Problem Solving: Epidemiology in Action! | 3 |
| Community Health Course. Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Public Health and Global Citizenship | ||
| Local Citizenship and Community Health Initiatives | ||
| Historical and Contemporary Public Health Challenges | ||
| Experiential Learning | 0-3 | |
| Focus Area d | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 46-50 | |
- a
This course is approved for Analyzing the Natural World General Education category (non-laboratory course).
- b
This course is approved for the Understanding the Individual and Society General Education category.
- c
This requirement can be met either through coursework such as PUBH 393 or noncredit bearing experiences. Students should consult their advisor for more information.
- d
Credits in the focus area should fulfill one of the following objectives: premedical/preprofessional studies; coursework toward a minor; a specific public health disciplinary focus; or progression into the joint BS-MPH program in consultation with the student’s advisor. Courses in the focus area are required to be upper-level courses.
Free Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Electives | ||
| Free electives to meet minimum required hours a | 43-47 | |
| Total Hours | 43-47 | |
- a
Students can use these electives for minors, prerequisites for professional programs (medical school, dental school, etc.), baccalaureate certificates, and other free electives. If any of the focus area courses have prerequisites that are not already satisfied by the University and General Education requirements, students are advised to choose free electives that will work toward satisfying these prerequisite requirements.
Sample Course Schedule
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ENGL 160 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts a | 3 |
| PUBH 105 | Public Health Seminar I | 1 |
| PUBH 110 | Public Health and Global Societies b | 3 |
| Understanding the Past course | 3 | |
| Understanding the Individual and Society course | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 1 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL 161 | Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| PUBH 100 | Health and the Public c | 3 |
| Select one of the following Analyzing the Natural World - Life Science with Lab courses: | 4 | |
| Biology of Cells and Organisms | ||
| Biology of Populations and Communities | ||
| Understanding the Creative Arts course | 3 | |
| Additional General Education course in any category | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PUBH 130 |
Introductory Public Health Statistics for Public Health Decision-Making a or Introduction to Statistics or Introduction to Statistics for the Life Sciences |
4 |
| PUBH 205 | Public Health Seminar II | 1 |
| PUBH 330 | Health Equity and Health Disparities | 3 |
| Free Electives | 7 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PUBH 200 | Exploring Connections between Human Health and the Environment | 3 |
| PUBH 301 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| Free Electives | 9 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PUBH 345 | Critical Thinking and Public Health Communication | 3 |
| PUBH 395 | Public Health Seminar III | 1 |
| PUBH 420 | Public Health Problem Solving: Epidemiology in Action! | 3 |
| Free Electives | 8 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PUBH 320 | Public Health Biology | 3 |
| PUBH 350 | Health Systems, Policy, and Advocacy | 3 |
| Free Electives | 9 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PUBH 370 | Applied Public Health Methods | 3 |
| PUBH 393 | Public Health Fieldwork d | 3 |
| Select one of the following Community Health courses: | 3-4 | |
| Public Health and Global Citizenship | ||
| Local Citizenship and Community Health Initiatives | ||
| Historical and Contemporary Public Health Challenges | ||
| Public Health Focus Area course e | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 2-3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PUBH 397 | Baccalaureate Project in Public Health | 3 |
| Public Health Focus Area course e | 3 | |
| Public Health Focus Area course e | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- a
Additional prerequisite course(s) may be required depending on placement level.
- b
This course satisfies the Exploring World Cultures General Education requirement.
- c
This course satisfies the Understanding U.S. Society General Education requirement.
- d
The Experiential Learning Requirement can be met either through coursework such as PUBH 393, or non-credit bearing experiences. Students should consult their advisor for more information.
- e
Students select 9 hours of approved Focus Area courses in consultation with their advisor. Credits in the focus area should fulfill one of the following objectives: coursework toward a minor; advanced foreign language or language area courses; pre-medical/preprofessional studies; a specific public health disciplinary focus; progression into the joint BS-MPH program; or other focus area in consultation with the student’s advisor. Courses in the Focus Area are required to be upper-level courses.