Public Health Major Requirements

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

BSPH program offers courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, social and behavioral sciences, environmental and occupational health sciences, and health policy. The epidemiology and biostatistics areas offer courses on the determinants and distribution of disease at the population level with a focus on analyzing and interpreting public health data using statistical methods. The social and behavioral sciences area offers courses for students interested in how behaviors influence disease. The environmental and occupational health sciences area offers courses on the study of environmental and occupational factors, including biological, physical, and chemical factors that affect the health of a workforce and the community. The health policy area emphasizes the structure, process, and outcomes of health services and policies that are commonly used to motivate people to healthier lifestyles.

Degrees offered include:

^ Not accepting new students at this time

Please Note: Each concentration is its own major. Students can't double major within a single department (Academic Senate Policy). This means students can't declare more than one concentration.

Lower-Division (LD) Differences between Concentrations

Lower-Division (LD) Differences between general Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) and BSPH with Concentration in...

This section highlights the differences in LD course requirements, for a complete list of all requirements please see the specific major page.

BSPH (32 or 33 LD units)

PH 40
Three LD Biology
One Quantitiative Methods: COGS 14B, HDS 60, PSYC 60 or MATH 11
PH 45
PH 71
PH LD Elements (PH LDE)

BSPH with Concentration in Biostatistics (53 LD units)

BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3
One Computer Programming (CP) from the following: CSE 6, CSE 6R, CSE 8A, CSE 8B, CSE 11, CSE 180, CSE 180R, ECE 15
MATH 11, MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
PH LD Trending Topics (PH TT)

BSPH with Concentration in Climate and Environmental Sciences (44 or 45 LD units)

BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3
CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
PH 74

BSPH with Concentration in Community Health Sciences (32 or 33 LD units)

PH LD Trending Topics (PH TT)

BSPH with Concentration in Epidemiology (32 or 33 LD units)

BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3
PH LD Trending Topics (PH TT)

BSPH with Concentration in Health Policy and Management Sciences (32 or 33 LD units)

PH LD Trending Topics (PH TT)

BSPH with Concentration in Medicine Sciences (68 or 69 LD units)

BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3
CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
Three LD Natural Science (LD NS) (min 12 units)
MATH 10A/20A, MATH 10B/20B
PH LD Trending Topics (PH TT)
PH 50

Stay on Track: Time-To-Degree (Admitted to UC San Diego in FA26 and later)

Many PH courses and some UDEs for the Public Health Major have prerequisites that need to be completed prior to enrollment (Core Public Health Prerequisites ). It is recommended that students meet regularly with the Public Health Advisors to ensure that they are on track with completing their Public Health Major requirements. Please see the Advising Calendar for walk-in and appointment availability.

Stay on Track: Time-To-Degree (Admitted to UC San Diego in FA26 and later)

Additional Pre-Health Track Information

Double Majoring with Public Health

Students interested in double majoring with Public Health are encouraged to meet with a Public Health Advisor to plan their courses and fill out double major forms.

Students may overlap up to two Upper Division courses between their majors.

For step-by-step instructions about how to fill out the Double Major Petition form for Public Health majors, click here.

To submit a double major form to Public Health Advising, please use our Petition Submission Form.