Why Berkeley?
Rigorous, interdisciplinary engagement
At the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, we believe that everyone, everywhere, deserves the opportunity to live a healthy life, and that no one should be the victim of preventable disease, injury, or premature death.
The UC Berkeley School of Public Health is distinguished by a broad-based ecological perspective on health, which focuses on the interaction of biological, behavioral, and environmental determinants of human health. This approach to public health can only be pursued at a campus like Berkeley—one of the worlds finest research universities, with every graduate program ranking in the top ten. Harnessing the intellectual resources of Berkeley enables us to pursue a truly interdisciplinary approach to public health.
Known as "The Berkeley Difference," this approach is characterized by:
(2) An interdisciplinary, campus-wide resource base
(3) An emphasis on applying new and emerging research
(4) A sensitivity to multicultural issues informed by social justice and the protection of human rights
Consistently ranked among the leading public health graduate schools in the United States, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health has a 65-year legacy of achievement in helping people live healthier lives in a safer world. Some 12,000 Berkeley graduates have put their education and skills into practice in the public health field worldwide.
Public health education at Berkeley takes place not only through the classrooms of the campus but through active involvement with our communities locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally. We work to ensure that evidence-based public health moves from publication to public action as quickly as possible. We are a community in dialogue about ideas and issues that really matter. We welcome you to join our community and challenge you to put your own stamp on "The Berkeley Difference."
A world-class university in a world-class city
Berkeley is one of the world's most dynamic education centers. The campus, the surrounding community, and the San Francisco Bay Area provide unrivaled intellectual and cultural opportunities.
Berkeley is a place where ideas are conceived and tested. Students have access to over 10 million volumes on the shelves of the university's 18 libraries. Some of the most distinguished teachers and scholars in the world teach classes on campus, and the faculty includes eight Nobel laureates.
The quality of the student body complements the stature of the faculty. The diversity of students reflects the rich mix of cultures in California, as well as the many countries represented by international students. The students at Berkeley are smart, engaged, and committed to achieving their aspirations.
The campus comes alive with concerts and special events that compete with those of any metropolitan city. There are state-of-the-art athletic facilities and nationally ranked sports teams. The University houses an art museum, an anthropology museum, and the Pacific Film Archive, which offers one of the largest and most varied film collections in the world.
The city of Berkeley boasts tree-lined streets, fantastic weather, and restaurants ranging from inexpensive ethnic discoveries to gourmet havens. Near campus, students can study at sidewalk cafes, browse the many new and used bookstores, or shop at the eclectic stores and street vendors on Telegraph Avenue.
San Francisco is just a short drive from campus across the Bay Bridge or a quick trip on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) which has a station one block from campus. A variety of outdoor getaways are accessible by traveling a few hours North or South—the redwoods in Half Moon Bay, the mountains by Lake Tahoe, or the beaches of Santa Cruz—just to name a few.
Healthiest Nation in One Generation
A message from the American Public Health Association