Apr 27, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

Public Health B.S.


TOTAL DEGREE HOURS: 120

Plans of Study 

Certified Global Pathway Program

USF offers the first Bachelor’s in Public Health housed in its accredited College of Public Health in Florida. The Bachelor of Science in Public Health provides the student-centered courses required for entry-level public health jobs found in government agencies, health corporations, community non-profit organizations and healthcare facilities.  

This program has been certified as a Global Pathway, which has significant global content. Students in Global Pathway programs are well positioned to earn the Global Citizen Award. For more information, visit the Office of High-Impact Practices and Undergraduate Research (HIPUR) website.

University Admissions - College of Public Health


Admission to the University is based on the University’s Undergraduate Admission Requirements that may be found by clicking on the following urls:

State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites - Public Health B.S.


Following Florida BOG Regulation 8.010, state mandated common course prerequisites are lower-division courses that are required for progression into the upper division of a particular baccalaureate degree program.

Students desiring to transfer to USF should complete an A.A. degree at a Florida College System institution. If students transfer with fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the students must meet the University’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements. Transfer students are also required to comply with the immunization, foreign language, and continuous enrollment policies of the university.

NOTE: The University of South Florida B.S. in Public Health does not require any common prerequisites.

Required Courses: (54 credit hours)


Major (Restricted) Electives: 8 courses; 24 credit hours


Specialization Electives: 4 courses;12 credit hours


USF offers a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with an option to choose a specialization based on their major electives in the following areas. Students may choose (but are not required) an area of specialization and take 12 credit hours from that chosen area.

Lower-Level Public Health Electives


(Choose up to 2 courses)

The following lower-level courses are not required for the major, but may be taken and applied toward the total degree hours requirement (120 hours).

Additional Information - Public Health B.S.


GPA Requirements


Maintain a major GPA of 2.0 in USF coursework.

Grading Requirement


None of the coursework taken in the student’s major may be taken as an S/U grade, unless S/U is the only grading option. Coursework fulfilling the State Communication Requirement (formerly known as Gordon Rule Writing) and State Computation Requirement (formerly known as Gordon Rule Math) and General Education requirements may not be taken as S/U.

The Audit option is available only during the first 5 days of classes.

Grades of D+ or lower are not acceptable in the major.

Residency Requirement


Students in the College of Public Health are expected to complete a minimum of 50% of their major and/or minor coursework in residence at USF.

Other Information


Students completing the B.S. in Public Health will be able to:

  1. Identify and articulate the core functions of public health.
    1. Explain the basic principles of epidemiology.
    2. Assess social and behavioral interventions to improve health of populations.
    3. Identify the impact of the environment and communicable diseases on health.
    4. Explain the role that public health plays in disaster prevention and management and evaluate public policy issues with respect to access, quality and cost when understanding health disparities within vulnerable populations.
  2. Exhibit critical thinking and analytical abilities, including the capacities to engage in inductive and deductive thinking and quantitative reason, and to construct sound arguments.
    1. Identify topics pertaining to public health research.
    2. Generate research questions, analyze and present data, and interpret and discuss findings.
    3. Demonstrate awareness about current public health topics including an analysis of the societal attitudes that generate differences on current public health topics.
  3. Communicate using effective oral skills.
    1. Demonstrate an ability to contribute effectively to group discussions and presentations.
    2. Apply effective public speaking skills during classroom presentations.
  4. Develop effective written presentations.
    1. Demonstrate the use of information literacy skills such as locating and evaluating pertinent public health information.
    2. Demonstrate the ability to use library resources and scientific databases.
    3. Exhibit proper referencing secondary materials in APA format.

Research Opportunities - Public Health B.S.


Undergraduate students in any degree program are able to participate in undergraduate research. Several options exist to show mentored undergraduate research activity on a student’s official transcript. Those who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 4914 - Advanced Undergraduate Research Experience   course. This course will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of High Impact Practices and Undergraduate Research (HIPUR) is able to assist with further inquiries.

Advising Information - Public Health B.S.


Physical Address: The WELL – USF Health Shared Student Services (MDA), 12901 Bruce B Downs Blvd, Tampa, FL 33612
Phone: (813) 974-4633
Office Hours: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Web Address: https://health.usf.edu/publichealth/undergrad/advising
Contact Email: UG-PublicHealthAdvising@usf.edu
Declaration of Major: https://health.usf.edu/publichealth/undergrad/declaration