The major in Public Health (832, 832D) prepares students for entry-level careers in population health and disease prevention. Public health professionals work in a wide range of services including infectious disease control; health problems of children, older adults, and the medically underserved; chronic disease management; health monitoring and surveillance; environmental/occupational health and safety; and emergency preparedness. Our students learn about the upstream factors that influence community health, particularly poverty, housing, work and unemployment, social exclusion, food security, transportation, access to health and social services, and evidence-based, data-driven decision-making.

The major leads to the bachelor of science (B.S.) degree awarded by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy; or it may be awarded jointly with either the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) or the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS).

Students at Rutgers University-New Brunswick who wish to pursue the public health major must apply to the major prior to declaring it. Applicants must have achieved a minimum grade of C or better in each of the prerequisite courses and be in good academic standing. Applications may be obtained from the school's website at https://bloustein.rutgers.edu.

For the most current configuration of courses for this major, please see the school's website at https://bloustein.rutgers.edu.

          01:160:161, General Chemistry I 

            10:775:300  Writing for Professionals (3)

             10:832:339  Public Health Literature (3) Prerequisites: 10:832:201 and  01:355:101 

            01:335:302  Scientific and Technical Writing (3)

            01:335:315  Writing Grant Proposals (3)

            01:355:303  Writing for Business and the Professions (3)

Students seeking to replace 775:499 with 775:493, 494 Bloustein Honors Research Program (3, 3) should contact their advisor.

The Bloustein School offers a variety of Public Health certificates. Certificate programs are open to students in any major and are awarded only with, or subsequent to receiving a bachelor's degree. Only courses with a C or better may be applied toward a certificate program. Students must declare their intention to pursue a certificate program with the Bloustein School prior to their last semester of study to qualify to receive a certificate. Awarded certificates will appear on the student's final transcript. Please visit the school's website at https://bloustein.rutgers.edu for more information.

The Health Disparities certificate provides students with a conceptual understanding of health disparities in the United States and abroad with a focus on race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender; and further offers an understanding of which groups are at higher risk of developing poor health outcomes.

10:832:240  Global Health Perspectives (3)   

10:832:413  Advanced Topics in Health Disparities (3) or

      01:920:335* Health & Inequality

10:832:414  Culture and Health (3)                                        

10:832:252  Health and Social Justice (3)

10:832:253 LGBTQ Public Health (3)

10:832:341  Public Health and Aging (3)

10:832:350 Drugs, Culture and Society (3)

10:832:416  Mental Health and Society (3)

10:832:462 Human Rights and Health (3)

The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy Undergraduate Programs in conjunction with Rutgers University Health Services' Health Outreach Promotion and Education offers a certificate program in Public Health Advocacy/Education. The PHA/E certificate helps students prepare for the national Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination by covering the requisite material in a series of related courses.

The Public Health Management certificate provides core skills important for government and non-profit jobs in public health management and covers much of the necessary material for students to prepare for graduate school in public health,

public administration, or non-profit management.  Students are urged to complete Intro to Accounting, Calculus I, and Intro to Microeconomics as part of this certificate, especially if planning to obtain a Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of Health Administration (MHA), or related degrees.

The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy Undergraduate Programs in conjunction with the Rutgers School of Public Health offers a Public Health Preparedness (PHP) Certificate. Students are introduced to the biological, chemical, and radiological agents that have the potential to cause widespread harm to public health, as well as emergency management concepts.

Core (6 cr)

10:832:240 Global Health Perspectives (3)

10:832:440 Global Health (3)

10:832:462 Human Rights and Health (3) (cross-listed under 10:652:462)

*Pre-requisites: (1) 10:775:205 Basic Statistical Methods or equivalent or 01:640:115 (111 and 112) Pre-Calculus, and (2) 10:832:201 Principles of Public Health or approval of the Executive Director of Undergraduate Programs

**Pre-requisite: 10:832:335 Epidemiology

***Pre-requisite: Any of the following: (1) 01:920:311, (2) 01:920:312, (3) 01:920:313, or (4) 01:920:314

10:501:332 Health Care Economics (3) or

10:832:332 Public Health Economics (3) or

10::832:356 Public Health Law and Ethics (3)

Domains of Health Policy (3):

01:790:305 Public Policy Formation (3)

10:501:260 Health Care Systems (3) (cross-listed with 10:832:260)
10:762:331 U.S. Social Policy (3) (cross-listed with 10:833,975:331)

10:832:201 Principles of Public Health (3)

Exceptional, well-prepared students from any major with at least 60 credits and a GPA of 3.2, and who wish to pursue graduate studies at the Rutgers School of Public Health are encouraged to see advising about the Accelerated BA/MPH or BS/MPH) program. Contact ugadmissions@ejb.rutgers.edu for more information.