Public Health, B.A.
Admission Requirements
Incoming freshmen who meet University of South Carolina admissions standards are eligible for admission to the degree programs offered by the Arnold School of Public Health. Transfer admission requires school approval as well as prerequisite conditions detailed with the specific programs.
Degree Requirements (120 hours)
See Arnold School of Public Health for progression requirements and other regulations.
Program of Study
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core | 31-43 |
| 2. College Requirements | 12-15 |
| 3. Program Requirements | 38-53 |
| 4. Major Requirements | 24 |
Founding Documents Requirement
All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers. This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective. Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.
1. Carolina Core Requirements (31-43 hours)
CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)
must be passed with a grade of C or higher
ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6 hours)
must be passed with a grade of C or higher
SCI – Scientific Literacy (7 hours)
- Two approved Carolina Core Scientific Literacy courses from the natural sciences, including one laboratory science
GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language (0-6 hours)
Students shall demonstrate in one foreign language the ability to comprehend the topic and main ideas in written and, with the exception of Latin and Ancient Greek, spoken texts on familiar subjects. This ability can be demonstrated by achieving a score of two or better on a USC foreign language test. Those failing to do so must satisfactorily complete equivalent study of foreign language at USC.
GHS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours)
- any CC-GHS course
GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours)
must be passed with a grade of C or higher
AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)
- any CC-AIU course
CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course
INF – Information Literacy1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-INF course
VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course
- 1
Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.
2. College Requirements (12-15 hours)
Must be passed with a grade of C or higher
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EPID 410 | Principles of Epidemiology | 3 |
| EXSC 191 | Physical Activity and Health | 3 |
| PUBH 302 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| SOCY 101 | Introductory Sociology | 3 |
| UNIV 101 | The Student in the University (transfer students are not required to take this course) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
3. Program Requirements (38-53 hours)
Supporting Courses (6 hours)
Must be passed with a grade of C or higher
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 102 | Understanding Other Cultures | 3 |
| ECON 224 | Introduction to Economics | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 6 | |
Cognates (24 hours)
Must be passed with a grade of C or higher
Each student must complete two cognates of 12 credit hours each. The cognates are intended to support the course work in the major. Depending on student interests, cognate courses may be selected from one or several units. A cognate differs from a minor in that the courses must be 300 level or above and may be distributed over more than one subject area. Courses applied toward minimum Carolina Core requirements cannot be counted toward either cognate. All cognate courses must be approved by the student’s academic advisor.
Courses offered by departments and programs that are acceptable for cognate credit are outlined here.
Minor (18 hours) optional
Students majoring in Public Health may pursue minors offered by other units. In completing a minor, students may apply advisor-approved courses to both the minor and cognate, or elective requirements.
Electives (8-23 hours)
Students in Public Health must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours. Depending on specific course choices, students must complete an appropriate number of elective courses.
4. Major Requirements (24 hours)
Major Courses (24 hours)
A minimum grade of C is required in all major courses
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENHS 321 | Environmental Pollution and Health | 3 |
| HPEB 300 | Introduction to Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior | 3 |
| HPEB 470 | Principles of Global Health | 3 |
| HPEB 553 | Community Health | 3 |
| HSPM 412 | Health Economics | 3 |
| HSPM 500 | Introduction to Health Care Management and Organization | 3 |
| COMD 500 | Introduction to Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology | 3 |
| or EXSC 410 | Psychology of Physical Activity | |
| PUBH 498 | Public Health Capstone Seminar (Carolina Core Integrative Course, Public Health, BA, BS) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 24 | |
Major Map
A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.
Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.