The public health major prepares students for graduate education in
public health and for entry-level positions in a broad spectrum of
private and public health organizations. Students receive a conceptual
understanding of interrelated health, environmental, economic,
educational, and social welfare issues. To pursue the major, students
must apply to and be admitted to the Edward J. Bloustein School of
Planning and Public Policy. Completion
of the public health major leads to a bachelor of science degree.
Students seeking the minor may declare it with their colleges and are
not required to apply for admission to the school.
Prerequisites for the Major in Public Health (20-21 credits)
01:119:101-102 General Biology (4,4) or equivalent
01:160:161-162 General Chemistry (4,4) or equivalent
01:160:171 Introduction to Experimentation (1)
10:762:205 Basic Statistical Methods for Policy, Planning, and Health
(4) or a 200-level or higher basic statistics course (3-4)
Major Requirements (34 credits)
Core Courses (16 credits)
10:762:395 Research Methods (4) ***
10:762:499 Internship with Seminar (6) ***
10:832:101 Introduction to Policy, Planning, and Health (3)
At least one of the following:
01:355:302 Scientific and Technical Writing (3) or 01:355:303 Writing
for Business and the Professions (3) or 01:355:315 Writing Grant
Proposals (3) or 10:832:339 Public Health Literature (3) or a preapproved professional writing course (3)
Elective Courses (18 credits)
Students must complete 18 credits of electives, of which 12 credits
must be at the 300 level or higher. Students completing a minor or
second major may count only one course from that minor or major as an
elective for the public health major or minor.
Any 832 course counts as an elective as do the following preapproved courses:
01:070:307 Medical Anthropology (3) ****
01:119:150 Biology, Society, and Biomedical Issues (3)
01:220:316 Health Economics (3) ****
11:374:341 Social and Ecological Aspects of Health and Disease (3)
11:374:430 Topics: Risk, Health, and Safety (3)
11:374:431 Topics: New and Reemerging Diseases (3)
11:375:301 The Environment and Health (3)
11:375:302 Elements of Water and Wastewater Treatment (3) **
11:375:336 Occupational and Community Noise Control (3)
11:375:403 Environmental and Public Health Epidemiological Aspects (3) **
11:375:406 Public Health Practice and Administration (3)
11:375:421 Air Pollution (3)
01:377:304 Exercise and Aging (3)
01:450:321 Geographic Information Systems (3)
11:709:255 Nutrition and Health (3)
01:730:105 or 106 Current Moral and Social Issues (3 or 4)
01:730:249 Medical Ethics (3)
01:830:331 Infant and Child Development (3) ****
01:830:333 Adolescent Development (3) ****
01:830:335 Adult Development and Aging (3) ***
01:830:377 Health Psychology (3) ***
01:920:210 Sociology of Medicine and Health Care (3)
01:920:303 Social Gerontology (3) ***
01:920:307 Sociology of Mental Illness (3) ***
Minor Requirements (24-26 credits)
10:832:101 Introduction to Policy, Planning, and Health (3)
a 200-level or higher basic statistics course (3-4)
a basic human biology course (3-4)
Five additional 832 courses of at least 3 credits each (15 credits)
excluding 10:832:395, 400, 490,491, and 499, which are restricted to
majors only.
Preparing for Careers in Public Health
Students seeking a career in health education should plan on taking a
psychology or sociology minor and seek advising about becoming a
Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
Students seeking
a career in health administration should complete Calculus I,
microeconomics, and health economics, and plan on graduate study.
Students seeking careers in health and safety, environmental and
occupational health, or sanitary inspection should take 10:832:438
Environmental and Public Health Practice (6 credits, offered summer
only) and seek advising about becoming a Registered Environmental
Health Specialist (REHS).
Students seeking a career in
long-term care should plan to complete the Nursing Home Administration
Certificate (see below).
Certificate Program
Nursing Home Administration Certificate (24 credits) ****
To become a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator (LNHA) in the state of
New Jersey, an individual must be a college graduate, complete 1,700
hours of postgraduate fieldwork, and pass the state LNHA examination.
The Nursing Home Administration (NHA) Certificate reduces the number of
postgraduate hours required and covers much of the material necessary
for students to prepare for the state licensing examination.
Students seeking the NHA Certificate must be public health majors. Some
of the required courses for the NHA certificate are offered during
Summer Session only.
Core Courses (21-22 credits)
10:832:332 Public Health Economics (4) or 01:220:316 Health Economics (3) **
10:832:333 Financial Aspects of Public Health (3)
10:832:334 Principles of Health Administration (3) or 11:375:406
Public Health Practice and Administration (3)
10:832:356 Public Health Law and Ethics (3) or 01:730:249 Medical Ethics (3)
10:832:499 Internship with Seminar (NHA placement only) (6)
01:920:303 Social Gerontology (3) **
Elective Courses (3 credits)
01:070:307 Medical Anthropology (3) **
01:377:304 Exercise and Aging (3)
11:709:255 Nutrition and Health (3)
01:830:335 Adult Development and Aging (3) **
10:832:414 Culture and Health (3)
Independent study for elective credits may be applied if the student
contracts with a faculty member knowledgeable about aging or
administration or both.
Bloustein Research Fellows (Honors Program)
The Bloustein Research Fellows program offers an opportunity for a
select group of students to align with the applied research done by the
faculty, centers, and institutes at the Edward J. Bloustein School of
Planning and Public Policy. Students may explore applications of
planning and public policy related to community development; energy,
health, or transportation policy; urban planning; or workforce
development. Students may apply for the Research Fellows Program if
they have completed the prerequisite courses to Bloustein School
admission for the planning and public policy (762) major and hold at
least a 3.4 cumulative grade-point average. Applications are available
in the liberal arts college academic affairs or student services
office, at the Bloustein School dean's office, and online at
http://policy.rutgers.edu. Completion of the Bloustein Research
Fellows program leads to a bachelor of arts degree.
Major Requirements (34 credits)
Core Courses (16 credits)
10:762:101 Introduction to Policy, Planning, and Health (3)
10:762:395 Research Methods (4) *****
10:762:463,464 Bloustein Research (3,3) *****
The Protection of Human Subjects course offered by Rutgers University
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (no credit).
At least one of the following:
01:355:302 Scientific and Technical Writing (3) or 01:355:303 Writing
for Business and the Professions (3) or 01:355:315 Writing Grant
Proposals (3) or a preapproved professional writing course (3)
Elective Courses (18 credits)
Students must complete 18 credits of 762 or 832 electives, of which 12
credits must be at the 300 level or higher. Students completing a minor
or second major may count only one course from that minor or major as
an elective for the public health major or minor.
