Published: Sept. 11, 2015

CU offers an Undergraduate Certificate in Public Health! Definitely something to consider, especially for those interested in the EDC option!

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Certificate Requirements

Public health spans multiple disciplines and fields of study. Therefore, the structure of the undergraduate certificate in Public Health is designed to be flexible to accommodate diverse student interests.

General Requirements

The certificate requires a minimum of 18 credit hours for completion of the program. Students are responsible for identifying and completing course prerequisites prior to enrolling in certificate courses. A grade of C- or better is required for all courses applied towards the certificate. Degree seeking students must also complete all requirements for their respective majors as well as their College core curriculum.

1. Biological Sciences: (Lower division) - 3 credits

Students participating in the certificate program must have a foundation of biological knowledge in order to understand and appreciate the concepts of health and disease.

  • EBIO 1030 (3) Biology: A Human Approach 1 or
  • EBIO 1210 (3) General Biology 1 or
  • MCDB 1030 (3) Plagues, People and Microorganisms or
  • MCDB 1150 (3) Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology

2. Statistics: (Lower/upper division) - 3 credits

To participate in the certificate program, students must possess basic skills in quantitative reasoning to critically evaluate primary literature and understand how data are used to measure population health and disease burden, monitor intervention and screening programs and inform policy decisions.

  • ANTH 4000 (4) Quantitative Methods in Anthropology or
  • BCOR 1025 (3) Data Analysis in Business or
  • EBIO 4410 (4) Biometry or
  • ECON 3818 (4) Introduction to Statistics with Computer Applications or
  • GEOG 3023 (4) Statistics for Geography or
  • IPHY 2800 (4) Introduction to Statistics or
  • MATH 2510 (3) Introduction to Statistics or
  • PSCI 2075 (3) Quantitative Research Methods or
  • PSYC 2111 (4) Psychological Science I: Statistics or
  • PSYC 3101 (4) Statistics and Research Methods in Psychology or
  • SOCY 2061 (3) Introduction to Social Statistics

3. Core Courses (Upper division) - 6 credits

Collectively, the core courses of the undergraduate certificate in Public Health will provide a foundational knowledge on the burden and distribution of disease and mortality around the world, the determinants of global health disparities, the development of global health policies, and the outcomes of global health interventions. Additionally, students will examine the history and uses of epidemiology, measures of disease frequency and occurrence, association and causality, analytic epidemiology, evidence-based screening and infectious disease outbreak investigations.

  • GEOG 3692 (3) Introduction to Global Public Health (Next offered: Fall 2015) and
  • IPHY 3490 (3) Introduction to Epidemiology (Next offered: Fall 2015)

4. Elective Courses (Lower/upper division) - 6 credits

Students are required to take at least one public health elective course outside of their major department. For double majors, it is only required that you take elective courses offered through two different departments (i.e. courses are not required to be outside both majors). NOTE: This list will expand as new courses become available.

  • ARSC 1220 (3) Global Health Issues for the Health Professions (offered through HPRAP)
  • ANTH 4060 (3) Nutrition and Anthropology
  • ANTH 4610 (3) Medical Anthropology
  • CHEM 4131 (3) The Chemistry of Global Health (Beginning Spring 2016)
  • EBIO 3400 (4) Microbiology
  • EBIO 3630 (4) Parasitology
  • EBIO 4800 (3) Critical Thinking in Biology - Conservation Medicine
  • EBIO 4800 (3) Critical Thinking in Biology - Ecology and Evolution of Disease
  • ECON 4646 (3) Health Economics
  • ENVS 3525 (3) Health and the Built Environment
  • GEOG 3682 (3) Geography of International Development
  • GEOG 4732 (3) Population Geography
  • GEOG 4852 (3) Health and Medical Geography
  • HIST 3416 (3) Seminar on the History of Disease in the United States
  • HIST 4326 (3) Health and Disease in the United States
  • IAFS 3000 (3) Special Topics in International Affairs: Global Health Issues
  • IPHY 2420 (3) Nutrition for Health and Performance
  • IPHY 3440 (3) Clinical Nutrition
  • IPHY 2500 (1) Perspectives in Health and Medicine
  • IPHY 3500 (2) Applied Clinical Research
  • MCDB 4201 (3) From Bench to Bedside: The Role of Science in Medicine
  • PHIL 1160 (3) Introduction to Bioethics
  • PHIL 3160 (3) Bioethics
  • PSCI 4012 (3) Global Development
  • PSYC 3102 (3) Behavioral Genetics
  • PSYC 4541 (3) Special Topics in Psychology: Clinical Intervention
  • SLHS 1010 (3) Disabilities in Contemporary American Society
  • SOCY 1022 (3) Social and Ethical Issues in U.S. Health and Medicine
  • SOCY 3015 (3) Social Demography of Race and Ethnicity
  • SOCY 3042 (3) Topics in Population and Health
  • SOCY 3052 (3) Medical Sociology
  • SOCY 4052 (3) Social Inequalities in Health
  • SOCY 4007 (3) Global Human Ecology
  • WRTG 3020 (3) Topics in Writing - Biomedical Ethics, A Pragmatic Approach

Experiential Education and Study Abroad Opportunities

While not required for the undergraduate certificate in Public Health, gaining educational experiences outside of the classroom is a valuable asset to any undergraduate curriculum, especially in the field of public health. Students interested in public health are strongly encouraged to explore opportunities for learning through CU Study Abroad Programs, CU in D.C., and internships offered through public health agencies and organizations. Up to 3 credits obtained through Study Abroad Programs approved by CU Boulder may count towards the certificate elective requirements.