Public Health BS/ Epidemiology MS

Admission Criteria

Current students wishing to pursue this major must follow the instructions on the School of Public Health and Health Professions change of major form.

Undergraduate Course Requirements

Graduate Course Requirements

Total Credits Required for Undergraduate Major: 47

Additional Degree Requirements Include:

• Additional coursework to fulfill UB Curriculum requirements.
• 26 undergraduate elective credits.

Total Undergraduate Credits Required: 105

Total Credits Required for Graduate Degree: 33

Total Credits Required for Graduation: 138

Total Credit Hours Required represents the minimum credits needed to complete this program, and may vary based on a number of circumstances. This should not be used for financial aid purposes.

Academic Requirements

Minimum Public Health BS major GPA of 2.500 required to complete the Public Health BS degree.All Public Health undergraduate students are academically reviewed at the end of each semester after grades are posted. Academic review standards are as follows:

• Minimum UB GPA of 2.000
• Minimum major GPA of 2.500

Students identified after academic review each semester who do not meet these requirements will be notified via their UB Email account. The first semester that students receive a warning notification they will be mandated to make an advising appointment before registering for next semester’s classes (enforced with a hold). Second semester of not meeting criteria will mandate that the student attend an SPHHP sponsored workshop on academic improvement and mandate them to meet with an academic advisor (enforced with service indicator). When a student is identified with 3 semesters of academic warning the student will be removed from the major. Academic reviews are conducted following Fall and Spring semesters only. Courses repeated during the winter and/or summer are not factored into the review.

Students who are academic dismissed from the Public Health BS major have one (1) opportunity to appeal to the program director.

Curricular Plan

A Curricular Plan provides a roadmap for completing this academic program and the UB Curriculum on time. Your actual plan may vary depending on point of entry to the university, course placement and/or waivers based on standardized test scores, earned alternative credit and/or college transfer credit.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes at the Undergraduate Level:

• Public Health - Address the history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts, and functions across the globe and in society.
• Role and Importance of Data in Public Health - Address the basic concepts, methods, and tools of public health data collection, use, and analysis and explain why evidence-based approaches are an essential part of public health practice.
• Identify and Address Population Health Challenges - Address the concepts of population health, and the basic processes, approaches, and interventions that identify and address the major health-related needs and concerns of populations.
• Human Health - Address the underlying science of human health and disease is necessary to provide opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the life course.
• Determinants of Health - Address the socioeconomic, behavioral, biological, cultural, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities.
• Project Implementation - Address the fundamental concepts and features of project implementation, including planning, assessment, and evaluation.
• Health Systems - Address the fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the U.S. health system as well as the similarities and differences in systems of other countries.
• Health Policy Law, Ethics and Economics - Address basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of health care and public health policy, including applying those concepts to public health issues, and the roles, influences, and responsibilities of the different agencies and branches of government.
• Health Communication - Address the basic concepts of public health-specific communication, including technical and professional writing and the use of mass media and electronic technology.

Learning Outcomes at the Graduate Level:

Students will receive didactic training in epidemiologic methods (study design and analytics) and biostatistics. In addition to didactic training, a research-based thesis will provide students with an experience of conducting a research project from the design phase through the analysis, interpretation, and communication of project results. All thesis projects are equivalent to a publishable research paper and many master-level students publish their work. Students will also attend research seminars and are encouraged to participate locally as well as nationally in presentation of thesis findings.

(HEGIS: 12.14 PUBLIC HEALTH, CIP: 51.2201 Public Health, General (MPH, DPH))