Inform, Empower, Educate

What is Public Health?

Public health seeks to improve human health through the development and application of knowledge that helps prevent disease, protects the public from exposure to potential harm, and promotes health throughout the locally, nationally and globally. Public health represents a growing and dynamic field with abundant career opportunities in the public and private sectors.

The field of public health is central to addressing some of the most pressing health issues we face today, such as rising health care costs and the need for greater prevention of disease and disability across the life span.

Why Enroll in the Bachelor of Science in Public Health Program?

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) program at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science is uniquely positioned at the intersection of primary care medicine and public health. An undergraduate degree in public health prepares students to develop and apply knowledge from multiple disciplines for the promotion and protection of health of the human population in a context of human rights and cultural understanding. 

We offer seven concentrations:

• Public Health • Develop and apply knowledge from multiple disciplines for the promotion and protection of the health of the population as it relates to human rights and cultural understanding.
• Biostatistics • Train in statistical methods and data analysis related to public health. 
• Climate and Environmental Sciences • Improve understanding of the presence of environmental and climate risk factors, as well as strategies for assessing, treating and preventing health conditions related to these factors.
• Community Health Sciences • Discover how determinants of health within a community, as well as practices, effect public health. Learn strategies to identify and address areas where conditions in a community setting can be changed or improved.
• Epidemiology • Learn advanced epidemiological coursework from a variety of disciplines, such as anthropology, biology, global health and psychology.
• Health Policy and Management Sciences • Learn a multidisciplinary field that focuses on policy and legislation work related to health, as well as the delivery, quality and costs of health care.
• Medicine Sciences • Train in both public health and health sciences (for pre-health and pre-med students).