About
The BA in Public Health Policy degree program trains students in multidisciplinary approaches to public health practice and research. The degree explores both quantitative and qualitative aspects of public health at all levels of analysis. The B.A. curriculum focuses on determinants of health status, social and behavioral health science, and health policy and management.
Upon graduation, students have the opportunity, through selective employment or further education, to become the new generation of public health professionals prepared to face the emerging challenges to human health from a population perspective using cutting-edge approaches for preventing diseases.
Students who are interested in pursuing a premedical program should note that additional courses will be needed beyond the requirements of the public health degrees to fulfill requirements for medical school.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply core concepts of Public Health, grounded in an ecological perspective, to articulate the natural and social determinants of health status in communities and the dynamic interplay among these factors, all of which affect the health of populations.
- Analyze case studies in public health practice to reveal crosscutting themes, principles, and strategies for addressing persistent and emerging contemporary challenges in public health.
- Apply epidemiologic and quantitative methods to analyze the geographical, temporal, and demographic patterns of the distribution of disease and injury in communities with the goal of identifying valid indices on which theory-informed, evidence-based interventions can be developed.
- Assess the health conditions of populations through an ecological approach to public health that emphasizes social determinants of health status – as evidenced by proficiency in sub-disciplines of social and behavioral health sciences and health policy and management.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply cumulative knowledge of the interactions between social and behavioral health risk factors and vulnerable populations to support disease prevention policies at public health agencies or other field-based settings.
- Apply abstract reasoning and critical thinking skills to communicate public health research and practice to public and professional audiences.
Time to Degree
Students who enter UCI directly from high school are expected to complete all degree requirements within five years (15 full-time quarters, not including summers); and students who enter UCI as junior transfer students from other institutions are expected to complete all degree requirements within three years (9 full-time quarters, not including summers). This includes completion of any minors or additional (double) majors.
Funding Your Degree
See the Tuition & Aid page.
Career Opportunities
Areas of opportunity open to those with a BA in Public Health Policy degree include population health management organizations, health care administration and planning, health insurance companies, public health agencies, public health advocacy groups, corporate planning, health promotion, health education (in hospitals, clinics, government agencies, etc.), mental health, chemical dependency, case managing, insurance, health strategizing, fundraising, community organization, social and legislative work for health, and graduate and professional education in public health and related health-care disciplines. The BA degree, plus brief training periods, may prepare students for employment in education, administration, nonprofit corporations, and various other areas.
