Interdisciplinary Major & Minor
The Public Health Interdisciplinary Major and Minor promote holistic and interdisciplinary understanding of public health.
It draws from the theoretical and methodological frameworks from diverse academic disciplines, highlighting biological, economic, ethical, psychological, and sociocultural dimensions of public health problems and strategies intended to address them.
The program advances these learning objectives:
- Identify and describe major public health problems, important actors and institutions in public health, and the role of public health advocacy, programs, research, and policy in addressing public health problems.
- Explain how diverse disciplines, theories, and empirical methods are implemented in public health programs, research, and policy.
- Analyze how structural inequalities and biological, behavioral, cultural, economic, ethical, political, social, and economic factors and perspectives shape public health challenges and evaluate approaches to addressing them.
- Evaluate how public health challenges disproportionately affect marginalized and vulnerable groups and the potential of public health advocacy, research, programs, and policy to advance social justice and equity.
- Interpret ethical considerations of public health concepts and evaluate sources of information about public health, identify misinformation, and gain skill in effectively communicating accurate public health information to diverse audiences as part of PBH courses.
Center-Established Public Health Major
Beginning Fall 2023, a Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS) major in Public Health will be offered. More information and details to come by September 1.
Declaring a Public Health Major
Students considering a student-designed public health major through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS) must first meet with the Department of Public Health to obtain permission to go forward with the application process. This must occur in advance of the November 15 application deadline. Students are encouraged to complete this meeting by the end of September of their sophomore year to ensure that they can complete the required steps in advance of the deadline. While the application form will not be accepted without permission, students are encouraged to review the application form in advance to help with consideration and planning. Students are also encouraged to meet with the CIS director early in the process.
Declaring a Public Health Minor
Those planning to declare a public health minor must schedule a meeting with the chair of the Department of Public Health (Prof. Kata Chillag), or a Department of Public Health faculty member designated by the chair, prior to completing the declaration form.
Current Public Health minors are required to meet twice yearly (including in the semester they plan to graduate) with the chair or designate during the Student-Advisor Conference period.
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