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Public Health

Public Health aims to promote health, prevent disease, prolong life and improve quality of life through organized efforts of society. Focusing on the health and wellbeing of populations, Public Health complements medicine’s concern for individuals with diseases. Through activities ranging from basic research, to frontline efforts such as vaccination programs, promotion of healthy lifestyles and environments, disease control, and leadership on health policy formation, Public Health issues and outcomes touch the lives of people throughout the world. Public Health is an interdisciplinary field drawing on the natural and social sciences as well as the humanities. One of the most important themes in Public Health is the disparities in health observed in different groups, for example related to economic resources and race/ethnicity, which is a focus in this curriculum.

PH 100 Prerequisite Information

To ensure public health students are getting consistent statistical preparation necessary for successful completion of PH 100, subsequent courses, and the Public Health Program, starting Fall 2025, PH 010 – Intro to Biostatistics will become the only option to satisfy the statistics prerequisite for PH 100. PH 010 covers foundational statistical concepts most relevant to the field of public health while utilizing data and examples designed specifically for public health students. The class is designed to be cohesive with the rest of the public health curriculum.
 
If you have completed the Public Health major Statistics Requirement with MATH 018 or PSY 010, you should prioritize enrolling in and completing PH 100 prior to Fall 2025. Failure to do so will result in having to complete PH 010 to meet the PH 100 prerequisite, as MATH 018 and PSY 010 will no longer be considered acceptable prerequisites beginning in Fall 2025.
 
If you have any questions, please connect with your academic advisor. If you are unsure of who your academic advisor is, please click here.

Public Health Four Year Major Plans

Below, please find four year plans for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Health. Students should choose the plan that corresponds to the catalog year in which they matriculated to UC Merced. For more information on catalog rights, please click here.

Public Health, BA

Public Health, BS

Pulblic Health, BS

Pulblic Health, Pre-Med Emphasis, BS

Public Health Major Planning Guides

Below, please find planning guides for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Health. Students should choose the planning guide that corresponds to the catalog year in which they matriculated to UC Merced. For more information on catalog rights, please click here.

2014-2015

Important Public Health Major Documents

Planned 2014-2015 Course Offerings
PSY 190 Course Equivalents to Public Health Courses

Public Health Major Elective Courses

  • PH 104: Health and the Media
  • PH 113: Latino and Immigrant Health
  • PH 125: Emerging Public Health Threats
  • PH 135: Public Health Genetics
  • PH 137: Insects and Public Health
  • PH 185: Introduction to Health and Biomedical Ethics
  • PSY 147: Health Psychology
  • PSY 124: Health Disparities
  • ANTH 120: Introduction to Medical Anthropology
  • ANTH 121: Ethnomedicine
  • BIO 010: Genetics, Stem Cells and Development
  • BIO 060: Nutrition
  • BIO 140: Genetics
  • BIO 161: Human Physiology
  • ECON 145: Health Economics