20 Best Undergraduate Public Health Programs

One of the best places to be during finals week is the University of California, San Diego. Join more than 35,000 other students in a “primal scream,” a 5-minute break during which students all over the campus let out their stress and frustration about the upcoming grueling exams. One of the country’s most scenic campuses, students at UCSD can earn a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and seek to improve the health of human beings throughout the community and beyond.

The BS in public health is comprised of a 120-credit curriculum that includes:

• prerequisites in math and science
• major core discipline courses
• public health major electives
• additional electives
• a final capstone project

The capstone is a culminating experience taken at the end of the program during which public health students show mastery of their studies and apply what they’ve learned. Interested applicants should contact an admissions counselor for all documentation and prerequisites needed for entry into the school and program. UCSD ranks No. 10 on the list of Top Public Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Located between Los Angeles and San Diego, the University of California, Irvine has a unique mascot, Peter the Anteater. The university is the second-largest employer in Orange County, generating nearly $5 billion of income for the county each year. The Public Health Sciences Bachelor of Science aims to prepare students to become health professionals and difference-makers in an ever-changing county, state, country, and world.

The BS program requirements ask that public health students complete:

• 120 semester credits
• a public health practicum
• a culminating experience

BS in public leaht concentrations are available in:

• Epidemiology
• Genetics
• Health Informatics
• Environmental and Global Health Sciences
• Infectious and Chronic Diseases

Applicants must meet with a public health counselor before declaring the major. New public health students must also include with their application all transcripts and standardized test scores. UCI ranks No. 9 on the list of Top Public Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The University of California, Berkeley, located just a few miles outside of San Francisco, is one of the nation’s top colleges. It ranks No. 2 on the list of Top Public Schools, according to U.S. News & World Report. The university also ranks No. 1 on the list for Environmental Health, which is a concentration available within the Bachelor of Arts in Public Health.

Students must complete a list of required lower-division prerequisite courses before beginning the public health program. The curriculum requires:

• 17 units of upper-division courses
• 10 units of electives
• a capstone

Students must also take a lower-division course in Foundations of Data Science. Applicants to the BAPH program must submit:

• two essays
• a resume
• all academic records and transcripts

Students may also be eligible to receive a Global Health Certificate by meeting the summer course requirements listed on the UCB website.

Texas A&M University, located in College Station, TX, is known for its large variety of clubs, most notably the Corps of Cadets and the Aggie Corps which are both student military organizations. In all, TAMU has more than 1,000 student organizations to join! Students who study for a Bachelor of Science in Public Health will learn how to design and implement interventions for people suffering from health issues and learn how to assess and manage the needed interventions.

The 120-credit curriculum requires the completion of general education courses, major courses, and directed electives. Courses cover areas like:

• Public Health Writing
• Strategies for Public Health Improvement
• Public Health Communication
• Global Public Health
• Environmental Health Sciences
• Project Management in Public Health

Interested first-year students must submit an essay and all academic records to the office of admissions. TAMU ranks No. 10 on the list of Best National Universities, according to Washington Monthly.

Located in the state’s capital, the University of Texas at Austin is where you’ll see students making a “Hook Em’ Horns” sign to each other, the No. 1 college hand signal in the nation, according to Sports Illustrated. The Bachelor of Science in Public Health is designed to teach students to preserve, promote, and improve the health and well-being of individuals and the community.

The interdisciplinary program requires 120 semester hours of coursework, nine of which must come from either concentration courses or electives. Concentrations in the program include:

• Biostatistics and Public Health Informatics
• Environmental Health Sciences
• Health Policy and Management
• Infectious Diseases and Public Health Microbiology
• Nutrition
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

Interested applicants in UT’s 4+1 Program should contact an admissions counselor through the school’s website for more information. The program allows students to complete the Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Master of Public Health degrees in five years by taking courses at the UT Health Science Center School of Public Health. UT ranks No. 48 on the list of Best National Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.

It is hard to find any better environment for student life and athletics than the University of Florida, in Gainesville. UF boasts 39 national team championships in women’s and men’s sports. Home football games are played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, also known as “The Swamp,” which holds more than 91,000 raucous Gators fans. This makes earning a Bachelor of Public Health, a degree designed to give students the necessary skills to manage both individual and community health needs, more enjoyable.

The BPH offers a 4+1 plan that allows students to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public health within five years through:

• accelerated coursework
• extra fieldwork experience
• project completion

The BPH curriculum itself requires 120 credits and includes internship opportunities for students looking to gain hands-on experience in the field. Students can also decide to pursue a minor in Public Health by taking 12 courses, including:

• Substance Abuse
• Health Literacy
• U.S. Health Care Systems
• Diseases and Disabilities I

Before beginning the actual Public Health program, students must complete a number of prerequisites listed on the UF website, including:

• six credits in social and behavioral sciences
• complete General College Biology
• maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in their general education coursework

UF ranks No. 7 on the list of Top Public Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.

More than half of the student body at Rutgers University are minority and/or international students; more than 115 countries are represented on campus. Located in Piscataway, NJ, a Rutgers Bachelor of Science in Public Health prepares students for a career in a variety of fields as a health professional with studies in areas such as disease prevention, health monitoring and surveillance, and emergency preparedness.

Prior to beginning the major coursework, students must take four prerequisites, including one biology course and one chemistry course. As a part of the public health Bachelor of Science degree, students take:

• 31 core credits
• 15 elective credits
• a leadership seminar
• complete a professional practice internship

Applicants must hold a high school diploma or GED and supply the university with standardized test scores and official transcripts. Rutgers ranks No. 39 on the list of Best National Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the state’s first university and is the only North Carolina school that offered degrees during the 1700s. It is one of the three oldest public universities in the U.S., along with the University of Georgia and the College of William & Mary. Unlike other universities with a public health major, the UNC Bachelor of Science in Public Health specializes in Biostatistics. Their public health program is designed to teach students the advanced skills in technology they will need to study and research health problems across the nation.

The 120-credit curriculum includes fieldwork and an optional senior honors project that requires a:

• thesis
• capstone
• dissertation

Sixty of the credits needed for the Bachelor of Science in Public Health include general education courses, while the other 60 are a combination of required core coursework, electives, and projects. Applicants to the public health program must meet all required prerequisite coursework and provide admissions officials with:

• transcripts
• standardized test scores
• three letters of recommendation

UNC ranks No. 29 on the list of Best National Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Arizona State University is a college baseball powerhouse, sending over 100 players to the Major Leagues. It has also been a power in golf, graduating superstar players like Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, and Grace Park. From an academic standpoint, ASU is also impressive, ranking No. 1 as the Most Innovate School in the Nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. Students get advanced training in the Bachelor of Science in Public Health not just by learning the essential skills in the field, but by applying them through fieldwork and a required internship. 

The public health major offered at the downtown Phoenix campus offers five core areas of study:

• behavior science and health education
• health services administration
• biostatistics
• environmental health
• epidemiology

The 120-credit curriculum mixes lectures with:

• fieldwork
• seminars
• laboratories

These hands on learning opportunities help public health program students best be prepared for the field after they graduate.

Applicants must hold a high school diploma and supply the admissions office with official transcripts and SAT/ACT test scores. For all other documentation, contact a counselor via the ASU website.

The University of Illinois is one of seven schools that developed the idea of the Big 10 Conference, the nation’s first athletics conference and one of the most popular conferences in all of college athletics. The Chicago campus offers undergraduates a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health that provides them with the foundation they need to expand their knowledge about the different health concerns in the population and how to resolve them.

After completing 60 semester credits of pre-public health coursework, students must complete 60 credits in the public health major to earn a degree. As part of the curriculum, students take 35 required major credits and 25 credits in electives. As part of the major coursework, public health program students complete a professional topics seminar and a baccalaureate project in Public Health.

UI ranks No. 13 on the list of Top Public Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Entering public health freshmen must supply the office of admissions with:

• official transcripts
• SAT/ACT test scores
• proof of a high school diploma or GED
  

The University of Maryland has graduated 18 Pulitzer Prize winners, including Washington Post journalist Carl Bernstein who helped break and investigate the Watergate scandal. A Bachelor of Science in Public Health Science, completed at the Shady Grove, MD campus, combines the natural sciences with training in public health-related fields such as:

• biostatistics
• epidemiology
• environmental health
• kinesiology

The program traditionally begins in a student’s third or fourth year of study, after they have completed all general education requirements. Students take courses and complete fieldwork that addresses public health concerns at the local, national, and global levels. The courses prepare students for careers in:

• health policy
• wellness and fitness
• allied health
• health communication
• health administration
• health education

Applicants should submit all official transcripts and test scores to the university’s admissions office. They must also answer all essay questions included in the application. UM ranks No. 24 on the list of Top Public Schools, according to U.S. News & World Report. 

The Ohio State University is the only school in the nation with the word “The” as an official part of its school name. The university has many prominent alumni, including golfer Jack Nicklaus, Olympian Jesse Owens, actress Patricia Heaton, and artist Roy Lichtenstein. A Bachelor of Science in Public Health integrates many disciplines to teach students measures to prevent premature death and illness. 

The 120-credit public health major covers a wide range of issues, including:

• environmental health
• obesity
• prevention of contagious diseases
• bioterrorism
• access to health care

Students can choose a specialization in either Public Health Sociology or Environmental Public Health. Both specializations have a capstone course that may include an internship and research or honors thesis. Students are also encouraged to join the student organization Buckeyes for Public Health to gain more experience in the field.

Applicants are required to submit official transcripts and ACT/SAT test scores to the office of admissions. OSU ranks No. 17 on the list of Top Public Schools, according to U.S. News & World Report.

San Diego State ranks as one of the Top 25 Most Diverse campuses, according to U.S. News & World Report and has seen more than 90 students receive Fulbright Awards for their academic excellence. The Bachelor of Science in Public Health prepares students to develop, implement, and assess public health programs in different settings with diverse populations, in an effort to reduce the risk of future health threats.

Students take 11 courses in preparation for the major, which is a mixture of lecture classes and laboratories. As part of the major coursework, students take 48 upper-division units and complete either a:

• study abroad program
• study-travel program
• an exchange program
• an extra listed course that helps meet the international experience requirement

Applicants must hold a high school diploma and submit to the office of admissions all SAT/ACT test scores and official transcripts. Students must also take and earn a grade of B- or higher in Introduction to Public Health and Health Professions and Organizations.

The College of New Jersey is perfect for those who love a small campus feel. With just over 6,000 full-time students and a student-to-teacher ratio of 13:1, the Ewing Township, NJ campus has a retention rate of 93% among freshmen and sophomores. The public health major mixes coursework with fieldwork to help students better understand the health issues that are major concerns in the population today.

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health curriculum requires 14 units of coursework in five categories. This includes:

• an orientation course
• two units of public health support courses
• six units of public health core courses
• four units of concentration or elective courses
• two units in an internship

Overall, the program totals 120 hours, which includes a wide range of general education classes. Applicants must submit all official transcripts and SAT/ACT test scores to the office of admissions for review. TCNJ ranks No. 4 on the list of Best Regional Universities North, according to U.S. News & World Report.

One of the best moments of any college football game around the country happens at West Virginia University when the whole crowd sings John Denver’s classic “Country Roads Take Me Home.” It’s been a tradition at every home game since 1972. Located in Morgantown, the university offers undergraduates a Bachelor of Science in Public Health designed to teach them core values and principles they need to promote good health to others.

The 118-credit curriculum includes:

• general education courses
• seminars in public health
• electives
• foundational courses
• minor courses
• concentration courses
• field experience

On campus, students have the opportunity to explore community and health service opportunities within student organizations and get experience through internships in health agencies. Applicants to the public health program must have a minimum 2.5 GPA to apply. If the GPA is below 3.0, ACT/SAT test score requirements must be satisfied for acceptance. Applicants are required to submit all test scores and official transcripts to the office of admissions.

Many of the University of Minnesota’s five campuses, including the one in Duluth, have unique on-campus structures such as bridges, tunnels, and indoor hallways that connect buildings, so students can avoid walking outside in the frigid winter cold. With a Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Health, students learn about preventative measures for diseases and ways to promote positive health in the community they serve.

The 120-credit curriculum includes a mixture of general education courses, concentration courses, core major courses, and electives. Concentrations are available in Community Health Education/Promotion and School Health Education. All courses are delivered face-to-face in a classroom setting.Students are required to complete 45 prerequisite credits before being admitted to the public health program. In that coursework, students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and must provide the office of admissions with official transcripts before applying for the BASc.

Studying at California State University, Fullerton will give you something in common with some prominent people who earned a degree from the popular West Coast college, including actor Kevin Costner, singer Gwen Stafani, and race car driver Ashley Force Hood. A Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health prepares students for a broad spectrum of health-related careers.

The program requires two prerequisites, Personal Health and Introduction to Public Health. After those are met, along with all general education requirements, students complete 28 core semester units, 18 global health units, and an upper-division writing requirement. Overall, 120 semester hours are needed to earn a BS.Entering freshmen must hold a high school diploma and are required to submit all official transcripts and test scores to the university. CSUF ranks No. 3 in Best Regional Public Universities West, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The University of South Florida is one of the best colleges for public health majors. Located in the beautiful city of Tampa, FL, the USF is surrounded by plenty of attractions and great nightlife, not to mention it is less than an hour away from the Florida beaches. A Bachelor of Science in Public Health allows students to study different techniques and strategies to help the public overcome a variety of mental and behavioral health issues.

After completing the general education requirements, students must take 54 semester credits in the public health major. Thirty of these come from required core courses, 12 come from required skills courses, and a final 12 come from required electives and specializations. Students can choose a specialization in:

• Global Health
• Infection Control
• Nutrition
• Environmental and Occupational Health

Students interested in the public health program must take four State Communication courses and finish with a grade of C- or better to be eligible for entry to the major. For all other documentation requirements, or to ask any questions, students can contact USF’s admissions office through its website. 

Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Boone, NC, Appalachian State University offers plenty of great views for students who study there while providing them a high-quality education. ASU ranks No. 6 on the list of Best Regional Universities South and Best First-Year Experiences, according to U.S. News & World Report. They are also one of the top colleges with a public health major. Their Bachelor of Science in Public Health prepares students to work in diverse settings and help to make a positive difference in the population.

Overall, the program requires:

• 44 general education credits
• 27 public health core credits
• nine applied practice credits
• six required major credits
• a six-credit internship that counts as a capstone project

Students may also take up to 18 hours of minor or elective coursework. To be admitted to the major, applicants must have a high school diploma with a minimum 2.5 GPA and 12 semester hours at either ASU or another post-secondary institution. The admissions office requires official transcripts as well as standardized test scores to be submitted.

International students play a big role at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, where more than 150 countries are represented. The Bachelor of Science in Public Health offers opportunities for students in education, research, and community involvement. The BS teaches students how to work to eliminate health disparities and lend aid to those struggling with a variety of health issues.

The program can be completed fully online and provides students with emphasis options in:

• Health Promotion
• Global Health
• Environmental and Occupational Health
• Health Systems Theory and Practice
• Quantitative Methods in Public Health

The 120-credit curriculum includes a list of prerequisites that can be met through:

• general education requirements
• 25 units of core coursework
• 12 units of emphasis coursework
• 15 units of electives

Students also complete a six-unit internship during their studies, which gets them involved in the community.

Applicants must provide the admissions office with official transcripts and SAT/ACT test scores. In 2017, UA ranked No. 34 on the list of Best National Universities in the U.S., according to The Center for World University Rankings.