What A Difference A Public Health Degree Can Make
Where others dream of change, public health graduates go out and make it. From emerging diseases to climate change and health disparities, public health is on the front line of addressing some of today's biggest problems. The Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) program integrates academic rigor with real-world solutions to promote healthy communities. This program will consist of core public health courses in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Health Policy, Social and Behavioral Health and interdisciplinary core courses in Anthropology, Communications, Health Sciences and Sociology.
Faculty and students collaborate with local health and community agencies to help prevent chronic disease, inform public policy and reduce health disparities. As students earn their degree, they will work to address health concerns that affect their community. Students will have the opportunity to design and test public health initiatives using an experiential approach through engaged scholarship opportunities.
A Degree That Fits Your World
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health is ideal for anyone with a passion for making a difference and improving health on a large scale. To help you succeed, you’ll get:
- One-on-one support from faculty with diverse public health experience
- A career-focused program to prepare you to solve public health challenges in your community and the world
- You can complete the program fully-online or on campus in Memphis, TN
The Demand
Public health is a growing and exciting field that seeks to prevent disease, promote health and achieve equity in local communities, the nation and the world. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health are in high demand.
In addition to the projected need for 250,000 new public health professionals in private, non-profit, government and international organizations, an additional 100,000 are estimated to be needed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree is more than a means to produce public health practitioners. It can complement or enrich a traditional biology-based, pre-health degree plan for students intending professional education in medicine, nursing, allied health or other health professions.
Qualifications & Requirements
To be eligible for the public health major students must successfully complete their General Education required courses with a grade of “C” or higher (on their first or second attempt), have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and be in good academic standing. Students are advised to declare the Public Health major no later than the end of their last semester of sophomore year to ensure completion of the major by their anticipated graduation date.
Graduation Requirements: 120 hours
• A minimum of 120 successfully completed credit hours
• A minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA
• Completion of general education requirements with a grade of “C” or higher in each
course
• Completion of public health major requirements with a grade of “C” or higher in
each course
I. General Education: 41 hours
See the University General Education Program requirements and the School of Public Health's Sample Program of Study for a guide to recommended general education courses. Please note that only lower level courses with “C” or better may be counted toward the major.
II. Integrated Public Health Core: 30 hours
- PUBH 3120 Environmental Health: Basics & Methods (3)
- PUBH 4121 Environmental Health: Practice & Application (3)
- PUBH 3130 Introduction to Social Determinants of Health (3)
- PUBH 4131 Public Health & Social Justice (3)
- PUBH 3150 Analytic & Research Methods in Public Health I (3)
- PUBH 4151 Analytic & Research Methods in Public Health II (3)
- PUBH 3180 Public Health Principles & Practice I (3)
- PUBH 4181 Public Health Principles & Practice II (3)
- PUBH 3710 Public Health Systems & Policy I (3)
- PUBH 4711 Public Health Systems & Policy II (3)
III. Interdisciplinary Core: 15 hours
- ANTH 4511 Medical Anthropology (3)
- ANTH 4571 Race and Health Disparities (3)
- COMM 4015 Health Literacy (3)
- HLSC 4200 Cultural Competence in Health (3)
- SOCI 4442 Sociology of Poverty (3)
IV. Field Experience & Capstone: 5 hours
- PUBH 4010 Fieldwork (2)
- PUBH 4985 Capstone Experience (3)
Senior Capstone Experience (3 hours)
The senior Capstone Experience is a student's culminating experience or capstone designed
to synthesize and integrate the content of a student's program of study. The senior
project is intended to coalesce the theoretical and applied areas of study into an
academically-relevant example of scholarship. Students will complete research on a
topic of their choice with approval of their senior project instructor. The senior
capstone project is completed during a student's final semester and includes a completed
e-portfolio.
V. Guided Electives: 12 hours – Select four (4) courses from the list below
- PUBH 3101 Envrnmtnl Health in the Media (3)
- PUBH 3102 Epidemics: From the Plague to Ebola (3)
- ANTH 3500 Anth of Global Health (3)
- ANTH 3511 Culture/Kin/Family (3)
- ANTH 4111 Evolution & Human Health (3)
- ANTH 4417 Hidden Worlds of Food (3)
- ANTH 4521 Culture, Soc & Mental Health (3)
- ANTH 4531 Alcohol, Drugs & Culture (3)
- BIOL/ESCI 4241 Biogeog/GIS Analyses/Ecology (3)
- CDFS 3401 Parent Child Relations (3)
- CDFS 3410 Social Emotional Learning in Early Childhood (3)
- CJUS 4460 Race/Ethnicity/Gender /America (3)
- COMM 4016 Public Health Campaigns (3)
- HLSC 4100 Health & Aging (3)
- NUTR 4602 Community Nutr (3)
- PHIL 3514 Biomedical Ethics (3)
- SOCI 4851 Medical Sociology (3)
- SWRK 4061 Substance Abuse Treatment (3)
- SWRK 2911 Social Response to Human Need (3)
For more detailed information please review:
Tuition and Fees
For estimated tuition, visit the University & Student Business Services' Fee Charts >
Contact Us
Emma Draluck, MPH
Instructor Coordinator
kdraluck@memphis.edu
(901) 678-1687
Debra Bartelli, DrPH
Undergraduate Program Director
dbrtelli@memphis.edu
(901) 678-1395
Briana McNeil
Coordinator, Recruitment and Admissions
sphadmissions@memphis.edu
(901) 678-3740