Public Health BA/BS

Majors will complete a core consisting of twelve courses and a capstone requirement spread out across their four years. Students have the choice of earning a BA or a BS, depending on which option they complete in addition to the core required courses.

 

Degree Requirements

 

The suggested sequence for core courses is:

First Year

PH 101Introduction to Public Health

4

BIOL 113General Biology

4

SOCI 241Health, Illness & Society

4

CHEM 109Chemistry and Society: General, Organic, and Biochemistry for Public Health

4

Sophomore Year

BIOL 104Introduction to Environmental Science

4

STAT 118Introductory Statistics

4.00

OR

STAT 227Intermediate Statistics: Design & Analys Analysis

4

BIOL 221Microbiology

4

SOCI 245Global Health

4

Junior Year

PH 345Health Systems & Policy

4

PH 201Introduction to Epidemiology

4

COMM 312Health Communications

4

Senior Year

PH 347Public Health Seminar

4

Capstone Requirement

Public Health Seniors will complete their capstone requirement by taking the Public Health Senior Seminar (PH 347), plus undertaking a senior internship or research experience over one or two semesters (totaling 180 -200 hours) and submitting an internship paper, a research paper, or a research thesis as the final product of their capstone experience.

In addition to the Public Health Senior Seminar (4 credits), students will pursue one of the following courses for 4 or 8 credits, depending on whether they are undertaking an internship, research experience, or thesis work.


For students doing internships

PH 370Internship

4

For students doing independent research

PH 350Independent Study

1-4

For students completing a thesis

PH 350Independent Study

1-4

BA in Public Health

Required Course

SOCI 239Introduction to Social Research I

4

Social Analysis Electives

Students must choose two additional courses from the BA electives list:
SOCI 232/AST 232/WGST 232Race, Gender & Health

4

CS 224Data Visualization

4

HON 303Hiv/Aids Intersections of Science and Society

4

IT 225Health Informatics

4

STAT 227Intermediate Statistics: Design & Analys Analysis

4

STAT 229Regression Models

4

BUS 234Organizational Communication & Behavior

4

PHIL 131Biomedical Ethics

4

POLS 217American Public Policy

4

PSYC 232Health Psychology

4

SOCI 220Working for Social Justice

4

SOCI 222Organizing for Social Change

4

SOCI 210Body Politics

4

SOCI 275Birth and Death

4

SOCI 285Drugs and Society

4

SOCI 321Sociology of Food

4

SOCI 339Community Research

4

AST 365Intimate Family Violence

4

BS in Public Health

Required Courses

BIOL 246Foundations of Exercise and Health

4

BIOL 347Human Development and Genetics

4

Elective Courses

Students must choose one additional course from the BS electives list:
BIOL 245Principles of Ecology

4

BIOL 338Microbial Pathogenesis

4

BIOL 341Microbiology of Food, Water, and Waste

4

CHEM 327Energy and Global Warming

4

CS 224Data Visualization

4

HON 303Hiv/Aids Intersections of Science and Society

4

IT 225Health Informatics

4

BUS 234Organizational Communication & Behavior

4

STAT 227Intermediate Statistics: Design & Analys Analysis

4

STAT 229Regression Models

4

NUTR 110Sociocultural Implications of Nutrition

4

PHIL 131Biomedical Ethics

4

POLS 217American Public Policy

4

PSYC 232Health Psychology

4

All students will be required to submit a final paper or thesis and make an oral presentation of their work at an approved internal or external symposium.

Arrangements for satisfying the independent learning requirement must be made with the student’s public health advisor before the end of the junior year.

In addition to completing the 12 core courses and fulfilling the capstone requirement, students will take an additional 3 courses for the major. Completion of these courses determines whether the student receives a BA or BS degree in Public Health.

Other

The Public Health Department has matriculation agreements in place for Masters Programs in Public Health with Boston University School of Public Health (Select Scholars Program) and The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Interested students should discuss these options with the Chair of the Public Health Department in the fall of their junior year.

Public Health Resources in Boston

Students will be encouraged to attend open lectures on Public Health in Boston. In addition, courses developed at Simmons will integrate guest speakers from the pool of expertise in the area.