Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) with Concentration in Health Policy and Management Sciences

^{(Effective Fall 2026 - for all students who entered UCSD in FA26 and later)}

IMPORTANT: This major is not accepting new students at this time

Health Policy and Management is a multidisciplinary field of public health that is concerned with both policy and legislation related to health, as well as the delivery, quality, and costs of health care for individuals and populations. Health Policy and Management is a main pillar of public health study, and a growing field of study among younger public health professionals. In recent years, the Masters of Health Administration has grown rapidly as a popular public health graduate degree for students particularly passionate about the business and administration components of health. The Concentration in Health Policy and Management Sciences provides students the opportunity to receive foundational training in healthcare delivery, policy, legislation, and business administration. This concentration will also enable students interested in pursuing a career in health policy and/or management to explore this area of study and decide whether they may be more interested in one or both fields (policy/legislation vs. business/management).

Please see plans.ucsd.edu for a sample academic plan.

Entry to the Major

Every Public Health Major has their own Major Entry Criteria. Please see Public Health Major Entry Requirement on our website for more details.

Lower-Division Requirements (32 or 33 units)

Public Health Sciences (1 course, 4 units)

PH 40 or PH 40R

Biology (3 courses, 12 units)

Select three of the following: BILD 1 or BILD 10*, BILD 2, BILD 3, BILD 12, BILD 20*, BILD 22*, BILD 26*, BILD 28*, BILD 30*, BILD 32*, BILD 36*, BILD 38, BILD 60 or BILD 61
- Students who have completed a LD Anatomy w/ Lab and/or Microbiology w/ Lab at a Community College or another University may petition to use the course(s) towards their biology area (must be UC transferable and be listed for units on academic history).

BILD 1, BILD 2, and BILD 3 is recommended for students going into traditional health professions (medical school, physician assistant school, nursing), epidemiology, or other fields that value a hard science background.

*Please note:1) Credit cannot be earned for BILD 10 after completing BILD 1 at UC San Diego; 2) Credit cannot be earned for BILD 20 after completing BICD 100 at UC San Diego; 3) Credit cannot be earned for BILD 22 after completing BIBC 120 at UC San Diego; 4) Credit cannot be earned for BILD 26 after completing BIPN 100 at UC San Diego; 5) Credit cannot be earned for BILD 28 after completing BICD 140 at UC San Diego; 6) Credit cannot be earned for BILD 30 after completing BIMM 120 at UC San Diego; 7) Credit cannot be earned for BILD 32 after completing BIMM 134 at UC San Diego; 8) Credit cannot be earned for BILD 36 after completing BICD 136 at UC San Diego.

Quantitative Methods (STATS) (1 course, 4 or 5 units)

Select one from the following: MATH 11, PSYC 60, COGS 14B, or HDS 60
MATH 11 is recommended for students going into epidemiology, biostatistics, or other fields that value statistics and data analysis.

Public Health Research Methods (1 course, 4 units)

PH 45 or PH 45R

Public Health Trending Topics (PH TT) (1 course, 4 units)

Select from the following: PH 70-85

Public Health Elements (PH LDE) (total of 4 units required)

Select from the following: PH 50-95, PH 98-99

Upper-Division Requirements (48 or 52 units)

Public Health Core Disciplines (5 courses, 20 units)

PH 101 or PH 101R, PH 102 or PH 102R, PH 110 or PH 110R, PH 120 or PH 120R, PH 130

Public Health Perspectives (total of 12 units required)

PH 141
PH 156
Select from the following: PH 140, PH 141-155, PH 157-191, PH 195P, PH 198-199

Health Policy and Management Sciences Electives (total of 8 units required)

USP 143
Select from the following: ANSC 105, ANSC 105GS, CCS 123, CGS 123, ECON 130, ECON 131, ECON 138, ECON 140, ECON 141, ENVR 110, GLBH 105, HISC 180, MGT 108R, MGT 173, POLI 117, POLI 117R, POLI 160AA, POLI 168, SIO 109, SOCI 109R, SOCI 152, USP 101, USP 133, USP 142A, USP 142B, USP 147

NOTE: Many courses above have Economics and/or Political Sciences prerequisistes that must be completed prior to enrollment. Students should plan out Concentration courses early to avoid time-to-degree delays.

Capstone Experience (2 courses, 8 or 12 units)

Option 1: PH 193 or PH 193R, PH 194 or PH 194R
Option 2: PH 196AH, PH 196BH

Additional Requirements

Students who want to declare a major in public health must first meet all Public Health Entry criteria.
PH 40 or PH 40R must be completed at UC San Diego.
All LD and UD major courses must be taken for a letter grade, with the exception of AIP 197, PH 88, PH 90, PH 98, PH 99, PH 195P, PH 198, and PH 199, which may only be taken P/NP.
A minimum grade of C- is required in any course to be counted towards fulfillment of LD and UD major requirements.
No more than 4 units of AIP 197 may be used to meet UD major requirements.