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Summer Minor or Certificate in Global Public Health

Summer 2026: Minor courses offered during Session A will be offered in-person. Courses in Session C and D will be offered online.

The Global Public Health summer minor and certificate programs offer a unique opportunity to dive into critical health-related issues impacting populations both in the U.S. and across the globe. These programs equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the fast-growing field of public health.

Students who complete the program can enhance their preparation to pursue careers and jobs in public health departments, hospitals and health systems, health policy, community health settings, non-profit organizations, consulting firms and health related start-ups and private companies.

The program can also strengthen student preparation for clinical careers, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, optometry, physician assisting, and mental health and/or graduate degrees in public health, public policy, business, social work, law and city planning. Even if not used directly in a professional setting or graduate program, the multidisciplinary approach of public health will provide students with a broader understanding of the world and tools to engage and influence their surroundings.

By completing courses from diverse disciplines, you’ll learn strategies to address emerging health challenges at the local and global levels whether you’re aiming for a career in public health, another health profession, or any field where population health is a key concern.

Visit Berkeley Career Engagement’s Career Exploration for resources such as “What Can I Do With A Major In…” and “Where Do Cal Grads Go?”

Program Highlights

  • Prepares students for advanced study in public health or related fields
  • Complements any undergraduate degree by enhancing your understanding of global health issues
  • Suitable for both students and professionals seeking to expand their expertise

Who Can Enroll

  • Students from any University of California, California State University, California Community College campuses, and public and private universities across the U.S. and worldwide
  • Professionals interested in deepening their knowledge of global public health

Flexible Course Options

  • Complete the full minor, certificate, or take individual courses
  • Open to UC Berkeley public health majors and non-majors, as well as students from other universities who want to explore public health coursework during the summer

Minor Declaration Timeline

Per L&S policy, minors must be declared before the first day of classes in your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). For students with a summer EGT, the deadline to declare a minor is before the start of Summer Session A.

Example:

  • Summer Graduation (EGT): If your EGT is Summer 2055, you must declare your minor before the first day of Summer Session A classes.
  • Spring Graduation (EGT): If your EGT is Spring 2055, your minor must be declared by the first day of Spring 2055 classes.

To ensure timely processing, submit your Global Public Health Declaration Form at least two to three weeks before the start of your classes. This allows sufficient time to complete the declaration process.

Declaration and Enrollment Process

There is no application requirement for the summer minor or certificate and you may declare the minor or certificate once you have the intent to pursue the coursework. Two forms are required, a Declaration and Completion Form.

  1. Declaration Form: Submit the Declaration of Minor/Certificate Form, submitting this prior to starting the coursework is ideal so students can receive the Public Health newsletter and any updates around the minor. If your planned course work changes, you do not need to submit a new form but it may be helpful to check in with an academic advisor to confirm you would still be meeting the program requirements.
    1. Current degree-seeking UC Berkeley students may enroll in courses in February through CalCentral and would be pursue the minor
    2. Non-UC Berkeley students may enroll after registering for Berkeley Summer Sessions and would pursue the Certificate
  2. Completion Form: Submit the Completion of Minor/Certificate Form by the priority deadlines of August 1 or February 1. You may submit the form earlier if you are enrolled in your final course, grades will be verified by the advisors.

For details on Berkeley Summer Sessions class fees, dates, and housing, visit the Summer Sessions or Student Housing.

How to Enroll

The Global Public Health Minor and Certificate both consist of five (5) courses: three (3) core courses and two (2) electives. For Public Health majors pursuing the minor, the requirement is two (2) core courses and three (3) electives. Keep in mind any overlap rules between majors and minors.

For more information on class fees, dates, and general details, visit Berkeley Summer Sessions or Student Housing.

  • Current degree seeking UC Berkeley students earn the minor. Other students will earn the certificate.
  • Students can complete the minor or certificate in one or two summers, but those pursuing the internship as an elective will need at least two summers to finish the minor. Completing the minor within two summers allows students more flexibility with the course work. Completion of the minor in this timeframe also makes degree-seeking undergraduate UC Berkeley students eligible for the summer minor scholarship.

Once it’s confirmed that your course requirements are completed, you will receive a Certificate of Completion document signed by UC Berkeley Public Health’s Dean and the Global Public Health Summer Minor Program Director.

View an example of the Global Public Health certificate here.

Enrollment Requirements for International Students

For non-degree seeking international students, proof of English proficiency (e.g., TOEFL) is required. Many courses have a strong written and oral component; students are expected to be able to write, understand and speak English sufficiently to successfully complete upper division health coursework. Local and international students enrolled in summer session courses may receive assistance from the Student Learning Center. There is no financial support available for international students through UC Berkeley.

Curriculum

Both the Summer Minor in Global Public Health and the Certificate in Global Public Health consist of five courses. The course requirements differ depending on your major:

  • Non-Public Health Majors and Non-UCB Students: 3 core courses + 2 elective courses
  • Public Health Majors: 2 core courses + 3 elective courses

Important Notes

  • A 2.0 average GPA is required to earn the minor or certificate.
  • One (1) upper division course (courses numbered 100+) may overlap between a major and a minor. For multiple majors or multiple minors, one upper division course overlap in total is allowed. Overlap of upper division courses is not allowed between L&S minors. If part of a major or minor that has stricter overlap policies, then the stricter of two minor policies will apply.
  • Courses for the minor may be completed during the academic year but enrollment restrictions apply. Minor students are not guaranteed enrollment during the academic year and there are minor courses that are only offered during the summer.
  • If you plan to major in Public Health, we advise you to not enroll in PB HLTH 250A. Students will be required to take PB HLTH 150A for the major.
  • Courses taken at other universities cannot be applied towards UC Berkeley’s Global Public Health minor or certificate. Please contact your home university to discuss credit transfers for UC Berkeley courses.
  • UC Berkeley students and visiting students who are not pursuing the minor or certificate may still enroll in Public Health courses as they wish during the summer.

Core Courses

The three courses below are required to complete the summer minor/certificate.

Note: If you are a Public Health major pursuing this minor, you will need to only take the following two core courses: PB HLTH 142 and PB HLTH 112.

  • PBHLTH 112: Global Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach

    (4 units) (Session A, p.m.)

    Good health at the individual and community level is central to human happiness, economic development and societal progress. Good health, which is not simply the absence of illness and injury, is the result of the complex interplay of many factors. Within the relevant legal, social, political and physical contexts, good health is contingent on economic forces, cultural beliefs, human behaviors and religion. Additional factors include the availability of affordable preventive measures, curative services, nutritious food, safe water, sanitation and other basic human needs. By definition, global health transcends geopolitical borders and standard academic disciplines, so a broad multidisciplinary approach to its study and understanding is required. Students will be expected to read, understand, and sometimes use advanced materials from diverse disciplines. Case-based discussions will be included in the course.

  • PBHLTH 250A: Epidemiologic Methods

    (3 units) (Session D, p.m.)

    Note for Enrollment: This is a graduate level course; therefore, you will need to obtain a permission number to enroll. Please email epi_div@berkeley.edu. Global Public Health minor students are expected to take this course over the summer since it is not available for undergraduate students during the Fall.

    This introductory course presents the principles and methods of epidemiology, including descriptive and analytic approaches to assessing the distributions of health, disease and injury in populations and factors that influence those distributions. The emphasis is on developing an understanding of concepts, rather than quantitative methods, although calculations are involved. Through the combination of lectures, readings, critical review of papers and problem sets, students without prior coursework in epidemiology will acquire core competencies in epidemiology expected of all public health professionals. Examples are drawn from national and international public health issues.

  • PBHLTH 142: Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Biology and Public Health

    (4 units) (Session D, a.m.)

    This intensive introductory course covers statistical methods used in applied research with an emphasis on principles of statistical reasoning, underlying assumptions and careful interpretation of results. Topics covered include: descriptive statistics, graphical displays of data, introduction to probability, expectations and variance of random variables, confidence intervals and tests for means, differences of means, proportions, differences of proportions, chi-square tests for categorical variables, regression and multiple regression, an introduction to analysis of variance. R (programming language) will be used to supplement hand calculations.

Elective Courses

For Public Health Majors: If you are a Public Health major pursuing the Global Public Health minor, you must select three elective courses from the options listed below. Courses like PH 150B and PH 150D cannot be applied to your Global Public Health minor. If you take these courses during the summer, they will count only towards your Public Health major. The electives you choose for the minor must be distinct from those used for your major. In other words, you cannot double-count any courses as electives for both your major and minor. Refer to the table below for eligible elective options.

For Minor or Certificate Students not pursuing the Public Health major: Complete 2 courses from the list below. Only one course may overlap with your major.

  • PBHLTH 118: Global Nutrition

    (3 units) (Session A, a.m.)

    We will focus on low- and middle-income countries because they experience the greatest burden of malnutrition, and because they face a unique context of limited financial and government resources. In this course, we will discuss the effects of nutrition throughout the lifecycle in pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and adulthood. We will focus on nutrition broadly including issues of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity. We will also analyze and evaluate actions taken to ameliorate the major nutritional problems facing vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries.

  • PBHLTH 150B: Human Health and the Environment in a Changing World

    (3 units) (Session A, p.m.)

    This course presents the relationship between chemical, physical and biological hazards in the environment and their impact on human health. The course focuses on the core areas of environmental health sciences: toxicology, microbial ecology, exposure assessment, risk assessment, environmental epidemiology, regulations/policies and GIS/spatial analysis. It examines the science, health considerations and regulations of contaminants in air, water and food in the context of both developed and developing countries. Other key topics such as ethics, environmental justice and occupational health and safety are also discussed. Local, national and international case studies are used to provide real-world examples of important environmental health concepts.

  • PBHLTH 150D: Introduction to Health Policy and Management

    (3 units) (Session A, a.m.)

    This course in health policy and management course will introduce students to health policy making and the organization of the United States healthcare system. Health policy and management applies concepts from economics, organizational behavior and political science to the structure, financing and regulation of the public health and health care delivery systems. Students will also learn about current issues in U.S. health policy and contemporary organizational challenges experienced by the U.S. healthcare system.

  • PBHLTH 155B: Women's Global Health and Empowerment

    (3 units) (Session D)

    This course aims to expand students’ understanding of the interconnected factors that influence women’s global health and empowerment. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it will draw from many fields such as global health and development, medical and reproductive sciences, epidemiology, demography, law, sociology, economy, political science, advocacy and community health sciences. The curriculum follows a life course framework and includes the following topics: foundations of sexual and reproductive health for girls, adolescents and women throughout the life cycle; basic principles of gender and empowerment theory; historic paradigm shifts in political frameworks, health policies and global reproductive rights; demographic and societal changes and their impact on health, education, economic development and environmental resources; as well as the role of men and boys as allies for gender equity and women’s empowerment in different cultural, regional and global contexts. The course will be taught in a highly interactive format with discussions, group projects and case studies and will draw from the experiences of the students.

  • PBHLTH 155C: War and Public Health

    (3 units) (Session D, p.m.)

    The course covers the global Public Health effects of war in the context of war’s destruction of the health care infrastructure and within the Social Ecological framework. Topics include war’s impact on infectious disease and as a barrier to the control of vaccine-preventable diseases; maternal child health; health of people displaced by war; and war’s psychosocial toll. The curriculum also includes modules focusing on the public health prevention approach to war and research methods for studying health outcomes in conflict zones.The curriculum also includes focusing on current global conflicts and the ramifications of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Students will also have an opportunity to listen to and ask questions during two panel discussions featuring members of the community who have experienced war and its health effects first-hand —veterans and refugees.

  • PBHLTH 162A: Public Health Microbiology

    (4 units) (Session D, a.m.)

    This course presents the fundamentals of microbiology as it relates to the causes of disease and the promotion of health. The primary emphasis will be on infectious agents and the diseases that they produce in humans. To fully comprehend how these agents produce disease, we will learn their properties, how they are transmitted and what their effects are on humans. The course covers the host immune response to microbial infections as well as the prevention and treatment of infections. In addition, students will be introduced to microorganisms that usually do not cause disease but play indispensable and beneficial roles. Students will learn about the threat of infectious diseases nationally and globally.

  • PBHLTH 167: Applied GIS for Public Health

    (3 units) (Session C, p.m.)

    Geographic information systems (GIS) are increasingly central to public health practice. Therefore, the goal of this course is to familiarize students with the principles, methods, and techniques necessary to apply GIS in diverse public health settings. Through weekly readings and discussions, case studies will be presented to introduce the application of GIS technologies (including maps for visualizing clusters, mobile phone-Apps for data collection, and spatial analyses such as proximity analysis. The course will include assignments aimed and acquiring experience on the use of GIS for infectious disease control, disease cluster detection, environmental justice, health services data mapping, and spatial risk assessment among other applications. The culminating project is a Story Map in which students will use maps they’ve created as well as additional narrative text, images, and optional videos to tell a story that could be used for community health education or policy.

  • PBHLTH 197: Global Public Health Internship and Seminar

    (3 units) (P/NP) (Session D); Professor Lisa Barcellos

    A full-time 8-week internship with a required seminar can also serve as one elective for the minor. Non-UC Berkeley students pursuing the certificate and UC Berkeley graduate students in the MPH program are not eligible for this internship.

    Non-UC Berkeley students are not eligible for the 8-week internship.

    You must follow the application steps in this PDF before enrolling: Summer Internship Application Process and Deliverables.

    The internship elective is available only to UC Berkeley students. Students must secure a full-time public health related summer internship for a minimum of 8 consecutive weeks between June and August. Domestic and international internships are eligible and available. Students must also have an overall GPA of 3.0. Students wanting to apply for an internship would submit an application to the Undergraduate Public Health Program Director at UC Berkeley. The application will include: a one-page description of the internship scope and deliverables, a letter of commitment from the host organization, a resume, transcript and submit a 500-word statement describing why they want to pursue the internship.

    A seminar is included as part of this enrollment designed to help students get the most from their internship experience and strengthen their potential leadership and career development. Students will also be able to reflect on professional and leadership style and development. Students will assess their strengths, styles and preferences, as well as areas they need to grow. They will be challenged to use and reflect on the internship experience as an opportunity to develop key competencies and to critically explore organizational cultural dynamics, modes of conduct and values. Moreover, students will be provided with the opportunity to integrate classroom learning and practice in a public health work environment. Students will make important contributions to the host organization, the community they serve and to the solution of global public health problems while developing personal confidence and leadership skills as an emerging public health professional.

CourseNon-Public Health MajorsPublic Health Majors
PBHLTH 112
PBHLTH 250AYou will be taking PH 150A for your major – do not take PH 250A
PBHLTH 142
Overlapping course between the major and minor
Electives
PBHLTH 150BCannot take for minor
PBHLTH 150DCannot take for minor
PBHLTH 162A
PBHLTH 118
PBHLTH 155B
PBHLTH 155C
PBHLTH 167
PBHLTH 197 (Global Public Health Internship and Seminar)

Summer Minor Scholarship

A $1,500 scholarship is available to UC Berkeley undergraduate students who complete a summer minor and meet all eligibility criteria. This scholarship is not available to students earning the certificate.

Students do not have to apply to the scholarship and will automatically be added to the scholarship list if the eligibility requirements are met. This scholarship will be credited to your CalCentral account in early December following your completion of the minor. If you are a senior taking your final class for the minor during the academic year and are graduating within that same academic year (Fall or Spring), it may affect your eligibility for the scholarship. See the Frequently Asked Questions.

Scholarship Eligibility Requirements

  • Be currently enrolled as a UC Berkeley student declared in the minor,
  • Complete the academic requirements of the minor in one summer or during two consecutive summers,
  • Complete at least 4 of the 5 classes for the minor during the summer,
  • Complete all required courses with a minimum grade of C− to be eligible for the minor or certificate,
  • Complete all coursework with a letter grade prior to graduation and receive a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) in courses used to satisfy the minor requirements; note that a C− in all the classes would be a 1.70 GPA and a C in all the classes is a 2.0 GPA,
  • Fill out the Completion of Minor/Certificate Form at the start of your final course or no later than two weeks prior to the completion of your final course. Priority deadlines are August 1 and February 1.

Frequently Asked Questions – Minors

Frequently Asked Questions – Certificates

Employment

Students who complete the minor can enhance their preparation to pursue careers and jobs in public health departments, hospitals and health systems, health policy, community health settings, non-profit organizations, consulting firms and health related start-ups and private companies. The program can also strengthen student preparation for clinical careers, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, optometry, physician assisting, and mental health and/or graduate degrees in public health, public policy, business, social work, law and city planning.

Even if not used directly in a professional setting or graduate program, the multidisciplinary approach of public health will provide students with a broader understanding of the world and tools to engage and influence their surroundings.

Visit Berkeley Career Engagement’s Career Exploration webpage and look for the pages for “What Can I Do With A Major In…” and “Where Do Cal Grads Go?”

Are you interested in making public health your major or minor? Subscribe to the Prospective student listserv (prospective_sphug@lists.berkeley.edu) to receive weekly Public Health Newsletters and one off announcements!

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