Public Health, B.S.
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 | 32-44 |
| 2. College Requirements | 12-15 |
| 3. Program Requirements | 32-44 |
| 4. Major Requirements | 32 |
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.
Requirements (120 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core (32-44 hours) | ||
| CMW - Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written 1 | ||
| ENGL 101 | Critical Reading and Composition | 3 |
| ENGL 102 | Rhetoric and Composition | 3 |
| ARP - Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving 1 | ||
| MATH 122 | Calculus for Business Administration and Social Sciences | 3-4 |
| or MATH 141 | Calculus I | |
| STAT 201 | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
| or STAT 205 | Elementary Statistics for the Biological and Life Sciences | |
| SCI - Scientific Literacy 1 | ||
| BIOL 101 & 101L | Biological Principles I and Biological Principles I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 102 & 102L | Biological Principles II and Biological Principles II Laboratory | 4 |
| GFL - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language | ||
| 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. | ||
| CC-GFL course(s) | 0-6 | |
| GHS - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking | ||
| CC-GHS course(s) | 3 | |
| GSS - Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences | ||
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology 1 | 3 |
| AIU - Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding | ||
| CC-AIU course(s) | 3 | |
| CMS - Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component 2 | ||
| CC-CMS course(s) | 0-3 | |
| INF - Information Literacy 2 | ||
| CC-INF course(s) | 0-3 | |
| VSR - Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility 2 | ||
| CC-VSR course(s) | 0-3 | |
| 2. College Requirements (12-15 hours) 1 | ||
| 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) | 0-3 |
| 3. Program Requirements (32-44 hours) | ||
| Supporting Courses (20-21 hours) 1 | ||
| CHEM 111 & 111L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
| PHYS 201 & 201L | General Physics I and General Physics Laboratory I | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab | ||
| General Physics II and General Physics Laboratory II | ||
| Program Electives (8-9 hours): 1 | ||
| Each student must complete 8-9 credit hours of related courses (300 level or above) to support coursework in the major. All major specific electives must be approved by the student’s academic advisor. | ||
| Program Elective Courses | 8-9 | |
| Natural Science Cognate (12 hours) 1 | ||
| Each student must complete a cognate of 12 credit hours of natural and physical sciences. The cognate is 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 the cognate. All cognate courses must be approved by the student’s academic advisor. | ||
| Natural Science Cognate Courses | 12 | |
| Minor (0-18 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. | 0-18 | |
| Electives (0-12 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. | 0-12 | |
| 4. Major Requirements (32 hours) 1 | ||
| ENHS 321 | Environmental Pollution and Health | 3 |
| EXSC 223 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 3 |
| EXSC 223L | Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory | 1 |
| EXSC 224 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 3 |
| EXSC 224L | Anatomy and Physiology II Lab | 1 |
| HPEB 300 | Planning Health Promotion Programs | 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 |
- 1
Must be passed with a grade of C or higher.
- 2
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. At least one of these requirements must be satisfied by a course not applied elsewhere in general education.
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.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| ENGL 101 | Critical Reading and Composition | 3 |
| MATH 122 or MATH 141 |
Calculus for Business Administration and Social Sciences 3 or Calculus I |
3 |
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| BIOL 101 & 101L |
Biological Principles I and Biological Principles I Laboratory |
4 |
| UNIV 101 | The Student in the University | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 102 | Rhetoric and Composition | 3 |
| BIOL 102 & 102L |
Biological Principles II and Biological Principles II Laboratory |
4 |
| CHEM 111 & 111L |
General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab |
4 |
| SOCY 101 | Introductory Sociology | 3 |
| Carolina Core Requirement 4 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| EXSC 191 | Physical Activity and Health | 3 |
| PUBH 302 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| STAT 201 or STAT 205 |
Elementary Statistics or Elementary Statistics for the Biological and Life Sciences |
3 |
| PHYS 201 & 201L |
General Physics I and General Physics Laboratory I |
4 |
| Foreign language or other Carolina Core Requirement 4,5 | 3-4 | |
| Credit Hours | 16-17 | |
| Spring | ||
| Program elective (300-level or above) 7 | 3-4 | |
| CHEM 112 & 112L |
General Chemistry II or General Physics II and General Physics Laboratory II |
4 |
| Carolina Core Requirement or Elective 4,6 | 3 | |
| Carolina Core Requirement or Elective 4,6 | 3 | |
| Foreign language or other Carolina Core Requirement 4,5 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16-17 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENHS 321 | Environmental Pollution and Health (300-level or above) 7 | 3 |
| EPID 410 | Principles of Epidemiology | 3 |
| HPEB 553 | Community Health | 3 |
| Program Elective (300-level or above) 7 | 3-4 | |
| Carolina Core Requirement (only if needed to meet Carolina Core requirements) 4 | 0-3 | |
| Credit Hours | 12-16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENHS 321 | Environmental Pollution and Health (or Program Elective (300-level or above)) 7 | 3 |
| HSPM 500 | Introduction to Health Care Management and Organization | 3 |
| HPEB 300 | Planning Health Promotion Programs | 3 |
| Natural Science Cognate 8 | 4 | |
| Carolina Core Requirement or Elective 4,6 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| HSPM 412 | Health Economics | 3 |
| COMD 500 or EXSC 410 |
Introduction to Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology or Psychology of Physical Activity |
3 |
| EXSC 223 & 223L |
Anatomy and Physiology I and Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory |
4 |
| Natural Science Cognate 8 | 4 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| HPEB 470 | Principles of Global Health | 3 |
| PUBH 498 | Public Health Capstone Seminar | 3 |
| EXSC 224 & 224L |
Anatomy and Physiology II and Anatomy and Physiology II Lab |
4 |
| Natural Science Cognate 8 | 4 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 121-127 | |
- 1
Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA.
- 2
Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. Courses indicated in this column are included in the major GPA for this program of study.
- 3
Students who do not place into MATH 122 or 141 must complete the required prerequisite before proceeding with MATH 122 or 141.
- 4
The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.
- 5
Students in the Arnold School of Public Health are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 110 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.
- 6
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.
- 7
Each student must complete 8-9 credit hours of related courses to support coursework in the major. All Program Electives must be approved by the student’s academic advisor.
- 8
Each student must complete a cognate of 12 credit hours of natural and physical sciences. The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. Courses must be 300-level or above and may be distributed over more than one subject area. All cognate courses must be approved by the student’s academic advisor.
Program Notes:
- 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, major specific elective, or elective requirements. Courses applied as college requirements may also be used in the minor.
- All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
- The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.