Public Health Sciences Major (BA)

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The Public Health Sciences Major prepares students for jobs or advanced study in a wide range of areas including health promotion, chronic disease prevention, infectious disease prevention and outbreak investigation, health equity, health promotion, health and wellness program development, health policy and advocacy, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, food safety, behavioral and mental health sciences, community health, and international/global health.

Students planning to pursue graduate study in public health should check the admission requirements of the programs they are interested in applying to, and make sure they are completing all required prerequisite courses.

Students wishing to pursue a health professional degree (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, physician assistant, chiropractic medicine, etc.) after graduation from Hamline will need to complete an additional series of required prerequisite courses before applying to one of these programs. These courses will need to be completed in addition to the Public Health Sciences Major courses. All students interested in admission to a health professional program should work closely with a Pre-Health Advisor to make sure they are completing the appropriate prerequisite courses.

Public Health Sciences majors have the option to complete an interdisciplinary concentration in public policy. Please see below for details.

Major Requirements

The public health sciences major requires 13 courses as follows:

Statistics

One of the following:

Research Methods

One of the following:

Biology Foundation

One of the following course sequences (2 or 3 courses):

Sequence 1:

Sequence 2:

BIOL 1510 - Integrated Concepts in Biology I (with Lab)
BIOL 1520 - Integrated Concepts in Biology II (with Lab)
One 3000-level biology course from the elective list below (this course counts as one of the four required electives)

Internship or Research Experience

One internship or independent research project in the public health sciences:

PBHL 3990: Internship
PBHL 4010: Collaborative Research
PBHL 5010: Departmental Honors

Elective Courses

Three elective courses are required from the list below, at least two must be 3000-level. Students may choose up to two courses from outside of public health sciences. Students who complete the BIOL 1510-1520 sequence must also take a 3000-level biology elective. Please note that this list is not comprehensive; courses from several disciplines may count as electives, with the approval of the Program Director.

Many of these courses have prerequisites. Please check the course descriptions and plan accordingly.

Optional Interdisciplinary Concentration

Students pursuing a major in public health sciences may also choose to complete an interdisciplinary concentration in public policy.

Public Policy Concentration

The public policy concentration educates students about public policy and helps them to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to create innovative, socially responsible solutions to the most critical issues facing society. The program forms an arc, beginning with an introduction to ethical public policy, building skills with methodology coursework, and culminating with a capstone experience in which students engage directly with a public policy issue in a semester-long applied project or internship. Students will acquire an extensive set of skills in policy evaluation and analysis, equipping them to become agents of change to improve the quality of life for people and their communities, at home and abroad. The public policy concentration is open to students majoring in Criminology and Criminal Justice , Economics , Environmental Studies , Legal Studies , Political Science , or Public Health Science .

Concentration Requirements

PSCI 1200 - Introduction to Ethical Public Policy

One foundational methods course chosen from the following:

Two public policy courses:

Two electives chosen from the following:

(these courses help students to engage in policy analysis or navigate political/legal systems effectively)

Two electives chosen from the following:

(these courses help students to develop expertise in specific policy areas)

One senior capstone chosen from the following:

The capstone should be completed in the student’s major area and should include an applied public policy research project or internship.