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Major Undergraduate Program

Public Health & Society Major: Curriculum Requirements

Total credits required: 34

Required Courses (12 credits)

APEX: Advanced Practical Experience in Public Health (4 credits)

  • PUBHLTHSOC 4000 - APEX: Advanced Practical Experience in Public Health Seminar
  • PUBHLTHSOC 4001 - APEX: Advanced Practical Experience in Public Health Internship

OR

  • PUBHLTHSOC 4002 - APEX: Advanced Practical Experience in Public Health Seminar—Study Abroad
  • One study abroad supervised research course that has been approved for APEX

Electives (18 credits)

Students pursuing a Public Health & Society major must complete six elective courses, totaling 18 credits. At least two courses must be from the Social, Cultural, and Historical Analysis category. At least 15 elective credits must be at the advanced level (3000, 4000), six of which must be at the 4000 level.

New electives will be added to the electives list as they become available and are approved. Students may petition to have an elective added.

Because of limitations within Workday, you will need to ask an advisor to use an “academic override” for Special Topics courses to be counted toward a Public Health & Society degree.

Planning your course schedule?

All four required courses and APEX are offered every Fall and Spring.

Taking PUBHLTHSOC 1000 and PUBHLTHSOC 2000 early in your time at WashU can be helpful because what you learn in those courses will be useful in later courses. However, you do not need to take PUBHLTHSOC 1000 first. Consider starting your journey with PUBHLTHSOC 1000, PUBHLTHSOC 2000, or an elective.

Check out A Sample Path through the Public Health & Society Major for a suggestion on how to plan. This program is flexible and allows you to pick from over 150 electives. You get to decide your own journey.

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Electives Organized by Topic

 
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Full list of Electives

 

Additional Information

  • All courses must be letter-graded and completed with a grade of C or better
  • Two courses (six credits) may be completed through an approved study abroad program.
  • PUBHLTHSOC 1000, 2000, and 3000 have no prerequisites and need not be taken sequentially.
  • Successful completion of PUBHLTHSOC 1000 is required prior to taking PUBHLTHSOC 3100.
  • Students with more than one major/minor may count only introductory (100/1000- and 200/2000-level) courses, where relevant, toward the requirements for the programs. Advanced (300/3000-level and greater) courses may not count for more than one of the programs. If more than one program requires the same course, a departmentally-sanctioned elective must be chosen to replace the course in the other program(s).

 

APEX: Advanced Practical Experience in Public Health

PUBHLTHSOC APEX courses may only be taken by Public Health & Society majors, and the following rules apply:
  • Successful completion of PUBHLTHSOC 3100 is required prior to enrolling in PUBHLTHSOC 4000, PUBHLTHSOC 4001, OR PUBHLTHSOC 4002.
  • PUBHLTHSOC 4000 and PUBHLTHSOC 4001 must be taken concurrently.
  • Students choosing to complete an approved study abroad program for the internship portion of their APEX course will enroll in a supervised research course at the home institution or through SIT or equivalent; 3 credits from that supervised course will be transferred back as the internship portion of the APEX course and counted as equivalent to PUBHLTHSOC 4001.
  • Study abroad students will enroll in the 1-credit seminar portion of the APEX course (PUBHLTHSOC 4002) in the semester following their internship.

Resources

Student Handbook

The Student Handbook is your guide to getting started

Minor Requirements

Curriculum requirements for the minor

3-2 MPH Program

Planning to continue your education with an MPH?

Exploratory Pathways

Our extensive list of elective courses organized into easy-to-navigate categories

A&S Course Explorer

Use A&S Course Explorer to browse Arts & Sciences courses each semester by major, minor, and IQ Requirements.

Explore Careers

There is a lot you can do within the field of public health

APEX: Advanced Practical Experience in Public Health

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Public Health & Society provides undergraduate students with a foundation focusing on public and global health and how issues of equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health influence health outcomes. The Advanced Practical EXperience in Public Health (APEX) program bridges the gap between public health theory and practical application through either a community-based internship or a directed research project. APEX emphasizes real-world engagement, professional development, and impactful public health projects.

APEX is required for all Public Health & Society majors and is exclusively open to them.

Before APEX

Students must first successfully complete PUBHLTHSOC 3100 - Research Methods in Understanding Health and Society and be enrolled in Public Health & Society as a major or second major.

The APEX Coordinator will send each eligible student the APEX Student Information Survey and introductory email to begin the placement in the semester prior to APEX.

The APEX semester

Students enroll in two courses:

  • PUBHLTHSOC 4000 - APEX: Advanced Practical Experience in Public Health Seminar (1 credit). Students will be required to regularly attend the seminar and actively participate in class discussions and activities. Students will complete multiple learning reflections throughout the semester.  
  • PUBHLTHSOC 4001 - APEX: Advanced Practical Experience in Public Health Internship (3 credits). Students must complete a minimum of 140 hours with a community partner to design and/or implement public health-related, community engaged projects. 

Learn more about APEX.

Public Health & Society Senior Honors Program

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The Public Health & Society Senior Honors Program is a two-semester experience designed for motivated students who want to conduct independent, in-depth research on a topic they care about. Through close faculty mentorship, structured coursework, and hands-on research, students design, execute, and present an original thesis that contributes to conversations about health, culture, and society.

The Public Health & Society Senior Honors Program spans two semesters:

  • PUBHLTHSOC 4998 - Senior Honors Thesis I: Research Development and Prospectus
  • PUBHLTHSOC 4999 - Senior Honors Thesis II: Research Execution and Defense

In the Public Health & Society Senior Honors Program, you will move from an initial idea to a fully developed research project. By the end of the program, you will have completed an original thesis, presented your work publicly, and developed skills that will prepare you for graduate school, research roles, or policy, non-profit, and health-related careers.

Eligibility Requirements

To apply you must:

  • Plan to have senior standing during the program
  • Be a Public Health & Society Major or Second Major
  • Hold a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.65
  • Have completed PUBHLTHSOC 3100 - Research Methods in Understanding Health and Society

Learn more about the Public Health & Society Senior Honors Program.