Overview
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health is offered by the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) in the College of Public Health. The undergraduate curriculum prepares students for diverse careers in the public health field that focus on creating, implementing and evaluating interventions and programs designed to improve the health status and quality of life for all individuals.
As one of the earliest accredited undergraduate public health programs in the country, the BS in Public Health serves as a national model in which students take a set of common theoretical courses designed to promote an understanding of health, wellness, and disease prevention and health promotion.
Coursework topics include
- Health psychology and human behavior,
- Health communication,
- Biostatistics and epidemiology,
- Health policy and services,
- Research methods,
- Community program planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Students learn to use educational interventions to provide health information, gain experience in assessing the needs of target populations, clarify program goals and objectives, and develop strategies to motivate and involve their clients/patients in educational interventions. Students also participate in 300 hours of fieldwork experience in public health agencies, organizations, or other entities to gain invaluable real-world experience in the field.
The Public Health major trains entry-level public health workers to provide frontline preventive health information, services, and health behavior interventions at the community level, particularly in communities with high-risk populations. Majors receive intensive pre-professional training and direct public health work experience through their internship experience available throughout the city of Philadelphia and surrounding area. There are also opportunities to work alongside faculty members in one of the many research labs and centers in the SBS department and College of Public Health. Graduates typically work in public health departments, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, corporate work sites, community health organizations, nonprofit agencies, family planning clinics, and managed-care facilities.
Some graduates also go on to graduate public health programs (such as the Master of Public Health or Master of Science in Epidemiology) or programs in other health-related professions. Eligible students in the Public Health BS program also can apply for the +1 BSPH-MPH accelerated program, in which they can earn a Master of Public Health degree at Temple typically in one additional year after completing the BS in Public Health.
Campus Location: Main
Program Code: HP-PBHL-BS
Accreditation
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health program at Temple University is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
Accelerated Programs
The College of Public Health has developed a rigorous five-year (+1) accelerated BS to MPH program in which outstanding Public Health majors can earn a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Public Health and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in five years, rather than six.
This combined degree program offers exceptional students an opportunity to work closely with faculty, while developing critical skills in public health and completing graduate work for professional careers in research, policy, administration or real-world public health practice.
The public health curriculum at Temple University is diverse, offering both undergraduate and graduate students access to faculty from a broad range of public health areas. The MPH requirements will be satisfied by the end of the fifth year of study. The accelerated degree program will consist of a minimum of 108 semester hours of undergraduate coursework, a maximum of 12 (twelve) semester hours of graduate coursework to count towards both the undergraduate and the graduate degrees, and a minimum of 30 semester hours of additional graduate coursework to count towards the graduate degree.
The +1 Accelerated BS in Public Health/MPH program is currently available with the following graduate programs:
- MPH in Applied Biostatistics
- MPH in Epidemiology
- MPH in Health Policy and Management
- MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Contact Information
Caite Wolak, MPH, Instructor and Undergraduate Program Director
Ritter Annex, 9th Floor
215-204-9111
caite.wolak@temple.edu
These requirements are for students who matriculated in academic year 2024-2025. Students who matriculated prior to fall 2024 should refer to the Archives to view the requirements for their Bulletin year.
Summary of Requirements
University Requirements
All students are required to complete the university's General Education (GenEd) curriculum.
All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of the major. The specific writing-intensive courses required for this major are SBS 3496 and SBS 3596.
College Requirement
All College of Public Health undergraduates must successfully complete the College Core Course, HRPR 1001 Public Health: The Way We Live, Work and Play.
Clearance Requirements
Please note the Public Health program requires students to complete clinical/field education experiences at facilities both on and off the University campus. These placements may require criminal background checks, Act 33/34 clearances and perhaps a drug screen. Placements may also require the student to maintain personal health insurance. The results of these requirements may limit and potentially eliminate placement options which can, in turn, result in an inability to meet graduation requirements. See www.nchec.org for information about credentialing in public health.
Public Health Program Requirements
Students must complete a set of specific courses in the major, including the College Core course and Public Health Major courses, including one credit-earning internship (SBS 4185). Also required are three public health electives, two Cognate electives and three general (free) electives. The major requires a minimum of 120 total credits.
All Public Health College and Major Core course work (those courses with an ENVH, EPBI, HPM, or SBS designation and courses approved as a cognate elective) must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Electives | ||
| Three courses are required. These may be the choice of the student. | 9 | |
| College Core Requirement | ||
| HRPR 1001 | Public Health: The Way We Live, Work and Play | 3 |
| Public Health Major Core | ||
| Lower-Division Public Health Coursework | ||
| 1000 Level Courses | ||
| SBS 1003 | Public Health Careers | 1 |
| HIM 1055 | IT Applications for Health | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Nutrition and Health | ||
| Substance Use and Society | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| 2000 Level Courses | ||
| SBS 2001 | Biological Foundations of Population Health | 3 |
| SBS 2003 | Introduction to Public Health Writing | 1 |
| SBS 2101 | Disease Prevention and Control | 3 |
| ENVH 2102 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| SBS 2103 | Health Psychology and Human Behavior | 3 |
| SBS 2201 | Health Communication | 3 |
| HPM 2214 | Politics and Payments in US Healthcare System | 3 |
| SBS 2216 | Ethnicity, Culture and Health | 3 |
| EPBI 2219 | Biostatistics and Public Health | 3 |
| Upper-Division Public Health Coursework | ||
| 3000+ Level Courses | ||
| EPBI 3101 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| EPBI 3102 | Introduction to Research Methods | 3 |
| SBS 3104 | Professional Seminar | 2 |
| SBS 3105 | Fundamentals of Health Education | 3 |
| SBS 3496 | Community-Based Health Program Planning I (WI) | 3 |
| SBS 3596 | Community-Based Health Program Planning II (WI) | 3 |
| SBS 4185 | Public Health Internship | 6 |
| Public Health Electives | ||
| Select three of the following: 1 | 9 | |
| Cultural Nutrition | ||
| Contemporary Health Issues | ||
| Nutrition in the Lifecycle | ||
| AIDS and Society | ||
| Diet and Weight Management | ||
| Coping with Life Stress Workshop | ||
| Contemporary Slavery and Public Health | ||
| Maternal and Child Health | ||
| HEART Peer Educator Training | ||
| Community-Based Participatory Research I | ||
| Counseling Techniques for Health Professionals | ||
| International Health | ||
or ENVH 1903 | Honors International Health | |
| Public Health Beyond Borders | ||
| Epidemiology 360: Determinants, Disease and Health-related Outcomes | ||
| Survey Design and Methods: Agree or Disagree and Everything in Between | ||
| All This Data, Now What? Introduction to Statistical Computing | ||
| Man-Made Disasters: Radiological, Chemical & Biological Terrorism | ||
| Natural Disasters: Response and Recovery | ||
| Principles of Emergency Management: A Public Health Perspective | ||
| Special Populations: Strategic Community Outreach | ||
| Introduction to Mindfulness | ||
| Cognate Electives | ||
| Select two courses with approval of a departmental academic advisor: | 6 | |
| Public Policy and the Black Community | ||
| Introduction to Adult Learning and Training | ||
| Interpersonal Processes through the Life Span | ||
| Environmental Justice in Communities | ||
| Nonprofit Management | ||
| Healthy Community Design and Development | ||
| Youth and Crime | ||
| American Sign Language II | ||
| American Sign Language III | ||
| American Deaf Culture | ||
| Sustainable Food Systems Planning | ||
| Climate Change: Oceans To Atmosphere | ||
| The Urban Environment | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Urban Society: Race, Class, and Community | ||
| World Urban Patterns | ||
or GUS 1961 | Honors World Urban Patterns | |
| Honors World Urban Patterns | ||
| Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Women and Poverty | ||
| Women and Political Violence | ||
| Healthcare Financing and Information Technology (Fall 7B only) | ||
| Healthcare Quality and Risk Management (Spring only) | ||
| Medical Terminology | ||
| Contemporary Aspects of Disability | ||
| Movement Injuries: Prevention and Care | ||
| Physiology of Physical Activity | ||
KINS 2362 | ||
| Topics in LGBT Studies | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
or PHIL 2957 | Honors Environmental Ethics | |
| Ethics in Medicine | ||
| Politics of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity | ||
| Foundations of Developmental Psychology | ||
| Death and Dying | ||
or REL 2996 | Honors Death and Dying | |
| Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents | ||
| Societal Responses to Aging | ||
| Loss and Grief | ||
SOC 2553 | ||
| Race, Science, Health, and Medicine | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Environmental Sociology: The End of the World as We Know It? | ||
| Urban Health | ||
| Spanish for Health Professions | ||
| Inclusive Recreation and Sports Services | ||
| Foundations of Recreational Therapy Practice | ||
| Arabic Elements II | ||
| Chinese Elements II | ||
| Introduction to French III | ||
| Introduction to German II | ||
| Elements II | ||
| Hindi Elements II | ||
| Italian Language II | ||
| Japanese Elements II | ||
| Korean Elements II | ||
| Latin 2 | ||
| Basic II | ||
| First-Year Russian II | ||
| Intermediate | ||
VTNM 1002 | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 85 | |
- 1
Additional listings may be obtained from the academic advisor and approved for elective credit.
Suggested Academic Plan
Bachelor of Science in Public Health
Suggested Plan for New Students Starting in the 2024-2025 Academic Year
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| ENG 0802 | Analytical Reading and Writing [GW] or Analytical Reading and Writing: ESL [GW] or Honors Analytical Reading and Writing [GW] | 4 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| HRPR 1001 | Public Health: The Way We Live, Work and Play | 3 |
| HIM 1055 | IT Applications for Health | 3 |
| Select one of the following 1000 level SBS courses: | 3 | |
| Nutrition and Health | ||
| Substance Use and Society | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| IH 0851 or IH 0951 | Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY] or Honors Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY] | 3 |
| GenEd Quantitative Literacy Course GQ | 4 | |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| SBS 1003 | Public Health Careers | 1 |
| Select one of the following 1000 level SBS courses: | 3 | |
| Nutrition and Health | ||
| Substance Use and Society | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| ENVH 2102 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| IH 0852 or IH 0952 | Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ] or Honors Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ] | 3 |
| SBS 2001 | Biological Foundations of Population Health | 3 |
| SBS 2003 | Introduction to Public Health Writing | 1 |
| SBS 2201 | Health Communication | 3 |
| HPM 2214 | Politics and Payments in US Healthcare System | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| EPBI 2219 | Biostatistics and Public Health | 3 |
| SBS 2101 | Disease Prevention and Control | 3 |
| SBS 2103 | Health Psychology and Human Behavior | 3 |
| SBS 2216 | Ethnicity, Culture and Health | 3 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| SBS 3105 | Fundamentals of Health Education | 3 |
| SBS 3496 | Community-Based Health Program Planning I [WI] | 3 |
| EPBI 3102 | Introduction to Research Methods | 3 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| EPBI 3101 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| SBS 3596 | Community-Based Health Program Planning II [WI] | 3 |
| Public Health Elective | 3 | |
| Public Health Cognate Elective | 3 | |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3-4 | |
| Credit Hours | 15-16 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| SBS 3104 | Professional Seminar | 2 |
| Public Health Elective | 3 | |
| Public Health Cognate Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| SBS 4185 | Public Health Internship | 6 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Public Health Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 12 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120-121 | |
Accelerated Programs
Students may opt to pursue an accelerated +1 program, enabling them to complete both a bachelor's degree and master's degree in less time than the traditional route.
The following accelerated programs may be of interest to students in the Public Health BS:
College of Public Health