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Undergraduate BA, Certificate, and Minor Programs

Public Health BA Curriculum

For the Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Program

Course Requirements for the Public Health Major

(Does not include L&S or graduation requirements)

  • One (1) Lower Division Course
  • Five (5) Foundational Core Courses
  • One (1) Capstone Course
  • Ten (10) Elective Course Units (number of courses may vary)

All course work for the Public Health major is to be taken for a letter grade (with the exception of possible electives PB HLTH 116 and PB HLTH 104 A/B, which are Pass/No Pass only).

Due to accreditation changes instituted by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH), Berkeley Public Health undergraduate students graduating in 2017 and afterwards must abide by the new major completion requirements. Students with a graduation date set before Spring 2017 may continue to use the old requirements.

One Lower Division Course Requirement

Note: We only have one required lower division class for the Public Health major. Please view the undergraduate admissions and the admissions requirements section for the major Prerequisites that must be completed in order to apply to the major.

DATA C8:
Foundations of Data Science (4)
Fall, Summer, and Spring

  • Data C8 (also referred to as Data 8) has reserved seating for New First Year and New Transfer Students so it is strongly recommended to complete this requirement earlier, during your first two semesters at UC Berkeley.
  • The major will accept CA community college credit for this course requirement. See the list of equivalent DATA 8 courses that can be taken at a handful of community colleges in California. We will accept a course from the list to count toward the DATA 8 major requirement for public health.

Five Foundational Core Course Requirements

These core courses can be taken in any order with the exception of PB HLTH 142 and PB HLTH 150A.

PB HLTH 142:
Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Public Health (4)
Fall, Summer, and Spring

  • Note: We do not allow undergraduate students to take the online PH W142 through the Online MPH Program

PB HLTH 150A:
Introduction to Epidemiology (4)
Spring only

  • Students will have to complete PB HLTH 142 prior or concurrently with PB HLTH 150A. PB HLTH 250A/N250A will not be accepted in lieu of PB HLTH 150A.
  • If you are considering applying to the 4+1 MPH in Epi/Bio or MCAH program, or the Public Health Honors Thesis, you must complete PB HLTH 142 and PB HLTH 150A by the end of your junior year.

PB HLTH 150B/N150B:
Human Health and the Environment in a Changing World (3)
Fall and Summer

PB HLTH 150D:
Introduction to Health Policy & Management (3)
Fall and Summer

PB HLTH C150E:
Urban and Community Health (3)
Spring

Senior Capstone Requirement

The capstone requirement for the undergraduate Public Health major is designed to review, integrate, and apply concepts and methods presented in the core breadth courses.

  • The Capstone requirement must be taken for a letter grade and fulfilled in your senior year, the final two semesters at UC Berkeley.
  • Some capstone courses may require successfully completing certain breadth courses. Honors Thesis students will enroll in PB HLTH 155A for their capstone requirement.
  • Priority for enrollment is given to graduating students who need to satisfy the Public Health Capstone Requirement. If you have already completed a capstone course, you may not receive priority enrollment for another capstone course.

Capstone Course Options

The options listed below are for the current academic year and are subject to change. Only one course is required.

Fall 2024

  • PB HLTH 155A: Senior Research Seminar

    3.0 Units, 65 students, Instructor: Thompson, Hannah

    Prerequisites: Successful completion of PH 142 and PH 150A. This course, 155A, is required for students pursuing the Public Health Honors Thesis. The enrollment code for PB HLTH H195A will be emailed closer to the start of the semester.

    Course Description: This applied course includes both didactic lectures (2 hours/week) and R labs (1 hour/week). The lectures, assignments, and coursework will help you understand how to conduct and interpret research in human health and disease, building on your knowledge of epidemiology and biostatistics. All students will have a hands-on, guided experience analyzing data using R software during dedicated weekly R lab time. The course will provide skills in:

    • Critically reading the literature related to public health-related research
    • Developing a research question and a testable hypothesis
    • Creating a data analysis plan
    • Developing a research protocol for human subjects research
    • Understanding basic quantitative and qualitative research approaches
    • Case-based approaches to problems relevant to human health and disease
    • Working with a group to achieve project goals
  • PB HLTH 155D: Preparation for Public Health Practice Seminar

    3.0 Units, 69 students, Instructor(s): TBA

    Prerequisites: N/A

    Course Description: This capstone course will enhance student preparation to be effective public health practitioners through application of core knowledge, strengthening essential professional skills and development of post-graduation career and graduate education plans. Students will tackle real-world public health cases and emerging local challenges to enhance essential problem solving and innovation skills. Students will also enhance key communication, team and project skills. Leading professionals from a range of public health organizations will be engaged in the course to enhance student exposure, networking and opportunities. A key focus of the course will be students developing a clearer understanding of how their unique aspirations and strengths connect to emerging career and post-graduation options and how they can best prepare.

  • PB HLTH 207: Transforming the Food System: From Agroecology to Population Health

    3.0 Units, 10 students, Instructor: Madsen, Kristine

    Prerequisites: N/A

    Course Description: This course will take a solutions-oriented approach to addressing the pressing problems in current food systems. We will explore strategies used by the disciplines of agroecology, policy, law, public health, and business in working to improve food systems and apply their varied approaches to real-world case studies. Through weekly readings, discussions, and problem-solving sessions with Berkeley’s leading food systems experts, students will gain a broad understanding of food systems and the leverage points that can be targeted to improve the health of people and the planet.

  • PB HLTH 207A: Maternal and Child Nutrition

    3.0 Units, 10 students, Instructor: Fernald, Lia

    Prerequisites: N/A

    Course Description: Nutrition plays a vital role in human reproduction and child growth and development. This course provides an overview of the major nutritional issues faced by women of childbearing age, infants, children and adolescents in the United States and globally, with selected topics explored in greater depth. In addition to academic knowledge, this course offers students the opportunity to apply practical knowledge of nutrition on a personal level. This course includes a field component in which students meet local-level public health professionals/agencies (e.g. visits to WIC clinics, food banks, government organizations, more). The final paper will allow students to delve deeply into a particular topic of interest to them. The course is applicable to students interested in community nutrition, maternal and child health, food security, and food systems and opportunity to integrate and synthesize their knowledge.

  • PB HLTH 273: Environmental Determinants of Infectious Disease

    3.0 Units, 10 students, Instructor: Remais, Justin

    Prerequisites: N/A

    Course Description: This course takes a global perspective, exploring the diverse environmental phenomena that influence the transmission of infectious diseases. Complex dynamics, feedbacks and spatial flows inherent in the transmission of environmentally driven infectious diseases are examined, focusing on vector-borne diseases, tropical parasites and waterborne pathogens. The epidemiological significance of environmental processes are explored, including weather, climate extremes, hydrology, development projects, and land use change. Anthroponotic and zoonotic diseases of global significance are examined with respect to how environmental factors shape their distributions, intensity, environmental fate, transport, and persistence. The specific epidemiological consequences of climate change, dams, irrigation, agricultural intensification and de/reforestation are emphasized, and analytical tools for their study presented and critiqued, including methods for modeling coupled environmental-epidemiological systems.

Spring 2025

  • PB HLTH 124: Health Care and Public Health Management

    3.0 Units, 25 students, Instructor: Rodriguez, Hector

    Prerequisite: Successful completion of PH 150D. Please add yourself to the waitlist. Enrollment codes will be provided based on waitlist position and whether the student is taking the class as a capstone or as an elective.

    Course Description: Examines the management of health care and public health organizations and covers organizational design, human resources, leadership, and change management competencies. Introduces management tools and techniques for monitoring and managing change within organizations. Emphasizes how leaders use data to solve problems. Case studies emphasize how to manage human relations and demands from the external environment.

  • PB HLTH 130: Advanced Health Policy

    3.0 Units, 45 students, Instructor: Flagg, Robin

    Prerequisite: Successful completion of PH 150D. Please add yourself to the waitlist. Enrollment codes will be provided based on waitlist position and whether the student is taking the class as a capstone or as an elective.

    Course Description: This class will give you the opportunity to build upon your learnings over the past 2+ years as Public Health majors. Whether your primary interest in public health is focused on environmental health, maternal health, nutritional health, mental health, healthcare or another area of focus, this class will provide you with tools to move your policy choices into and through the political realm to adoption. In this course you will become engaged health policy analysts, applying policy making tools (e.g., policy memos/briefs, legislative analysis, regulatory comments, media advocacy, public testimony) to actual health issues and problems. Through individual and group work, you will draw upon both verbal and written communication skills to learn how to effectuate health policy change.

  • PB HLTH 206D: Programs and Policies in Global Nutrition

    3.0 Units, 5–10 students, Instructor: Fernald, Lia

    Prerequisites: N/A

    Course Description: This course will use a case-based approach to examine the ways in which governments in developing countries design and implement policies and programs that affect nutrition and food systems including the food production and access to safe, affordable, and nutritionally adequate diets. In the course, we will analyze, assess, and evaluate ways to take action to ameliorate the major nutritional problems facing vulnerable populations in developing countries. Further, we will also address how stakeholders in the food system—consumer, health, industry, government, and other groups—interact with each other to affect policy design and implementation; the historical, social, economic, environmental, and political factors that determine stakeholder positions on policy issues; and the ways in which these factors promote or act as barriers to achieving a functional and sustainable food system that promotes optimal food, nutrition, and health.

  • [PENDING] PB HLTH 253B: Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases

    3.0 Units, Seats TBD, Instructor: Lewnard, Joseph

    Prerequisites: Successful completion of PH 142 and PH 150A.

    Course Description: This introductory course will emphasize infectious diseases of public health importance focusing on the core concepts of infectious disease transmission, evidence-based approaches for prevention and control, and epidemiologic methods for studying infectious diseases. The course is organized around two primary modules: 1) methods of infectious disease epidemiology; and 2) routes of transmission and associated prevention and control measures. Within each module, students will consider the range of clinical, methodological and ethical challenges faced by infectious disease epidemiologists and public health practitioners. Major infectious diseases will be discussed with an emphasis on disease surveillance, investigative procedures, and prevention programs. Current problems in health agencies at a state, national, and international level will be emphasized.

  • PB HLTH C256: Human Genome, Environment and Public Health

    4.0 Units, 25 students, Instructor: Barcellos, Lisa

    Prerequisites: Successful completion of PH 142 and PH 150A.

    Course Description: This introductory course will cover basic principles of human/population genetics and molecular biology relevant to understanding approaches in molecular and genetic epidemiology. The latest designs and methods for genome-wide association studies and other approaches to identify genetic variants and environmental risk factors important to disease and health will be presented. The application of biomarkers to define exposures and outcomes in epidemiologic research will be explored. The course will cover recent developments in genomics, epigenomics and other ‘omics’, including the role of genomics in personalized/precision medicine. Students will learn how to utilize tools implemented in PLINK and R packages for analysis of genetic and genomic data. The course will introduce the use of computational tools and public resources. Students will complete a final project.

  • PB HLTH PH 271G: Health Implications of Climate Change

    3.0 Units, 10 students, Instructor: Remais, Justin

    Prerequisites: N/A

    Course Description: This course explores the Public Health effects of global climate change: physical basis of climate change, including causes & projections; burden of disease stemming from global climate change, emphasis on impacts in the developing world, global & local equity issues, interaction between climate change mitigation/adaptation activities & existing global health initiatives; direct exposures (extreme heat, drought, precipitation, sea-level rise), indirect exposures (vector-borne & zoonotic diseases, ecosystem disruption, water quantity & quality, land arability & food production, population displacement). After taking this course, students will be well positioned for further work on global environmental change and health.

Capstone Honors Thesis

Go to the Undergraduate Honors Thesis page for information.

Ten Elective Course Units

Any course offered under the Public Health department may count towards the elective units requirements for the major except for field study, DeCal classes, and independent research (PB HLTH 197, PB HLTH 198, PB HLTH 199). PB HLTH 196 may count towards the elective requirements as long as it is taken for a letter grade.

There are no concentrations offered under the Public Health undergraduate program. Elective options are organized by category.

  • Four of the ten elective units must be upper-division (courses numbered 100+)
  • Elective units must be taken for a letter grade (Exceptions: PB HLTH 116 and PB HLTH 104/A as these are Pass/No Pass only)
  • DeCals, Field Study, and Independent Research (PB HLTH 197/198/199) do not count towards Public Health elective units
  • PB HLTH 196s courses may count towards elective units as long as they are taken for a letter grade
  • Graduate courses within Berkeley Public Health, pending instructor approval and pre-requisite completion

Other courses not expressly listed below may be considered pending one-time approval or review by the Undergraduate Management Committee or through the Public Elective Petition Process. Please discuss with an Academic Advisor.

  • Community Health
    • ANTHRO 115: Introduction to Medical Anthropology (4)
    • ASAMST 143AC: Asian American Health (3)
    • ASAMST 143B: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Community Health: Foundational Theories and Contemporary Issues (4)
    • CHICANO 174: Chicanos, Law and Criminal Justice (4)
    • CHICANO 176: Chicanos and Health Care (3)
    • CYPLAN 115: Urbanization in Developing Countries (4)
    • ESPM 163AC/SOCIOL 137AC: Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity and the Environment (4)
    • GPP 115: Global Poverty: Challenges and Hopes (4)
    • GWS 130AC: Gender, Race, Nation, and Health (4)
    • HISTORY 100ST: Biology, Ecology, and the Making of the US Imperialism (4)
    • HISTORY 183A: Disease, Health, and Medicine, in the United States (4)
    • ISF C100G: Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society (4)
    • NUSCTX 103: Nutrient Function and Metabolism (4)
    • NUSCTX 166: Nutrition in the Community (3)
    • NUSCTX 20: Personal Food Security and Wellness (2)
    • NUSCTX W104 or 104: Food, Culture, and the Environment (2–3)
    • PB HLTH 101: A Sustainable World: Challenges and Opportunities (3)
    • PB HLTH 107: Violence, Social Justice, and Public Health (2)
    • PB HLTH 110A: Introduction to Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (3)
    • PB HLTH N/112: Global Health: A Multidisciplinary Examination (4)
    • PB HLTH 118: Global Nutrition (3)
    • PB HLTH 129: The Aging Human Brain (3)
    • PB HLTH 147: Global Perspective on Vision (2)
    • PB HLTH 155B: Women’s Global Health and Empowerment (3)
    • PB HLTH 155C: War and Public Health (3)
    • PB HLTH 155E: Seeing People: Understanding Homelessness’ Roots, Stigmas and Solutions (3)
    • PB HLTH 180: The Evolution OF Human Sexuality (2)
    • PB HLTH 182: Sexual Health and Sexuality (3)
    • PB HLTH C155/SOCIOL C115: Sociology of Health and Medicine (4)
    • PB HLTH W108: Women’s Health, Gender And Empowerment (3)
    • PSYCH 130: Clinical Psychology (3)
    • PSYCH 131: Developmental Psychopathology (3)
    • PSYCH 134: Health Psychology (3)
    • PSYCH 135: Treating Mental Illness: Development, Evaluation, and Dissemination (3)
    • PSYCH N180: Industrial Organizational Psychology (3)
    • UGIS 110: Introduction to Disability Studies (3)
  • Environmental Health Sciences
    • CIV ENG 110: Water Systems of the Future (3)
    • CIV ENG 111: Environmental Engineering (3)
    • CIV ENG 113: Ecological Engineering for Water Quality Improvement (3)
    • ECON 172: Case Studies in Economic Development (4)
    • ENVECON C176: Climate Change Economics (4)
    • ECON 174: Global Poverty and Impact Evaluation (4)
    • ECON C102/ENVECON C102: Natural Resource Economics (4)
    • ECON C171/ENVECON C151: Economic Development (4)
    • ECON C181/ENVECON C181: International Trade (4)
    • ENE,RES 102: Quantitative Aspects of Global Environment Problems (4)
    • ENE,RES C100/PUB POL C184: Energy and Society (4)
    • ENE,RES W174: Water and Sanitation Justice (3)
    • ENVECON 152: Advanced Topics in Development and International Trade (3)
    • ENVECON 153: Population, Environment and Development (3)
    • ESPM 101A: The Politics and Practice of Sustainability Transitions (4)
    • ESPM 102D: Climate and Energy Policy (4)
    • ESPM 155AC: Sociology and Political Ecology of Agro-Food Systems (4)
    • ESPM 163AC/SOCIOL 137AC: Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity and the Environment (4)
    • ESPM 168: Political Ecology (4)
    • ESPM 169: International Environmental Politics (4)
    • ESPM 50AC: Introduction to Culture and Natural Resource Management (4)
    • ESPM C162A/ANTHRO C119A: Health, Medicine, Society and Environment (4)
    • GEOG 123: Postcolonial Geographies (4)
    • GEOG 130: Food and the Environment (4)
    • GEOG 138: Global Environmental Politics (4)
    • GEOG C188/LD ARCH C188: Geographic Information Systems (4)
    • GLOBAL C100D/GEOG C112: Development in Theory and History (4)
    • HISTORY 100ST: Biology, Ecology, and the Making of US Imperialism (4)
    • HISTORY 120AC/ESPM 160AC: American Environmental and Cultural History (4)
    • INTEGBI 117: Medical Ethnobotany (2)
    • ISF 100D: Introduction to Technology, Society and Culture (4)
    • ISF 100G: Introduction to Science, Society and Ethics (4)
    • NUSCTX 11: Introduction to Toxicology (3)
    • NUSCTX 110: Toxicology (4)
    • NUSCTX 160: Metabolic Bases of Human Health & Diseases (4)
    • NUSCTX W104: Food, Culture, and the Environment (3)
    • PB HLTH 167: Applied GIS for Public Health (3)
    • PB HLTH 170C: Drinking Water and Health (3)
    • PB HLTH 177A: GIS and Spatial Analysis for Health Equity (3)
    • PB HLTH C160: Environmental Health and Development (4)
    • POLECON 162: Pandemics and Politics: Infectious Disease in Historical Perspective (4)
    • SOCIOL 121: Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Social and Cultural Context (4)
    • SOCIOL 166: Society and Technology (4)
  • Epidemiology and Biostatistics
    • COGSCI 131: Computational Models of Cognition (4)
    • CMPBIO 156: Human Genome, Environment and Public Health (4)
    • DATAC100/STAT C100: Principles & Techniques of Data Science (4)
    • DEMOG 110: Introduction to Population Analysis (3)
    • DEMOG C126/SOCIOL C126: Sex, Death and Data (4)
    • MATH 53: Multivariable Calculus (4)
    • MATH 54: Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (4)
    • PB HLTH 132: Artificial Intelligence for Health and Healthcare (3)
    • PB HLTH 141: Introduction to Biostatistics (5)
    • PB HLTH 144A: Introduction to SAS Programming (2)
    • PB HLTH 144B: Intermediate SAS Programming (2)
    • PB HLTH 145: Statistical Analysis of Continuous Outcome Data (4)
    • STAT 131A: Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Life Scientists (4)
    • STAT 133: Concepts in Computing with Data (3)
    • STAT 134: Concepts of Probability (4)
    • STAT 135: Concepts of Statistics (4)
    • STAT 150: Stochastic Processes (3)
    • STAT 151A: Linear Modeling: Theory and Application (4)
    • STAT 153: Introduction to Time Series (4)
  • Health Policy and Management
    • ANTHRO 114: History of Anthropological Thought (4)
    • CY PLAN 120: Community Planning and Public Policy for Disability (3)
    • ECON 157: Health Economics (4)
    • ENVECON 145: Health and Environmental Economic Policy (3)
    • LEGALST 103: Theories of Law and Society (4)
    • LEGALST 107: Theories of Justice (4)
    • LEGALST 157: International Relations and International Law (4)
    • LEGALST 168: Sex, Reproduction and the Law (4)
    • MEDIAST 112: Media Theories and Processes (4)
    • PB HLTH 116: Seminar on Social, Political and Ethical Issues in Health and Medicine (3)
    • PB HLTH 126: Health Economics and Public Policy (3)
    • PB HLTH 181: Poverty and Population (3)
    • POL SCI 103: Congress (4)
    • POL SCI 171: California Politics (4)
    • PSYCH 149B: Context of Early Development (3)
    • PSYCH 149D: Early Childhood Policy: Children, Contexts, and Politics in Diverse Societies (3)
    • PSYCH C162: Human Happiness (3)
    • PUB POL 101: Introduction to Public Policy Analysis (4)
    • PUB POL 117AC: Race, Ethnicity and Public Policy (4)
    • PUB POL 156: Program and Policy Design (4)
    • PUB POL C103/L & S C180U Wealth and Poverty (4)
    • SOC WEL 112: Social Welfare Policy (3)
    • SOCIOL 115G: Global Health and Social Justice (4)
  • Infectious Diseases
    • CHEM 135: Chemical Biology (3)
    • ESPM C138/MCELLBI C114/PLANTBI C114: Introduction to Comparative Virology (4)
    • INTEGBI 114 Infectious Disease Dynamics (4)
    • INTEGBI 116L: Medical Parasitology (4)
    • INTEGBI 128: Sports Medicine (3)
    • INTEGBI 131: General Human Anatomy (3)
    • INTEGBI 131L: General Human Anatomy Laboratory (3)
    • INTEGBI 132: Survey of Human Physiology (4)
    • INTEGBI 132L: Human Physiology Laboratory (2)
    • INTEGBI 140: Biology of Human Reproduction (4)
    • INTEGBI 137: Human Endocrinology (4)
    • INTEGBI 139: The Neurobiology of Stress (4)
    • INTEGBI 141: Human Genetics (3)
    • INTEGBI 169: Evolutionary Medicine (4)
    • MCELLBI 102: Survey of the Principles of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (4)
    • PB HLTH C117: Introduction to Global Health Disparities Research (2)
    • MCELLBI 104: Genetics, Genomics, and Cell Biology (4)
    • MCELLBI C130: Cell Biology: from Discovery to Disease (4)
    • MCELLBI 136: Physiology (4)
    • MCELLBI 140: General Genetics (4)
    • MCELLBI 141: Developmental Biology (4)
    • MCELLBI 150: Molecular Immunology (4)
    • NEU 100A (Formerly known as MCB 160): Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology (4)
    • MCELLBI C100A/CHEM C130: Biophysical Chemistry: Physical Principles and the Molecules of Life (4)
    • MCELLBI C103/PLANTBI C103: Bacterial Pathogenesis (3)
    • MCELLBI C114: Introduction to Comparative Virology (4)
    • MCELLBI C130/NUSCTX C130: Cell Biology: from Discovery to Disease (4)
    • PB HLTH 162A: Public Health Microbiology (4)
    • PB HLTH 168: Public Health Microbiology Laboratory (2)
    • PLANTBI C110L/INTEGBI C110L: Biology of Fungi with Laboratory (4)

Study Abroad Approved Electives List

Please note that electives on this list expire five years after their approval date. If you wish to use something that has expired you are required to submit your own elective petition to renew the course.

  • UCEAP Programs

    Carlos III University (Madrid, Spain)

    • Global Environmental Challenges (3.3 semester units)
      Approved May 2019
    • 169E: Global Health: Economics and Human Health in the Post-Industrial World (3.3 semester units)
      Approved September 2022

    Exeter College, Oxford University (England)

    • 102-S: Cognitive Neuroscience (4 semester units)
      Approved June 2022
    • Forensic Linguistics: An Interdisciplinary Course on Language, Mind and Law (4 semester units)
      Approved November 2022

    Hitotsubashi University (Japan)

    • 1EI40901: Theories in Health Insurance (2 semester units)
      Approved February 2020
    • 1EI40701: Medical Engineering (2 semester units)
      Approved February 2020

    Kings College London (England)

    • 5BBBMB28: Medical Microbiology (4 semester units)
      Approved November 2020
    • 6SSG3089: Empire, Environment and Development (4 semester units)
      Approved September 2022

    Lund University, School of Economics and Management (Sweden)

    • MPHP 34, Cost-effectiveness and Impact Evaluation of Health Interventions (4 semester units)
      Approved May 2023
    • MPHP 36, Public Health: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (4 semester units)
      Approved May 2023
    • NEKG71, Economics: Development Economics (Department equivalency to UCB ECON 171)
      [Each approved course must transfer to Berkeley with at least 2.7 semester units and must be taken for a letter grade]
      Approved May 2023

    Maastricht University (Netherlands)

    • POL2005, European Welfare State: Current Challenges and Perspectives (3.3 semester units)
      Approved April 2022

    National Taiwan University (Taiwan)

    • BIOL 169-132: Edible Insects (2.3 semester units)
      Approved November 2020
    • HLTHS 104-132: Burden of Disease (2.3 semester units)
      Approved November 2020
    • HLTHS 166: Contemporary Issues in Global Health (3.3 semester units)
      Approved November 2020

    NYU Paris (France)

    • IDSEM-UG 9353 C01 What is Technology? (4 semester units)
      Approved December 2021

    Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (Chile)

    • VIL625: Planning for Local Sustainability in a Global Age (3.33 semester units)
      Approved November 2019

    Seoul National University (South Korea)

    • Global Citizenship Education (GCED) for Global Public Health Promotion (3 semester units)
      Approved May 2023

    University of Copenhagen (Denmark)

    • PSYCH 112: Health Psychology – Psychosocial Aspects of Health (5.3 semester units)
      Approved August 2019
    • Health Sciences Communication 189: Public Health in the Media (2.67 semester units)
      Approved August 2019

    University of Geneva (Switzerland)

    • (J2D030) LEGST 100: International Environmental Law (3.33 semester units)
      Approved April 2020
    • J2M219: International Geneva (6 quarter / 4 semester units)
      Approved April 2020

    University of Queensland (Australia)

    • SGLK19001U: Cardio-metabolic Diseases in Global Populations (4 semester units)
      Approved November 2019
    • SFOK09118U: Medical Humanities (2.7 semester units)
      Approved November 2019
    • ASOA15078U Scandinavian Welfare Regime: Challenged by Europeanization and Globalization (4 semester units)
      Approved February 2020
    • SFOB19001U Migration and Health (5.3 semester units)
      Approved February 2020

    University of Sydney (Australia)

    • EDGU1004: Young People, Sex and Sexual Health (4 semester units)
      Approved May 2019

    Utrecht University (Netherlands)

    • FI3V19017 Bioethics (4 semester units)
      Approved June 2020
  • Other Programs

    Global Health in Peru (UCLA Summer Travel Study)

    • GLB HLT 110A: Global Health in Practice (4 quarter units / 2.68 semester units)
      Approved September 2018
    • GLB HLT 110B: Diversities and Disparities: The Case of Peru (4 quarter units / 2.68 semester units)
      Approved September 2018

    ISA Global Health in Rome (Independent Program)

    • Global Health and Epidemiology (3 semester units)
      Approved May 2019
    • Health Policy and Management for Universal Coverage (3 semester units)
      Approved May 2019

    Sciences Po (Paris, France)

    • DAFF25A16: Human Rights Advocacy (3 semester UC units)
      Approved June 2019
    • DDRO25A20: Global Security Law (3 semester UC units)
      Approved June 2019
    • DECO25A07: Population Economics – Theory and Empirical Analysis (3 semester UC units)
      Approved June 2019
    • AAFF25A11: Ambition or Illusion: Europe as a Global Actor (4 semester UC units)
      Approved June 2019

    Summer Abroad Spain (UC Davis Summer Abroad)

    • MCB-023: The History of Cancer (3 quarter units / 2 semester units)
      Approved January 2024

Please refer to the Schedule of Classes on CalCentral and the UC Berkeley Academic Guide for more details about specific courses.

Public Health Elective Petition Process

If you would like to petition courses that are not currently on the approved list of electives that can found on Curriculum for the Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Program page, you will have to submit a petition via the Public Health Elective Petition Process Form.

You will have to provide a syllabus of the course you wish to petition and course(s) you find it similar to that are already approved electives. We recommend students reach out to the professors, advisors, or department of the class to obtain the syllabus. Your petition will be processed with a decision within 3-4 weeks. You may petition a class before, during, or after taking it. You must be a public health major to petition a class. Core and capstone classes cannot be petitioned; this function is for electives only. Electives being petitioned must be taken for a letter grade.

Raising Your Unit Cap – Request Process

If you are a double major you will need permission from both departments for the unit raise. Please include/cc: your other departmental advising email(s) in your email to us.

Requests will generally be granted if you have successfully completed a semester at UC Berkeley with a similar workload in the past. For example, if you have completed 18–20 units before, your request to take over 20.5 units is more likely to be approved. Letter graded units vs PNP units will be taken into consideration and more information may be requested.

Requests will not be granted for “shopping” purposes (i.e. adding a class in case you don’t get into a different class).

Requests should be submitted during the second week of classes. Advisors are not able to raise the unit cap during Phase 1 or Phase 2.

To review your request to increase your maximum unit course load, please send the following information to sphug@berkeley.edu (the academic advisors):

  1. Student name and SID
  2. Current program and year
  3. Total number of units over the limit requested (20.5 is the unit limit for adjustment period) [For example: I was my unit cap to be raised to 25 units, so I would request “4.5 units over the limit”. ]
  4. Course[s] that will put you over limit
  5. Overall GPA
  6. Brief statement as to why you should be allowed to exceed the set maximum
  7. Unofficial transcript/screenshot of your CalCentral

Public Health Internship or Research Units (PH 197/198/199)

To obtain credit within the Public Health department for an internship or research, your first step is to identify a UC Berkeley Public Health faculty member to work with you. Once you find a faculty sponsor, they would email our course scheduler to create a PH 197/198/or 199 course for you. The meetings and assignments would be determined by your faculty member. Please note, if you feel your internship would align with another department, you may also consider requesting academic credit from another department on campus. For more information, please see the Career Center’s guidelines for receiving internship academic credit.

Visit the Berkeley Career Engagement website for guidelines for receiving internship academic credit.

Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Academic Misconduct

Please review the following document for our School of Public Health Undergraduate Program Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Academic Misconduct. As a school and program we take academic dishonesty and misconduct seriously.

Download the School of Public Health Undergraduate Program Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Academic Misconduct (.pdf).

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