Minor in Public Health

Public Health provides a community-based, systems-level approach to solving complex health problems. Students learn quantitative methods and analytical frameworks for tackling challenging issues such as health care access and environmental hazards. An emphasis on multidisciplinary, collaborative strategies prepares students for advanced study and diverse careers.

The Public Health minor is offered through the Department of Health Sciences in Sargent College. The minor consists of six courses, which must be completed with a grade of C or higher: four required courses (Introduction to Public Health, Epidemiology, a course in statistics, and a course in international health) and two courses from a list of public health electives. Students may fulfill some Public Health minor course requirements through two BU Study Abroad options: the Geneva Public Health and Dublin Health Science programs. The Public Health Minor office is located in Sargent College at 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 405. Email phminor@bu.edu.

*Students may use no more than two courses (8 credits) from a major concentration to fulfill requirements for the minor. All courses are 4 credits unless otherwise indicated.

The following four courses are required:

1. Introduction to Public Health:

• SPH PH 510 Introduction to Public Health

2. One of the following international health courses:

• SAR HS 325 Introduction to Global Health
• SAR HS 346 Global Health Nutrition
• SAR HS 348 Global Mental Health
• SAR HS 442 Health Interventions in Low- and Lower-Middle Income Countries
• SAR HS 450 Non-Infectious Diseases
• SAR HS 463 Beyond Germs and Genes
• SPH PH 506e International Health at the World Health Organization (offered through Geneva Program only)
• SPH PH 507e Controversies in International Health (offered through Geneva Program only)
• SPH PH 511 Pathogens, Poverty, and Populations: An Introduction to International Health

3. Epidemiology:

• SAR HS 300 Epidemiology

4. One of the following statistics courses:

• CAS EC 203 Empirical Statistics
• CAS MA 113 Elementary Statistics
• CAS MA 115 Statistics 1
• CAS MA 213 Basic Statistics and Probability
• CAS PS 211 Introduction to Experimental Design in Psychology
• QST QM 221 Probabilistic and Statistical Decision Making for Management

Two courses (minimum 6 credits) from the following list of public health electives are required:

• CAS SO 215 Sociology of Health Care
• CAS SO 490 Global Health Seminar: Politics, Institutions, and Ideology
• QST PL 325 Introduction to the Health Sector: Issues and Opportunities
• QST PL 330 The US Health Care System in Transition
• SAR HP 353 Organization and Delivery of Health Care in the US (cannot be taken in combination with SPH PM 702)
• SAR HS 325 Introduction to Global Health (if not taken to fulfill the International Health course requirement)
• SAR HS 332 Analyzing Bias and Discrimination in Medicine, Health & Science
• SAR HS 333 Queering Health
• SAR HS 345 Global Environmental Public Health
• SAR HS 346 Global Health Nutrition (if not taken to fulfill the International Health course requirement)
• SAR HS 348 Global Mental Health (if not taken to fulfill the International Health course requirement)
• SAR HS 349 Cultural Humility, Racial Justice, and Health
• SAR HS 395 Food, Dietary Supplements, and Consumer Health
• SAR HS 400 Gender and Healthcare
• SAR HS 408 Mediterranean Diet: Food, Culture, and Health (offered through Padua Mediterranean Diet Summer program)
• SAR HS 425e Health Care Policy and Practice in Ireland (offered through Dublin Program only)
• SAR HS 439 Global Health Communication and Advocacy
• SAR HS 440 Qualitative Research Strategies in Global Public Health
• SAR HS 441 Neglected Tropical Diseases
• SAR HS 442 Health Interventions in Low- and Lower-Middle Income Countries (if not taken to fulfill the International Health course requirement)
• SAR HS 444 Child Health Programs in Low-Resource Settings
• SAR HS 450 Non-Infectious Diseases (if not taken to fulfill the International Health course requirement)
• SAR HS 463 Beyond Germs (if not taken to fulfill the International Health course requirement)
• SAR HS 480 Comparative Health Care Systems
• SPH MC 705 Safe Sex in the City: From Biology to Policy
• SPH MC 725 Woman, Children & Adolescents: Public Health Approaches
• SPH PH 506e International Health at the World Health Organization (offered through Geneva Program only) (if not taken to fulfill the International Health course requirement)
• SPH PH 507e Controversies in International Health (offered through Geneva Program only) (if not taken to fulfill the International Health course requirement)
• SPH PH 511 Pathogens, Poverty, and Populations: An Introduction to International Health (if not taken to fulfill the International Health course requirement)
• SPH SB 721 Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Health (3 cr)