Public Health BA Curriculum

For the Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Program

Course Requirements for the Public Health Major

(Does not include L&S or graduation requirements)

  • One (1) Lower Division Course
  • Five (5) Foundational Core Courses
  • One (1) Capstone Course
  • Ten (10) Elective Course Units (number of courses may vary)

All course work for the Public Health major is to be taken for a letter grade (with the exception of possible electives PB HLTH 116 and PB HLTH 104 A/B, which are Pass/No Pass only).

Due to accreditation changes instituted by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH), Berkeley Public Health undergraduate students graduating in 2017 and afterwards must abide by the new major completion requirements. Students with a graduation date set before Spring 2017 may continue to use the old requirements.

One Lower Division Course Requirement

Note: We only have one required lower division class for the Public Health major. Please view the undergraduate admissions and the admissions requirements section for the major Prerequisites that must be completed in order to apply to the major.

DATA C8:
Foundations of Data Science
(4)
Fall, Summer, and Spring

  • Data C8 (also referred to as Data 8) has reserved seating for New First Year and New Transfer Students so it is strongly recommended to complete this requirement earlier, during your first two semesters at UC Berkeley.
  • The major will accept CA community college credit for this course requirement. See the list of equivalent DATA 8 courses that can be taken at a handful of community colleges in California. We will accept a course from the list to count toward the DATA 8 major requirement for public health.

Five Foundational Core Course Requirements

These core courses can be taken in any order with the exception of PB HLTH 142 and PB HLTH 150A.

PB HLTH 142:
Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Public Health
(4)
Fall, Summer, and Spring

  • Note: We do not allow undergraduate students to take the online PH W142 through the Online MPH Program

PB HLTH 150A:
Introduction to Epidemiology
(4)
Spring only

  • Students will have to complete PB HLTH 142 prior or concurrently with PB HLTH 150A. PB HLTH 250A/N250A will not be accepted in lieu of PB HLTH 150A.
  • If you are considering applying to the 4+1 MPH in Epi/Bio or MCAH program, or the Public Health Honors Thesis, you must complete PB HLTH 142 and PB HLTH 150A by the end of your junior year.

PB HLTH 150B/N150B:
Human Health and the Environment in a Changing World
(3)
Fall and Summer

PB HLTH 150D:
Introduction to Health Policy & Management
(3)
Fall and Summer

PB HLTH 150E:
Introduction to Community Health and Human Development
(3)
Spring

  • CYPLAN 117AC will not be accepted to fulfill this requirement. Students who are public health majors or plan to be public health majors must take PB HLTH 150E.

Senior Capstone Requirement

The capstone requirement for the undergraduate Public Health major is designed to review, integrate, and apply concepts and methods presented in the core breadth courses.

  • Public Health majors will have to enroll in one Capstone course to fulfill this requirement. The Capstone Requirement must be taken for a letter grade and fulfilled in your senior year (or the final two semesters prior to graduation). Previous coursework does not apply.
  • Prioritize enrollment in your Capstone course during Phase 1. Graduate level courses (numbered 200+) require a permission number from the instructor.
  • Public Health Honors Thesis students will be required to enroll in PB HLTH 155A as their Capstone course.
  • The Capstone course you select cannot be used to fulfill the PH elective unit requirement.
  • Priority is given to graduating students who need to satisfy the Public Health Capstone Requirement opposed to those interested in taking the course as an elective.

Capstone Course Options

Note: The options listed below are for the current academic year and are subject to change.

Fall 2023

  • PH 155A Senior Research Seminar

    This applied course will help you understand how to conduct and interpret research in human health and disease, building on your knowledge of epidemiology and biostatistics and other content areas in public health. The course will provide skills in: critically reading the literature related to public health-related research; developing a research question and a testable hypothesis; and creating an analysis plan. The course will cover quantitative and qualitative research methods, with an emphasis on quantitative methods. The course will also include the development of a human subjects research protocol. All students will have a hands-on, guided experience analyzing data using R. This course is open to students interested in the research process in public health and medicine.

    Students must have successfully completed PH 142 and PH 150A.

    (3.0 Units, 60–68 students, Instructors: Thompson, Hannah)

  • PH 155D Preparation for Public Health Practice Seminar

    This capstone course will enhance student preparation to be effective public health practitioners through application of core knowledge, strengthening essential professional skills and development of post-graduation career and graduate education plans. Students will tackle real-world public health cases and emerging local challenges to enhance essential problem solving and innovation skills. Students will also enhance key communication, team and project skills. Leading professionals from a range of public health organizations will be engaged in the course to enhance student exposure, networking and opportunities. A key focus of the course will be students developing a clearer understanding of how their unique aspirations and strengths connect to emerging career and post-graduation options and how they can best prepare.

    (3.0 Units, 62–69 students, Instructor: TBD)

  • PH 207 Transforming the Food System: From Agroecology to Population Health

    This course will take a solutions-oriented approach to addressing the pressing problems in current food systems. We will explore strategies used by the disciplines of agroecology, policy, law, public health, and business in working to improve food systems and apply their varied approaches to real-world case studies. Through weekly readings, discussions, and problem-solving sessions with Berkeley’s leading food systems experts, students will gain a broad understanding of food systems and the leverage points that can be targeted to improve the health of people and the planet.

    (3.0 Units, 10 students, Instructor: Madsen, Kristine)

  • PH 207A Maternal and Child Nutrition

    Nutrition plays a vital role in human reproduction and child growth and development. This course provides an overview of the major nutritional issues faced by women of childbearing age, infants, children and adolescents in the United States and globally, with selected topics explored in greater depth. In addition to academic knowledge, this course offers students the opportunity to apply practical knowledge of nutrition on a personal level. This course includes a field component in which students meet local-level public health professionals/agencies (e.g. visits to WIC clinics, food banks, government organizations, more). The final paper will allow students to delve deeply into a particular topic of interest to them. The course is applicable to students interested in community nutrition, maternal and child health, food security, and food systems and opportunity to integrate and synthesize their knowledge.

    (3.0 Units, 10 students, Instructor: Fernald, Lia)

  • PH 265 Molecular Parasitology

    This is a fast-paced, exciting advanced course in the molecular aspects of parasite immunology, molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, and genomics. For each parasite, the following areas will be covered: biology (history, classification/taxonomy, life cycle), disease spectrum/clinical manifestations, epidemiology (distribution, impact), pathogenesis, immunology (host immune response, immunopathology), vaccine development, and genomics. The lectures will focus “state-of-the-art” research and knowledge in these areas in relation to molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, parasite adaptions for survival within the host, and strategies for drug and vaccine development. Course content will rely heavily on current literature. Readings are required and consist of one review article about each parasite and several primary research articles on selected topics that will be focused upon in the lectures.

    (3.0 Units, 5–10 students, Instructor: Harris, Eva)

  • PH 273 Environmental Determinants of Infectious Disease

    This course takes a global perspective, exploring the diverse environmental phenomena that influence the transmission of infectious diseases. Complex dynamics, feedbacks and spatial flows inherent in the transmission of environmentally driven infectious diseases are examined, focusing on vector-borne diseases, tropical parasites and waterborne pathogens. The epidemiological significance of environmental processes are explored, including weather, climate extremes, hydrology, development projects, and land use change. Anthroponotic and zoonotic diseases of global significance are examined with respect to how environmental factors shape their distributions, intensity, environmental fate, transport, and persistence. The specific epidemiological consequences of climate change, dams, irrigation, agricultural intensification and de/reforestation are emphasized, and analytical tools for their study presented and critiqued, including methods for modeling coupled environmental-epidemiological systems.

    (3.0 Units, 10 students, Instructor: Remais, Justin)

Spring 2024

  • PH 130: Advanced Health Policy

    This class will give you the opportunity to build upon your learnings over the past 2+ years as Public Health majors. Whether your primary interest in public health is focused on environmental health, maternal health, nutritional health, mental health, healthcare or another area of focus, this class will provide you with tools to move your policy choices into and through the political realm to adoption. In this course you will become engaged health policy analysts, applying policy making tools (e.g., policy memos/briefs, legislative analysis, regulatory comments, media advocacy, public testimony) to actual health issues and problems. Through individual and group work, you will draw upon both verbal and written communication skills to learn how to effectuate health policy change.

    Students must have successfully completed PH 150D before enrolling in this course.

    (3.0 Units, 2 sections: 20 students per section, 40 students total, Instructor: Flagg, Robin)

  • PH 206B Food and Nutrition Policies and Programs

    This course examines the ways in which the US government designs and implements policies and programs that affect access to nutritionally adequate, safe, affordable diets. It analyzes how stakeholders in the food system—consumer, health, industry, government, and other groups—interact with each other to affect policy design and implementation; the historical, social, economic, environmental, and political factors that determine stakeholder positions on policy issues; and the ways in which these factors promote or act as barriers to achieving a system that promotes optimal food access, nutrition, and health. Throughout the semester, the course will cover both contemporary food and nutrition policy issues as well as explore the history of these issues and ideas. Students will gain an understanding of the broad spectrum of policies that affect human diets and will also become familiar with the processes that produce those policies and ways to interact with those processes throughout one’s career.

    (3.0 Units, 10 students, Instructor: Laraia, Barbara)

  • PH 253B: Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases

    This introductory course will emphasize infectious diseases of public health importance focusing on the core concepts of infectious disease transmission, evidence-based approaches for prevention and control, and epidemiologic methods for studying infectious diseases. The course is organized around two primary modules: 1) methods of infectious disease epidemiology; and 2) routes of transmission and associated prevention and control measures. Within each module, students will consider the range of clinical, methodological and ethical challenges faced by infectious disease epidemiologists and public health practitioners. Major infectious diseases will be discussed with an emphasis on disease surveillance, investigative procedures, and prevention programs. Current problems in health agencies at a state, national, and international level will be emphasized.

    Successful completion of PH 142 and PH 150A is a prerequisite for this course.

    (3.0 Units, 20 students, Instructors: Lewnard, Joseph)

  • PH C256 Human Genome, Environment and Public Health

    This introductory course will cover basic principles of human/population genetics and molecular biology relevant to understanding approaches in molecular and genetic epidemiology. The latest designs and methods for genome-wide association studies and other approaches to identify genetic variants and environmental risk factors important to disease and health will be presented. The application of biomarkers to define exposures and outcomes in epidemiologic research will be explored. The course will cover recent developments in genomics, epigenomics and other ‘omics’, including the role of genomics in personalized/precision medicine. Students will learn how to utilize tools implemented in PLINK and R packages for analysis of genetic and genomic data. The course will introduce the use of computational tools and public resources. Students will complete a final project.

    Students must have successfully completed PH 142 and PH 150A.

    (3.0 Units, 25–30 students, Instructor: Barcellos, Lisa)

Capstone Honors Thesis

Go to the Undergraduate Honors Thesis page for information.

Ten Elective Course Units

Search by Major Feature: Go to classes.berkeley.edu > Select TERM (left sidebar) > MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (left sidebar) and go to “Select Requirement Year” drop down menu > Select major > Select the course requirements you are hoping to fulfill.

Any course offered under the Public Health department may count towards the elective units requirements for the major except for field study, DeCal classes, and independent research (PB HLTH 197, PB HLTH 198, PB HLTH 199). PB HLTH 196 may count towards the elective requirements as long as it is taken for a letter grade.

There are no concentrations offered under the Public Health undergraduate program. Elective options are organized by category.

  • Four of the ten elective units must be upper-division (courses numbered 100+)
  • Elective units must be taken for a letter grade (Exceptions: PB HLTH 116 and PB HLTH 104/A as these are Pass/No Pass only)
  • DeCals, Field Study, and Independent Research (PB HLTH 197/198/199) do not count towards Public Health elective units
  • PB HLTH 196s courses may count towards elective units as long as they are taken for a letter grade
  • Graduate courses within Berkeley Public Health, pending instructor approval and pre-requisite completion

Other courses not expressly listed below may be considered pending one-time approval or review by the Undergraduate Management Committee or through the Public Elective Petition Process. Please discuss with an Academic Advisor.

  • Biostatistics
    • DEMOG 110: Introduction to Population Analysis (3)
    • COGSCI 131: Computational Models of Cognition (4)
    • COMPSCI/STAT C100: Principles & Techniques of Data Science (DATA 100) (4)
    • MATH 53: Multivariable Calculus (4)
    • MATH 54: Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (4)
    • PB HLTH 145: Statistical Analysis of Continuous Outcome Data (4)
    • STAT 131A: Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Life Scientists (4)
    • STAT 133: Concepts in Computing with Data (3)
    • STAT 134: Concepts of Probability (4)
    • STAT 135: Concepts of Statistics (4)
    • STAT 150: Stochastic Processes (3)
    • STAT 151A: Linear Modeling: Theory and Application (4)
    • STAT 153: Introduction to Time Series (4)
  • Community Health and Human Development
    • ANTHRO 115: Introduction to Medical Anthropology (4)
    • ANTHRO 189: Language and Global Health (4)
      Note: This is a special topics course so please make sure that the title of the course is an exact match
    • ASAMST 143AC: Asian American Health (3)
    • ASAMST 143B: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Community Health: Foundational Theories and Contemporary Issues (4)
    • CHICANO 174: Chicanos, Law and Criminal Justice (4)
    • CHICANO 176: Chicanos and Health Care (3)
    • CYPLAN 115: Urbanization in Developing Countries (4)
    • ESPM 150: Social Inequality and the Body (4)
      Note: This is a special topics course so please make sure that the title of the course is an exact match
    • ESPM 163AC/SOCIOL 137AC: Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity and the Environment (4)
    • GPP 115: Global Poverty: Challenges and Hopes (4)
    • GWS 130AC: Gender, Race, Nation, and Health (4)
    • HISTORY 183A: Disease, Health, and Medicine, in the United States (4)
      Note: This course was previously taught as Special Topics Course under History 100D: Special Topics in the History of the United States – Disease, Health, and Medicine, in the United States (4)
    • HISTORY 100ST: Biology, Ecology, and the Making of US Imperialism (4)
    • HISTORY C191/HMEDSCI C133/UGIS C133: Death, Dying and Modern Medicine: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives (4)
    • ISF C100G: Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society (4)
    • NUSCTX 103: Nutrient Function and Metabolism (4)
    • NUSCTX W104 or 104: Food, Culture, and the Environment (2–3 units)
    • NUSCTX 166: Nutrition in the Community (3)
    • PB HLTH 14: Healthy People: Introduction to Health Promotion (4)
    • PB HLTH 15: Introduction to Global Health Equity (3)
    • PB HLTH 104 A/B: Health Promotion in a College Setting (2/2)
    • PB HLTH 107: Violence, Social Justice and Public Health (2)
    • PB HLTH 101: A sustainable world: Challenges and Opportunities (3)
    • PB HLTH 118: Nutrition in Developing Countries (3)
    • PB HLTH 129: Aging and the Human Brain (3)
    • PB HLTH C155/SOCIOL C115: Sociology of Health and Medicine (4)
    • PB HLTH 155E: Seeing People: Understanding Homelessness’ Roots, Stigmas, Systems, and Solutions (3)
    • PB HLTH W108: Women’s Health, Gender and Empowerment (3)
    • PSYCH 131: Developmental Psychopathology (3)
    • PYSCH 130: Clinical Psychology (3)
    • PSYCH 134: Health Psychology (3)
    • PSYCH 135: Treating Mental Illness: Development, Evaluation, and Dissemination (3)
    • PSYCH N180: Industrial Organizational Psychology (3)
    • UGIS 110: Introduction to Disability Studies (3)
  • Environmental Health Sciences
    • CIV ENG 110: Water Systems of the Future (3)
    • CIV ENG 111: Environmental Engineering (3)
    • CIV ENG 113: Ecological Engineering for Water Quality Improvement (3)
    • CIV ENG 114: Environmental Microbiology (3)
    • ECON C102/ENVECON C102: Natural Resource Economics (4)
    • ECON C171/ENVECON C151: Economic Development (4)
    • ECON 172: Case Studies in Economic Development (4)
    • ECON 174: Global Poverty and Impact Evaluation (4)
    • ECON C181/ENVECON C181: International Trade (4)
    • ENE,RES C100/PUB POL C184: Energy and Society (4)
    • ENE,RES 102: Quantitative Aspects of Global Environment Problems (4)
    • ENE,RES W174: Water and Sanitation Justice (3)
    • ENVECON 131: Globalization and the Natural Environment (4)
    • ENVECON 152: Advanced Topics in Development and International Trade (3)
    • ENVECON 153: Population, Environment and Development (3)
    • ENVECON 161: Advanced Topics in Environmental and Resource Economics (4)
    • ESPM 50AC: Introduction to Culture and Natural Resource Management (4)
    • ESPM 101A: The Politics and Practice of Sustainability Transitions (4)
    • ESPM 102D: Climate and Energy Policy (4)
    • ESPM 155AC: Sociology and Political Ecology of Agro-Food Systems (4)
    • ESPM C162A/ANTHRO C119A: Health, Medicine, Society and Environment (4)
    • ESPM 163AC/SOCIOL 137AC: Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity and the Environment (4)
    • ESPM 168: Political Ecology (4)
    • ESPM 169: International Environmental Politics (4)
    • GEOG 123: Postcolonial Geographies (4)
    • GEOG 130: Food and the Environment (4)
    • GEOG 138: Global Environmental Politics (4)
    • GEOG 187: Geographic Information Analysis (4)
    • GEOG C188/LD ARCH C188: Geographic Information Systems (4)
    • GLOBAL C100D/GEOG C112: Development in Theory and History (4)
    • HISTORY 100ST: Biology, Ecology, and the Making of US Imperialism (4)
    • HISTORY 120AC/ESPM 160AC: American Environmental and Cultural History (4)
    • INTEGBI 117: Medical Ethnobotany (2)
    • IAS C175/ENVECON C175: The Economics of Climate Change (4)
    • ISF 100D: Introduction to Technology, Society and Culture (4)
    • ISF 100G: Introduction to Science, Society and Ethics (4)
    • NUSCTX 11: Introduction to Toxicology (3)
    • NUSCTX 20: Personal Food Security and Wellness (2)
    • NUSCTX W104: Food, Culture, and the Environment (3)
    • NUSCTX 110: Toxicology (4)
    • NUSCTX 160: Metabolic Bases of Human Health & Diseases (4)
    • PB HLTH C160/ESPM C167: Environmental Health and Development (4)
    • PB HLTH 177: Applied GIS for Public Health (3)
    • POLECON 162: Pandemics and Politics: Infectious Disease in Historical Perspective (4)
    • SOCIOL 121: Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Social and Cultural Context (4)
    • SOCIOL 166: Society and Technology (4)
  • Epidemiology
    • CMPBIO 156: Human Genome, Environment and Public Health (4)
    • DEMOG 110: Introduction to Population Analysis (3)
    • DEMOG C126/SOCIOL C126: Sex, Death and Data (4)
    • GEOG 130: Food and the Environment (4)
    • INTEGBI 128: Sports Medicine (3)
    • INTEGBI 131: General Human Anatomy (3)
    • INTEGBI 132: Survey of Human Physiology (4)
    • INTEGBI 140: Biology of Human Reproduction (4)
    • INTEGBI 141: Human Genetics (3)
    • MCELLBI 140: General Genetics (4)
    • PB HLTH 112: Global Health: A Multidisciplinary Examination (4)
    • PB HLTH 177: Applied GIS for Public Health (3)
  • Health Policy and Management
    • ANTHRO 114: History of Anthropological Thought (4)
    • CY PLAN 120: Community Planning and Public Policy for Disability (3)
    • ECON 157: Health Economics (4)
    • ENVECON 145: Health and Environmental Economic Policy (3)
    • ENVECON C176: Climate Change Economics (4)
    • ESPM 102D: Climate and Energy Policy (4)
    • ESPM 162: Bioethics and Society (4)
    • LEGALST 103: Theories of Law and Society (4)
    • LEGALST 107: Theories of Justice (4)
    • LEGALST 157: International Relations and International Law (4)
    • LEGALST 168: Sex, Reproduction and the Law (4)
    • MEDIAST 112: Media Theories and Processes (4)
    • PB HLTH 116: Seminar on Social, Political and Ethical Issues in Health and Medicine (3)
    • PB HLTH 124: Health Care and Public Health Management (3)
    • PB HLTH 126: Health Economics and Public Policy (3)
    • PB HLTH 181 Poverty and Population (3)
    • POL SCI 103: Congress (4)
    • POL SCI 150: The American Legal System (4)
    • POL SCI 171: California Politics (4)
    • PSYCH 149B: Context of Early Development (3)
    • PSYCH 149D: Early Childhood Policy: Children, Contexts, and Politics in Diverse Societies (3)
    • PSYCH C162: Human Happiness (3)
    • PUB POL 101: Introduction to Public Policy Analysis (4)
    • PUB POL C103/L & S C180U Wealth and Poverty (4)
    • PUB POL 117AC: Race, Ethnicity and Public Policy (4)
    • PUB POL 156: Program and Policy Design (4)
    • PUB POL 179: Public Budgeting (4)
    • PUBPOL 190: Special Topics in Public Policy – US-Mexico Public Policy Relations (3)
      Note: This is a special topics course so please make sure that the title of the course is an exact match
    • SOCIOL 115G: Global Health and Social Justice (4)
    • SOCIOL C115: Sociology of Health and Medicine (4)
    • SOC WEL 112: Social Welfare Policy (3)
    • SPANISH 102C: Advanced Writing Workshop (Volunteering, Global Education and Good Writing) (4)
      Note: This is a special topics course so please make sure that the title of the course is an exact match
    • UGBA 192T: Special Topics in Corporate Social Responsibility Business and Labor Rights in Global Supply Chains (2)
      Note: This is a special topics course so please make sure that the title of the course is an exact match
  • Infectious Diseases
    • CHEM 135: Chemical Biology (3)
    • ESPM C138/MCELLBI C114/PLANTBI C114: Introduction to Comparative Virology (4)
    • INTEGBI 114 Infectious Disease Dynamics (4)
    • INTEGBI 116L: Medical Parasitology (4)
    • INTEGBI 131: General Human Anatomy (3)
    • INTEGBI 132: Survey of Human Physiology (4)
    • INTEGBI 137: Human Endocrinology (4)
    • INTEGBI 139: The Neurobiology of Stress (4) to Infectious Diseases
    • INTEGBI 141: Human Genetics (3)
    • INTEGBI 169: Evolutionary Medicine (4)
    • MCELLBI C100A/CHEM C130: Biophysical Chemistry: Physical Principles and the Molecules of Life (4)
    • MCELLBI 102: Survey of the Principles of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (4)
    • MCELLBI 104: Genetics, Genomics, and Cell Biology (4)
    • MCELLBI C114: Introduction to Comparative Virology (4)
    • MCELLBI 130: Cell and Systems Biology (4)
    • MCELLBI 136: Physiology (4)
    • MCELLBI 140: General Genetics (4)
    • MCB 141: Developmental Biology (4)
    • MCELLBI 150: Molecular Immunology (4)
    • MCELLBI 160: Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology (4)
    • PLANTBI C110L/INTEGBI C110L: Biology of Fungi with Laboratory (4)
    • MCELLBI C103/PLANTBI C103: Bacterial Pathogenesis (3)
    • PB HLTH 162A: Public Health Microbiology (4)
    • PB HLTH 168: Public Health Microbiology Laboratory (2)
      Note: This course was previously PB HLTH 162L: Public Health Microbiology Laboratory (2) prior to Fall 2022

Study Abroad Approved Electives List

Please note that electives on this list expire five years after their approval date. If you wish to use something that has expired you are required to submit your own elective petition to renew the course.

  • UCEAP Programs

    Carlos III University (Madrid, Spain)

    • Global Environmental Challenges (3.3 semester units)
      Approved May 2019
    • 169E: Global Health: Economics and Human Health in the Post-Industrial World (3.3 semester units)
      Approved September 2022

    Exeter College, Oxford University (England)

    • 102-S: Cognitive Neuroscience (4 semester units)
      Approved June 2022
    • Forensic Linguistics: An Interdisciplinary Course on Language, Mind and Law (4 semester units)
      Approved November 2022

    Hitotsubashi University (Japan)

    • 1EI40901: Theories in Health Insurance (2 semester units)
      Approved February 2020
    • 1EI40701: Medical Engineering (2 semester units)
      Approved February 2020

    Kings College London (England)

    • 5BBBMB28: Medical Microbiology (4 semester units)
      Approved November 2020
    • 6SSG3089: Empire, Environment and Development (4 semester units)
      Approved September 2022

    Lund University, School of Economics and Management (Sweden)

    • MPHP 34, Cost-effectiveness and Impact Evaluation of Health Interventions (4 semester units)
      Approved May 2023
    • MPHP 36, Public Health: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (4 semester units)
      Approved May 2023
    • NEKG71, Economics: Development Economics (Department equivalency to UCB ECON 171)
      [Each approved course must transfer to Berkeley with at least 2.7 semester units and must be taken for a letter grade]
      Approved May 2023

    Maastricht University (Netherlands)

    • POL2005, European Welfare State: Current Challenges and Perspectives (3.3 semester units)
      Approved April 2022

    National Taiwan University (Taiwan)

    • BIOL 169-132: Edible Insects (2.3 semester units)
      Approved November 2020
    • HLTHS 104-132: Burden of Disease (2.3 semester units)
      Approved November 2020
    • HLTHS 166: Contemporary Issues in Global Health (3.3 semester units)
      Approved November 2020

    NYU Paris (France)

    • IDSEM-UG 9353 C01 What is Technology? (4 semester units)
      Approved December 2021

    Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (Chile)

    • VIL625: Planning for Local Sustainability in a Global Age (3.33 semester units)
      Approved November 2019

    Seoul National University (South Korea)

    • Global Citizenship Education (GCED) for Global Public Health Promotion (3 semester units)
      Approved May 2023

    University of Copenhagen (Denmark)

    • PSYCH 112: Health Psychology – Psychosocial Aspects of Health (5.3 semester units)
      Approved August 2019
    • Health Sciences Communication 189: Public Health in the Media (2.67 semester units)
      Approved August 2019

    University of Geneva (Switzerland)

    • (J2D030) LEGST 100: International Environmental Law (3.33 semester units)
      Approved April 2020
    • J2M219: International Geneva (6 quarter / 4 semester units)
      Approved April 2020

    University of Queensland (Australia)

    • SGLK19001U: Cardio-metabolic Diseases in Global Populations (4 semester units)
      Approved November 2019
    • SFOK09118U: Medical Humanities (2.7 semester units)
      Approved November 2019
    • ASOA15078U Scandinavian Welfare Regime: Challenged by Europeanization and Globalization (4 semester units)
      Approved February 2020
    • SFOB19001U Migration and Health (5.3 semester units)
      Approved February 2020

    University of Sydney (Australia)

    • EDGU1004: Young People, Sex and Sexual Health (4 semester units)
      Approved May 2019

    Utrecht University (Netherlands)

    • FI3V19017 Bioethics (4 semester units)
      Approved June 2020
  • Other Programs

    Global Health in Peru (UCLA Summer Travel Study)

    • GLB HLT 110A: Global Health in Practice (4 quarter units / 2.68 semester units)
      Approved September 2018
    • GLB HLT 110B: Diversities and Disparities: The Case of Peru (4 quarter units / 2.68 semester units)
      Approved September 2018

    ISA Global Health in Rome (Independent Program)

    • Global Health and Epidemiology (3 semester units)
      Approved May 2019
    • Health Policy and Management for Universal Coverage (3 semester units)
      Approved May 2019

    Sciences Po (Paris, France)

    • DAFF25A16: Human Rights Advocacy (3 semester UC units)
      Approved June 2019
    • DDRO25A20: Global Security Law (3 semester UC units)
      Approved June 2019
    • DECO25A07: Population Economics – Theory and Empirical Analysis (3 semester UC units)
      Approved June 2019
    • AAFF25A11: Ambition or Illusion: Europe as a Global Actor (4 semester UC units)
      Approved June 2019

    Summer Abroad Spain (UC Davis Summer Abroad)

    • MCB-023: The History of Cancer (3 quarter units / 2 semester units)
      Approved January 2024

Please refer to the Schedule of Classes on CalCentral and the UC Berkeley Academic Guide for more details about specific courses.

Public Health Elective Petition Process

If you would like to petition courses that are not currently on the approved list of electives that can found on Curriculum for the Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Program page, you will have to submit a petition via the Public Health Elective Petition Process Form.

You will have to provide a syllabus of the course you wish to petition and course(s) you find it similar to that are already approved electives. We recommend students reach out to the professors, advisors, or department of the class to obtain the syllabus. Your petition will be processed with a decision within 3-4 weeks. You may petition a class before, during, or after taking it. You must be a public health major to petition a class. Core and capstone classes cannot be petitioned; this function is for electives only. Electives being petitioned must be taken for a letter grade.

Raising Your Unit Cap – Request Process

If you are a double major you will need permission from both departments for the unit raise. Please include/cc: your other departmental advising email(s) in your email to us.

Requests will generally be granted if you have successfully completed a semester at UC Berkeley with a similar workload in the past. For example, if you have completed 18–20 units before, your request to take over 20.5 units is more likely to be approved. Letter graded units vs PNP units will be taken into consideration and more information may be requested.

Requests will not be granted for “shopping” purposes (i.e. adding a class in case you don’t get into a different class).

Requests should be submitted during the second week of classes. Advisors are not able to raise the unit cap during Phase 1 or Phase 2.

To review your request to increase your maximum unit course load, please send the following information to sphug@berkeley.edu (the academic advisors):

  1. Student name and SID
  2. Current program and year
  3. Total number of units over the limit requested (20.5 is the unit limit for adjustment period) [For example: I was my unit cap to be raised to 25 units, so I would request “4.5 units over the limit”. ]
  4. Course[s] that will put you over limit
  5. Overall GPA
  6. Brief statement as to why you should be allowed to exceed the set maximum
  7. Unofficial transcript/screenshot of your CalCentral

Public Health Internship or Research Units (PH 197/198/199)

To obtain credit within the Public Health department for an internship or research, your first step is to identify a UC Berkeley Public Health faculty member to work with you. Once you find a faculty sponsor, they would email our course scheduler to create a PH 197/198/or 199 course for you. The meetings and assignments would be determined by your faculty member. Please note, if you feel your internship would align with another department, you may also consider requesting academic credit from another department on campus. For more information, please see the Career Center’s guidelines for receiving internship academic credit.

Visit the Berkeley Career Engagement website for guidelines for receiving internship academic credit.

Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Academic Misconduct

Please review the following document for our School of Public Health Undergraduate Program Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Academic Misconduct. As a school and program we take academic dishonesty and misconduct seriously.

Download the School of Public Health Undergraduate Program Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Academic Misconduct (.pdf).