B.S. in Public Health

To request a copy of the accreditation documents, please email amana.kaskazi@ejb.rutgers.edu .

Council on Education for Public Health website: ceph.org

Notice of Third Party Comments Regarding Accreditation Review

The major in Public Health (832, 832D) prepares students for entry-level careers in population health and disease prevention. Public health professionals work in a wide range of services including infectious disease control; health problems of children, older adults, and the medically underserved; chronic disease management; health monitoring and surveillance; environmental/occupational health and safety; and emergency preparedness. Our students learn about the upstream factors that influence community health, particularly poverty, housing, work and unemployment, social exclusion, food security, transportation, access to health and social services, and evidence-based, data-driven decision-making.

Mission, Vision, and Values
of the Undergraduate Public Health Program

Public Health Curriculum

NEW! Public Health Course Catalog Descriptions (Fall 2020) (PDF)

Download the Public Health Suggested Course Sequence (PDF)

SAS and SEBS Students (832)

Students in the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) and students in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) seeking to declare the Public Health major must apply for admission to the major prior to declaring it.

Applicants must have a minimum grade of “C” or better in each of the pre-requisite courses and be in good academic standing. SAS and SEBS students can apply during one of our application cycles listed here

Students are advised to declare the Public Health major no later than their first semester of junior year to ensure completion of the major by their anticipated graduation date.

Only courses with “C” or better may be counted towards the major, and students must complete the Core Curriculum requirements of their primary school. The degree is awarded jointly by the Bloustein School and SAS or SEBS.

Public Health is a credit-intensive major so the minor requirement is waived by SAS and SEBS. However, students are encouraged to complete a minor, even though they are not required to do so.

Prerequisites (12-15 cr)

• 355:101 Expository Writing (3)
• 775:205 Basic Statistical Methods (3-4) or equivalent  (see approved equivalent statistics courses in Degree Navigator)
• One human biology course (3-4) (see approved human biology courses in Degree Navigator)
• One chemistry course (3-4)
  • 160:127 Impact of Chemistry (3)
  • 160:128 Chemistry of Life (3)
  • 160:161 or 162 General Chemistry I or II (4)

Transfer (Direct Admit) Students (832D)

Transfer students seeking the Public Health major must have at least 30 credits before applying to the Bloustein School. Successful applicants will have completed the prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or better, and have achieved an overall GPA of at least 2.5.

Current Rutgers students seeking a school-to-school transfer from another Rutgers unit, or students transferring to Rutgers from another college or university, must apply via the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. For a school-to-school transfer apply here. If you are transferring from outside of Rutgers, apply here. Contact ugadmissions@ejb.rutgers.edu for more information.

This program is designed to accommodate the needs of transfer, adult, and nontraditional students. For more information, please visit  https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/undergraduate/nts/

Transfer students from New Jersey community colleges are encouraged to complete lower-division prerequisite courses and the associate’s degree in order to benefit from the NJ Statewide Transfer Agreement.

Only courses with “C” or better may be counted towards program requirements. Upon completing the major, all General Education requirements, and a minimum of 30 credits at Rutgers (12 within the Bloustein School) with at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA, the student will receive the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from the Bloustein School.

• 355:101 Expository Writing (3)
• 775:205 Basic Statistical Methods (3-4) or equivalent 
• One human biology course (3-4)*
• One chemistry course (3-4)*
  • 160:127 Impact of Chemistry (3)
  • 160:128 Chemistry of Life (3)
  • 160:161 or 162 General Chemistry I or II (4)

Public Health (832 and 832D) Major Requirements (46-47 cr)

Core (31 cr)

• 832:201 Principles of Public Health (3)
• 832:212 Introduction to Health Disparities (3) – Open to majors only
• 832:240 Global Health Perspectives (3)
• One of the following intensive writing courses (3):
  • 775:300 Writing for Professionals (3)
  • 832:339 Public Health Literature (3) – Prerequisites: 832:201 and 355:101
  • 355:303 Writing for Business and the Professions (3)
  • 355:302 Scientific and Technical Writing (3)
  • 355:315 Writing Grant Proposals (3)
• 832:335 Epidemiology (3) – Prerequisites: Statistics or Pre-calculus and 832:201
• 832:356 Public Health Law and Ethics (3)
• 775:395 Research Methods (4) – Prerequisites: Open to majors only; 775:205 or equivalent statistics
• 775:450 Leadership Seminar (3) – Prerequisites: Open to majors only; min. 85 credits; Pre or Co-requisite Research Methods (10:775:395)
• *775:499 Professional Practice Internship (6) – Prerequisites: 832:395 or 775:395; and 832:450 or 775:450; and 100 credits; open to majors only

*Students seeking to replace 775:499 with 832:497, 498 Bloustein Honors Research (3, 3) should contact their advisor.

Required Electives: 15 credits of electives with course code 832, 9 credits of which must be at the 300-level or higher.

Students interested in select career paths should consider clustering their electives and seek advising early in their program of studies.

Certificate Programs

The Bloustein School offers a variety of Public Health certificates. Certificates are awarded only with, or subsequent to receiving a bachelor’s degree. Awarded certificates appear on the student’s final transcript. Students must declare their intention to pursue a certificate program with the Bloustein School prior to their last semester of study in order to qualify to receive a certificate.

Contact ugadmissions@ejb.rutgers.edu for more information.

Joint BA/MPH or BS/MPH Program

Exceptional, well-prepared students from any major with at least 60 credits and a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better, and who wish to pursue graduate studies at the Rutgers School of Public Health are encouraged to seek advising about the Accelerated (BA/MPH or BS/MPH) program.

Contact ugadmissions@ejb.rutgers.edu for more information.

Careers

To learn about opportunities for majors in Public Health, click here.