Minor in Public Health

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General Requirements

A minimum of 22 credit hours in public health coursework, including a minimum of 9 upper-division credit hours, are required for the minor. All coursework applied to the minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better; no pass/fail work may be applied. The grade point average for all public health coursework must equal 2.00 (C) or higher.

Students will be allowed to apply no more than 9 credit hours, including 6 upper-division credit hours of transfer work towards a minor in public health.

The course catalog for the Public Health Minor can be found .

Major and Minor FAQ


Fundamentals of Public Health - Required Courses - 10 Credits

PBHL 2692 (3) Foundations in Public Health*
*Must be taken before GEOG 3692 and IPHY 3490

PBHL/GEOG 3692 (4) Introduction to Global Public Health

PBHL/IPHY 3490 (3) Introduction to Epidemiology


Introduction to Biology Course - 3 Credits

One of the following:

EBIO 1100 (3) Biology and Society

or EBIO 1210 (3) General Biology

or MCDB 1150 (3) Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology


Introduction to Statistics Course - 3-4 Credits

One of the following:
*courses with significant prerequisites are listed last

ANTH 4000 (4) Quantitative Methods in Anthropology

or EBIO 1010(3) Introduction to Statistics and Quantitative Thinking for Biologists

or ECON 3818 (4) Introduction to Statistics with Computer Applications [prerequisites include Calculus]

or GEOG 3023 (4) Statistics for Geography

or IPHY 3280 (4) Introduction to Data Science and Biostatistics

or MATH 2510 (3) Introduction to Statistics [prerequisites include Algebra]

or PSCI 2075 (3) Quantitative Research Methods

or PSYC 2111 (4) Psychological Science I: Statistics [prerequisites include Algebra]

or SOCY 2061 (3) Introduction to Social Statistics

or STAT 2600 (4) Introduction to Data Science [prerequisites include Calculus]

or ENVS 2010(4) Introduction to Statistics for Environmental Studies


Elective Courses in Public Health - Minimum 6 Credits

Six credit hours of public health electives. At least one course (at least 3 credits) must be at the upper-division level, and at least one course (at least 3 credits) must be from outside of the student's major.

Electives by Category

ClassSummer 2026Fall 2026Spring 2027
ANTHÌý2600 (3) Plagues and the Human Response from Past to PresentNoYesYes
ANTH 4610 (3) Medical AnthropologyNoYesNo
ANTH 4645 (3) Stress: From Old Bones to MoleculesNoNoNo
ANTH 4655 (3) Human Health and Disease in the Past: Paleopathology & PaleoepidemiologyNoNoNo
ECON 4646 (3) Topics in Health Economics (depends on topic)NoNoNo
ENVS 3525 (3) Intermediate Environmental Problem Analysis: Topical Cornerstones: Health and the Built EnvironmentNoNoNo
PBHL 4000 (3) Special Topics in Public Health (Public Health Communication)
NoNoYes
PSCIÌý3216 (3) Politics of Social PolicyNoNoNo
PSYC 4021 (3) Psychology and Neuroscience of ExerciseYesYesYes
PSYC 4541 (3) Special Topics in Psychology - Social Science (Prevention Science: Promoting Positive Youth and Adult Development; Science of Happiness; Sports Psychology)YesYesYes
PSYC 4606 (3) Advanced Topics in Social Psychology (select topics)NoNoNo
SOCY 1022 (3) Ethics and Social Issues in U.S. Health and MedicineNoYesYes
SOCYÌý2034 (3) Drugs in United States SocietyYesYesYes
SOCY 3032 (3) Social EpidemiologyNoNoNo
SOCY 3045 (3) Sociology of Death and DyingNoNoNo
SOCY 3052 (3) Medical SociologyNoYesYes
SOCY 4052 (3) Social Inequalities in HealthYesYesYes
SOCY 4062 (3) Suffering and Care in SocietyNoYesNo
WGST 2850 (3) Sex, Religion, and Politics in US HealthcareNoNoYes
ClassSummer 2026Fall 2026Spring 2027
EBIO 3400 (4) MicrobiologyYesYesYes
ECON 4646 (3) Topics in Health EconomicsNoNoNo
ENVS 4800 (3) Capstone: Critical Thinking in Environmental Studies: Water Quality and Health RisksNoNoNo
GEOG 2552Ìý(3) Healthy Places, Toxic Spaces: Geographies of Wellbeing Risk, and CareNoNoNo
GEOG 4602 (3) Global Perspectives on Urban Resilience and Sustainability PlanningÌýÌýNo
GEOG 4692 (3) Climate Change and HealthNoNoYes
GEOG 4792 (3) Human Health and the EnvironmentÌýYesNo
GEOG 4852 (3) Health and Medical GeographyNoNoNo
GEOG 3782 (3) Environmentalism, Race, and JusticeNoNoNo
Ìý Ìý OR ENVS 3034 (3) Foundations of Environmental JusticeNoYesYes
Ìý Ìý OR HONR 4075 (3) Environmental JusticeNoYesNo
HIST 2830 (3) Disease and Public Health in Global HistoryNoYesYes
SOCY 4007 (3) Global Human EcologyNoNoNo
ClassSummer 2026Fall 2026Spring 2027
ANTH 4060 (3) Nutrition and AnthropologyNoYesYes
EBIO 3630 (4) ParasitologyNoNoYes
GEOG 4693 (3) GIS and Public HealthÌýYesNo
IPHY 2420 (3): Introduction to NutritionYesYesYes
OR IPHY 3440 (3) Clinical NutritionYesYesYes
IPHY 3590 (3) Health and Function over the Adult LifespanNoNoNo
IPHY 4040 (3) History of MedicineYesNoNo
IPHY 4041 (3) Global Health and DiseaseYesNoNo
IPHY 4420 (3) Nutrition and Human PerformanceYesNoYes
IPHY 4780 (3) Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and HealthNoNoNo
MCDB 3160 (3) Infectious DiseaseNoNoÌýNoÌý
MCDB 4150 (3) Biology of Aging and LongevityNoNoÌýNoÌý
NRSC 4062 (3) The Neurobiology of StressNoYesNo
PBHL 3000Ìý(3) Special Topics in Public Health (Intro to U.S. Health Policy)ÌýÌýYes
PBHL 3850Ìý(3) Research Methods in Public HealthÌýÌýYes
PBHL 4000 (3) Special Topics in Public Health (Population Health)NoNoNo
PBHL 4000 (3) Special Topics in Public Health (Drug Use and Public Health)ÌýYesNo
PBHL 4100Ìý(3) Special Topics in Public Health (Infectious Disease Case Studies)ÌýÌýYes
PBHL/PSYC/GEOG 4542 (3) Public Health Capstone Research Methods: Environmental Interventions to the Mental Health EpidemicNoNoNo
PHIL 1160 (3) Introduction to Medical EthicsYesYesYes
Ìý Ìý ÌýOR PHIL 3160 (3) BioethicsYesYesYes
PSYC 2012 (3) Biological PsychologyYesYesYes
PSYC 4541 (3) Special Topics in Psychology - Social Science: Prevent Mental/Beh DisordersNoNoNo
SLHS 1010 (3) Disabilities in Contemporary American SocietyYesYesYes
SOCY 2031 (3) Social ProblemsYesYesYes
SOCY 4117 (3) Food and SocietyYesYesYes
SPAN 3080 (3) Spanish for Health ProfessionsNoYesNo
WGST/JWST 4200 (3) Religion and Reproductive Politics in the United StatesYesNoYes
WRTG 3020 (3) Topics in Writing: Medical Discourse and the BodyYesYesNo

Petition for Courses to be Approved for PUBH Major/Minor

The purpose of this form is to submit a course that is not currently part of the Public Health Program (be it the Major or Minor). This could be a new course, a transfer course from another institution, or a course that is exclusively taught as part of a Study Abroad program. If you are a student transferring into Âé¶¹´«Ã½, please contact the Transfer Office.

Electives in Public Health

Students may only use three courses (up to 9 credits) from outside of the Âé¶¹´«Ã½ campus for the BA degree in Public Health. For the minor in Public Health, only one elective can be from an institution other than Âé¶¹´«Ã½.

For a course from outside of Âé¶¹´«Ã½ to count as an elective for the BA in Public Health or the minor in Public Health, it must do one of the following:

  • Be counted as equivalent to a course on the current list of approved electives that are taught at Âé¶¹´«Ã½. Equivalency of these courses will be done by the department that teaches that course at Âé¶¹´«Ã½ OR
  • Meet the following criteria:
    • Cover a topic of relevance to public health, which means that it is addressing a health outcome at the population level (not solely the individual level) and discussing determinants beyond just biological determinants (to include potentially environmental, social, political, economic, or behavioral determinants) This can be from a historical or current perspective. AND
    • Have a public health rather than a medical focus such that it is more about prevention rather than treatment of health outcomes (or if there is a treatment focus, that it addresses treatment as a means of prevention which applies in the case of infectious diseases) AND
    • Discusses health equity (including health disparities/inequalities/inequities, unequal exposures, environmental injustice, or structural violence) in some way.Ìý

Criteria for Course Approval for PUBH Major/Minor