Public Health
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Program Type
Program Format
Overview
The Berkeley Public Health (a graduate school) offers an undergraduate major through the College of Letters & Science.
The goal of the major is to provide students with an understanding of epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health behavior, and health policy. These areas of emphasis range across the spectrum of natural science to social science.
Public health is the interdisciplinary science of preventing disease and injury to improve the health of communities and populations. Public health professionals work to identify solutions to address complex issues as wide-ranging as air pollution, chronic disease, gun violence, infectious diseases, tobacco control, and mental health.
The Berkeley Public Health offers a major and a summer minor. The curriculum prepares students to become changemakers in public health for a more equitable and just world.
Public Health Major Declaration
There are two declaration cycles at the end of the fall and spring semesters. Submissions are not reviewed on a rolling basis, and students must complete the prerequisite coursework in math, biology, and social sciences by the end of their fifth (5) semester at UC Berkeley or first (1) semester as a transfer student.
Declaration Requirements
Depending on their admit year and admit status, students can find the appropriate major declaration instructions at Undergraduate Public Health Major Declaration Requirements and Instructions.
Earn a 2.0 GPA in major prerequisite courses with at least a letter grade of a C- or higher in each course; note that a C- in all the courses would be a 1.70 GPA and a C in all the courses is a 2.0 GPA.
Earn a 2.0 GPA in the declaration term.
Earn a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Submit the Public Health Major Declaration Form before the end of your 5th semester, December 17 - January 1 or May 17 - June 1; transfer students must submit the Public Health Major Declaration Form by the end of their 1st semester at UC Berkeley.
Applied High Demand Public Health
Public Health is a high-demand major and follows the L&S High-Demand Majors for First-Year Students process. Students who select the Public Health major on their UC Berkeley admissions application and are admitted into the College of L&S as an Applied High Demand Public Health major will be guaranteed a spot in the major, subject to completing the Applied High Demand Public Health major declaration requirements. Requirements include completing the prerequisites, maintaining good academic standing in L&S, and filing a declaration form.
You can join the SPHUG Prospective Student Listserv to receive our Public Health newsletter and hear of any updates or events.
For any questions, email the academic advisors at sphug@berkeley.edu.