Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Email: nhs@unco.edu
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/health-sciences/
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of four parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- Major Elective Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
The Public Health concentration offers students a chance to pursue a four-year degree in a rapidly expanding field nationally and internationally. Students who complete this degree will be well-positioned to become leaders in a broad range of public health fields.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Minor Required:
No Minor required.
Program Requirements:
In accordance with University Policies, coursework earned more than 10 years prior to the date of matriculation to UNC may not be used to satisfy any major or minor requirements. Any exception to this policy is at the discretion of the academic program.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 70 required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
ENG 123 or SCI 291 is recommended to fulfill the Intermediate Writing Course requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
STAT 150 is recommended to fulfill the Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
PHIL 250 is recommended to fulfill the Arts and Humanities: Ways of Thinking requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
HUSR 205 and PSY 230 are recommended to fulfill the Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
BIO 110 or BIO 100 and BIO 105 and, CHEM 281, CHEM 281L, are recommended to fulfill the Natural & Physical Sciences LAB requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
FND 250 is recommended to fulfill the Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 70 credits
| BIO 110 | Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL | 4 |
| or | |
| BIO 100 | Exploring BiologyLAS1 | 3 |
| and | |
| BIO 105 | Exploring Biology LabLAS1LASL | 1 |
| | |
| BIO 245 | Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| BIO 246 | Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
| BIO 251 | Allied Health Microbiology | 4 |
| CHEM 281 | Fundamentals of BiochemistryLAS1 | 3 |
| CHEM 281L | Fundamentals of Biochemistry LaboratoryLAS1LASL | 1 |
| | |
| ENG 123 | Writing and Research MethodsLAW2 | 3 |
| or | |
| SCI 291 | Scientific WritingLAW2 | 3 |
| | |
| FND 250 | Principles of NutritionLAS1 | 3 |
| HUSR 205 | Introduction to Human ServicesLAB3 | 3 |
| HUSR 209 | Foundations of Health Promotion/Health Education | 3 |
| HUSR 300 | Human Services Helping Skills | 3 |
| HUSR 336 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
| HUSR 342 | Modern Concepts of Health and Disease | 3 |
| HUSR 410 | Human Services Program Planning and Evaluation | 3 |
| HUSR 350 | Introduction to Environmental Health | 3 |
| HUSR 492 | Internship in Human Services | 1-15 |
| NURS 225 | Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare | 3 |
| NURS 326 | Pathophysiology | 3 |
| PHIL 250 | Medical EthicsLAA3 | 3 |
| PSY 230 | Lifespan DevelopmentLAB3 | 3 |
| STAT 150 | Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1 | 3 |
3. Major Electives — 15 credits
Take 15 credits from the following:
| ANT 292 | Culture and ConflictLAA3 | 3 |
| ANT 313 | Anthropology of Globalization | 3 |
| ANT 355 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| CH 509 | Behavior Change Theories | 3 |
| CH 530 | Strategies for Community Health Promotion | 3 |
| CH 535 | Effective Community Health Engagement | 3 |
| CH 550 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| FND 210 | Medical Terminology | 2 |
| HUSR 380 | Rehabilitation Principles and Case Management | 3 |
| HUSR 397 | Foundations of Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment | 3 |
| PSY 255 | Introduction to Mental Health | 3 |
| PSY 265 | Social PsychologyLAB3 | 3 |
| PSY 323 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 340 | Psychology & Culture | 3 |
| PSY 380 | Behavioral Neuroscience | 3 |
| SOC 170 | Social ProblemsLAB3 | 3 |
| SOC 237 | Sociology of Race, Racism, and PowerLAB3LAMS | 3 |
| SOC 275 | Society & Mental Health | 3 |
| SOC 375 | Sociology of Health and Illness | 3 |
| STAT 451 | Intermediate Applied Statistics | 3 |
Some courses have pre-requisites.
4. University Electives — 4-26 credits*
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program, that will typically be 4-26 credits.
*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.
Accelerated Public Health B.S. and Public Health M.P.H.
This degree offers a combined BS/MPH Accelerated degree option where students can complete their BS in Health Sciences and their Master of Public Health (MPH) in Community Health Education degrees in five years. This is possible by taking some of the MPH graduate courses as an undergraduate, and having those courses apply to both degrees. See your advisor for details.
Accelerated MPH Admission
To be eligible for application to the BS/MPH Accelerated program, students must currently be enrolled in Health Sciences BS degree at UNC. Students who want to switch their major to the Health Sciences degree must have achieved a sophomore or higher standing within their current major and be in good academic standing with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students who choose to change majors/programs later than their sophomore year may have course conflicts in meeting both the undergraduate degree requirements and taking the graduate public health courses that are to transfer to the MPH program, which can result in the student sharing fewer credits between the BS and MPH programs. Students in this situation will be advised of this potential so that they can make an informed decision about their academic plans related to this degree option.
Individuals who wish to be considered for admission to the MPH program will submit their application to the Schools and Programs of Public Health portal (SOPHAS) in the Fall of Year 4, and by the January 15 application deadline. In addition to the application itself, individuals will submit 3 letters of recommendation, official transcripts, a resume or CV, and a statement of purpose. Of the three required letters of recommendation at least two of them will need to come from a faculty or academic advisor within their undergraduate program. Some public health related experience (paid, volunteer, or internship) is beneficial. These applicants will also select their MPH concentration in Community Health Education or Global Health/Community Health Education at the time that they submit materials through the SOPHAS system.
Accelerated MPH Timeline
For the accelerated Master of Public Health, take 12 credits from the courses below. The remaining three hours can be selected from other focus areas. To be able to take 500-level graduate courses, students must have a junior or senior standing and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
In years three and four of the program, students in the Accelerated MPH program must choose STAT 451 and 9 of the 12 credits listed below to complete the BS and MPH in 5 years. Students who have been accepted into the Accelerated program are eligible to apply these courses to the undergraduate Health Sciences BS degree.
Fall Semester, Senior Year
Apply for admission to the MPH program
Complete 120 credits required for BS which should include STAT 451 and 9 credits comprised of 3 of the following 4 courses: CH 509, CH 530, CH 535, CH 550.
During Years 4 & 5, students will complete the following MPH courses in a sequence recommended by their assigned advisor:
PUBH 6600 (2), CH 612 (3), CH 615 (3), CH 635 (3), CH 610 (3), CH 620 (3), MPH Electives (9), CH 686 (2), CH 693 (2).
Admitted students will meet with the ColoradoSPH at UNC assigned faculty advisor after they accept their offer of admission to review the curricular plan and requirements for matriculating into the MPH program. Students will also be expected to meet with their undergraduate advisor at the UNC NHS Advising Center as they normally would while in the undergraduate program, and to meet with the Campus Director of ColoradoSPH@UNC or MPH advisor once per semester. Once students have completed their undergraduate degree, the MPH program will take over all advising.
Accelerated MPH Advising
Faculty Advising
Students who matriculate from the BS into the MPH program will be assigned a faculty advisor following the ColoradoSPH at UNC advising structure. Faculty advisors are assigned based on the student’s selected concentration.
Student Consultation and Advising
BS: Regular undergraduate advisor in the UNC NHS Advising Center.
MPH (for interested students): Campus Director of the ColoradoSPH@UNC
MPH (for admitted and active accelerated students): Assigned MPH faculty advisor