The Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Public Health with Pre-Med Emphasis is designed to prepare students for occupations in clinical areas of Public Health, as well as professional roles that require graduate education. This program combines training from the BA in Public Health with existing coursework offered by Natural Sciences. The Pre-Med Emphasis adds a set of coursework to the traditional BSc in Public Heath especially designed to enable students in the BS to MD pathway.
- Students interested in clinical areas but not medical school may consider the BSc degree program.
- Students interested in the social sciences may prefer the BA degree program.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon graduation, students who major in public health will be able to:
- Apply core concepts of public health to articulate the biological and social determinants of population health, and to understand the critical role that dynamic intersections between these factors play in influencing the distribution of health-related outcomes.
- Assess the health conditions of populations through an ecological approach that emphasizes biological determinants of health, as evidenced by proficiency in the natural science aspects of public health.
- Understand and apply basic quantitative and qualitative concepts, methods, and tools of evidencebased public health to analyze and explain public health problems.
- Locate, use, evaluate, and synthesize public health information effectively.
- Communicate public health information effectively and persuasively to diverse audiences and outlets.
- Work efficiently and ethically to address public health problems and community needs both independently and in multidisciplinary settings.
Degree Requirements
In addition to adhering to General Education and School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Requirements, the Public Health BSc, Pre-Med Emphasis major requires at least 94 units. Courses in the major must be taken for a letter grade, and specifically may not be taken on a pass/no pass basis unless the course is only offered on a pass/no pass basis.
Applicants to the Public Health BSc will at the time of admission have completed at minimum each of the following courses (or their equivalent) with a “C” or better: MATH 18, or PSY 10, or PH 10. The following courses are strongly recommended, but not required for admission: PH 1, PH 5, BIO 1, BIO 3, PSY 1, and ANTH 1. Additionally, at admission applicants to the Public Health BSc with pre-med emphasis must have completed each of the following courses (or their equivalent) with a “C” or better: BIO 1, MATH 11, and MATH 12.
For more information on the BSc in Public Health, Pre-Med Emphasis visit UC Merced's Catalog.
