UC IRVINE
Undergraduate Areas of Study
majors
Public Health Policy (B.A.)
Public Health Sciences (B.S.)
Public
Health
Program Overview
There is no better time in history to enroll in a Public Health major at UC Irvine,
home to innovative and resourceful public health research, practice, and
education initiatives. Our mission is to create, integrate, and translate
population-based knowledge into preventive strategies for reducing the societal
burden of human disease and disability through excellence in research,
education, and public. We push forward the frontiers of knowledge in crucial
areas of public health; we reframe and answer questions that emerge with new
societal challenges; and we train a cadre of public health scientists and policy
makers who are versatile in the interdisciplinary language necessary to succeed
in today’s world.
There is also possibly no more sophisticated opportunity to explore the
interdisciplinary dimensions that effective public health demands than to engage
in our curriculum beginning at the freshman level up to the award-winning
culminating experience of graduating seniors who integrate upper division
writing with practicum at a public health agency in the community.
It is arguable that very few, if any, contemporary human health issues are
permanently limited to national or geographical boundaries. Rapid mobility of
populations and disease vectors, international trade and commerce,
trans-boundary conflicts, natural disasters, and the increasingly international
flavor of regulatory issues have all demanded a broadening of the scope of
public health research and training. The faculty members in the Program in
Public Health at UC Irvine are uniquely positioned to take full advantage of
rapid progress in the molecular sciences, informatics and communication, global
environmental assessments, occupational health, human behavior, policy
analysis, international relations, disease control and clinical and translational
sciences. These are all existing areas of scholarly strength that public health
contributes to our campus, our country, and the world.
We are delighted by the opportunity to share with you our individual and
collective excitement about the UC Irvine undergraduate majors in Public Health.
We look forward to engaging you in meaningful and productive excursions, inside
and outside the classroom, leading to deeper understanding of the determinants
of the quality of health in populations, and to reward you with the knowledge and
passion to act to improve the health status of diverse communities.
minors
Public Health
Academic Options
in Public Health
The public health curriculum focuses on multidisciplinary approaches to public
health practice and research, exploring both quantitative and qualitative
aspects of public health at all levels of analysis. Undergraduates explore topic
areas including epidemiology, genetics, health informatics; chronic and
infectious diseases; environmental and global health sciences, social and
behavioral health sciences; and health policy and administration. The program
places emphasis on learning through research on critical issues including
vector biology, communicable diseases, exposure assessment, air and water
pollution, natural disasters and emergency health response; toxicology and
environmental microbiology, occupational health and industrial ecology,
community and neighborhood health assessments, risk mapping and health
disparities, maternal and child health, comprehensive and alternative medicine,
health promotion and communication, and international health.
The Bachelor of Sciences (B.S.) in Public Health Sciences and the Bachelor of Arts
(B.A.) in Public Health Policy degree programs train students in multidisciplinary
approaches to public health practice and research. The degrees explore both
quantitative and qualitative aspects of public health at all levels of analysis.
Graduates will advance, through selective employment or further education to
become the new generation of public health professionals prepared to face the
emerging challenges to human health from a population perspective using
cutting-edge approaches to prevent disease.
The minor in Public Health provides students with the fundamental knowledge
of principles, applications, and skills needed to develop a firm appreciation of
health and disease prevention at the population level, and to use this special
knowledge to transform the experience of their major education into innovative
approaches for solving problems in health care and assessment.
Graduate students admitted to the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program
complete core courses in biostatistics, environmental health science,
epidemiology, health policy and management, and social and behavioral health.
Emphasis in environmental health, epidemiology, or sociocultural diversity and
health are available to M.P.H. students. An emphasis in Global Health is under
development, as well as a Ph.D. in Public Health with concentrations in Global
Health and Disease Prevention.
Public Health Practicum
A major part of the undergraduate curriculum in Public Health is its practicum
requirement. Practicum is designed to facilitate hands-on experience for public
health majors at agencies and/or laboratories dedicated to public health practice
while also linking tutorials on the development of excellent writing and
communication skills on contemporary public health topics. Students are
encouraged to disseminate their ideas in the community by submitting their
OpEds or essays for publication. Upper-division students select an approved
practicum placement site typically off-campus, depending on their declared
emphasis area, where they spend at least 100 hours working with
knowledgeable staff and preceptors to advance the agency’s work in public
health. The practicum also provides opportunities for professional networking
and employment after graduation.
Special Resources
and Opportunities
Research in Public Health
Public Health education is most firmly embedded in knowledge systems through
research and practice. Public Health students enroll in PUBHLTH-198 or
PUBHLTH-199 to engage in groups or individual research working directly with
faculty on public health topics in a research laboratory or in the field. Through a
collaboration with the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, funded by
the National Institutes of Health, the Program also offers opportunities for
students to enroll in PUBHLTH-194 (Clinical and Translational Science
Preparatory) that trains students to work with faculty members in clinical and
healthcare settings. Students are encouraged to obtain funds to support their
research by writing proposals to the Undergraduate Research Opportunity
Program, and to present their research work at an annual symposium.
Seminars in Public Health
The Program hosts a bi-weekly seminar series with distinguished investigators
and practitioners invited to share their work with students, faculty, staff and the
community. Attendance at these events enriches the curriculum and provides
additional opportunity to explore various contemporary topics in public health
and to develop a network with experts in the field. Students may obtain credit
by formal enrollment in the seminar course.
Service
Public Health education demands community engagement. All students of Public
Health are encouraged to participate in societal functions that ground their
understanding of public problems and facilitate the development of creative
solutions to those problems. Experience in public health service may be acquired
through participation in learning opportunities and by reflecting critically on
those experiences under the auspices of vigorous campus organizations such as
the Public Health Association (http://phauci.tumblr.com/).
Honors Program
At graduation, Honors, e.g., cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude,
are awarded to about 12 percent of the graduating seniors. Eligibility for such
honors is based on grade point average (GPA). A minimum overall GPA of 3.5 is
required for consideration. In addition, outstanding Public Health students can
be accepted into the Research Honors program, which requires completion of a
sequence of Honors courses, and submission of a thesis developed under the
supervision of a faculty member.
Scholarships, Awards, and Prizes
The Program in Public Health is cherishes the outstanding academic, research,
and community-oriented accomplishments of our undergraduates. Each year, we
present awards and prizes to recognize exceptionally strong performances in
various aspects of public health. Faculty members typically nominate students
and the recipients are presented with their awards at the annual Public Health
undergraduate convocation ceremony.
Careers in Public Health
For graduates with bachelor’s degrees who wish to enter the job market directly,
there is a plethora of opportunities in private agencies and public organizations
for entry-level personnel in public health. These include statewide and regional
health care agencies, community clinics focusing on preventive health, water
and air quality management districts, biomedical companies, health-education
institutions, and activist non-governmental organizations. In addition to
supplying practitioners for the entry-level workforce in public health, the
undergraduate degrees also prepare students to enter graduate programs in
public health. Many of the graduates from our Bachelor’s degree programs are
employed in the following fields:
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Additional Information
Program in Public Health
Student Services Office
Anteater Instruction and Research Building (AIRB),
Suite 2010
653 Peltason Road
Irvine, CA 92697-3957
Telephone: (949) 824-2358 Fax: (949) 824-2039
http://publichealth.uci.edu/
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