Undergraduate Degree Requirements
The University of Michigan School of Public Health Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Community and Global Public Health and Bachelor of Science (BS) in Public Health Sciences provide an interdisciplinary undergraduate liberal education through the lens of
public health.
To qualify for a bachelor's degree from the School of Public Health, a student must complete a minimum 120 credits. This includes successful completion of the prerequisite courses and a minimum of 60 upper-level credits, with 45 of those credits coming from courses offered by the School of Public Health. The remaining 15 credits, the general upper-level electives, can be fulfilled by any upper-level course (300-level or above). These can be additional courses in public health or courses from another school or college within the University of Michigan. Some lower-level pre-health and language courses can count toward this requirement. A list of those courses can be found on the upper-level elective exceptions page.
The requirements listed here apply to students admitted in Fall 2024. Current public health students should refer to the Heights for degree requirements specific to their cohort.
I. Integrated Core Courses
Complete ALL of the following in the term indicated:
- PUBHLTH 381 – Public Health Systems: Achievements & Challenges, 3 credits (Fall 2024)
- PUBHLTH 382 – Population Health Determinants and Disparities, 3 credits (Winter 2025)
- PUBHLTH 383 – Data Driven Solutions in Public Health, 4 credits (Winter 2025)
- PUBHLTH 384 – Public Health in Action: Creating Change, 3 credits (Fall 2025)
II. Major Specific Requirements
Bachelor of Arts in Community and Global Public Health:
- PUBHLTH 350 – Global Public Health: Challenges & Transformations, 4 credits (Winter)
- PUBHLTH 360 – Community, Culture and Social Justice in Public Health, 3 credits (Fall 2024)
- Fourth-term proficiency in a foreign language (more details here)
- 18 credits of public health electives (300-level and above)
Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences:
- PUBHLTH 370 – Public Health Biology and Pathophysiology, 4 credits (Fall 2024)
- One of the following:
- PUBHLTH 305 - The Environment and Human Health, 4 credits (Winter)
- PUBHLTH 310 - Nutrition in the Life Cycle, 3 credits (Winter)
- PUBHLTH 311 - Introduction to Public Health Genetics, 3 credits (Fall)
- PUBHLTH 512 - Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health, 3 credits (Fall, Winter)
- 18 credits of public health electives (300-level and above)
III. Health Equity Requirement
-
One 3 credit course in Health Equity
Requirement details and a list of approved courses can be found here.
IV. Culminating Experience
- PUBHLTH 481 - Public Health Practice and Professionalism, 3 credits (Fall 2025)
- PUBHLTH 380 - Public Health Leadership, 1 credit (Winter 2025)
Public Health Electives
Any public health course (300-level and above), outside the specific requirements can count towards the public health elective credits. Elective courses can include courses from the other major or graduate courses. Details on all public health course offerings, including electives, can be found on our course guide.
Exceptions to the upper-level credits
Students must complete a minimum of 60 upper-level credits (300-level and above). The 45 public health credits are included in this requirement. The remaining 15 credits can be fulfilled by any upper-level course. Some lower-level pre-health and language courses can count towards this requirement. A list of those courses can be found on the upper-level elective exceptions page.
Undergraduate Information Session
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Start with our Admissions page to learn about specific degree application deadlines and requirements.
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Questions?
For more information about the undergraduate admissions process, contact our admissions team at sph-inquiries@umich.edu or 734-764-5425.
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