Jul 27, 2024  
2023-2024 University Catalog 
    
2023-2024 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Public Health, BS


About the Program


The Public Health major prepares students to plan, implement, and evaluate public health programs for individuals, groups, and populations in a variety of settings that include worksites, hospitals, and communities. As healthcare costs continue to rise in the United States, training a highly skilled public health workforce is becoming a much greater priority. Courses in this major introduce students to the five core public health competency areas (Behavioral Social Sciences, Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, and Health Policy and Management).  Students have the flexibility to customize their course selections to match their particular interests in the field of public health. An internship in a clinical, community, worksite, or government public health setting is part of the curriculum.

 

Department of Public Health

Public Health Major Change (CODO) Requirements  

Degree Requirements


120 Credits Required

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (60-65 credits)


Electives (19-24 credits)


Grade Requirements


  • “C-” or better required in all PUBH courses.

GPA Requirements


  • 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.

Course Requirements and Notes


  • Double-counting policy - Double-counting courses are allowed if the course is listed on multiple selective lists. 
  • Study Abroad Course for Culture & Diversity Selective can be used upon approval of PUBH department.

Pass/No Pass Policy


  • A student may elect the Pass / Not-Pass grading option for elective courses only, unless an academic unit requires that a specific departmental course/s be taken Pass / Not-Pass.  Students may elect to take University Core Curriculum courses Pass / Not-Pass; however, some major Plans of Study require courses that also fulfill UCC foundational outcomes.  In such cases, students may not elect the Pass / Not-Pass option.  A maximum of 24 credits of elective courses under the Pass / Not-pass grading option can be used toward graduation requirements. For further information, students should refer to the College of Health and Human Sciences Pass / Not-Pass Policy.

Transfer Credit Policy


  • Transfer credit can be applied to the major if it is equivalent to the major requirements. 
  • Undistributed credits may be applied to elective credits required in the major. 

University Requirements


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the Provost’s Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC) 

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement


The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

  • Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
  • Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
  • Earning a passing grade for one of these approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course).

Upper Level Requirement


  • Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
  • Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Sample 4-Year Plan


16-18 Credits


16-17 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


16 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


15 Credits


15-16 Credits


15 Credits


Fall 4th Year


15 Credits


Spring 4th Year


Students may also do internship during the summer and graduate in August.

9-12 Credits


Pre-Requisite Information


For pre-requisite information, click here.

World Language Courses


World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japenese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.  Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful.  These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”. 

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student.

The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.