Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Public Health Sciences
Program Learning Outcomes for the BA Degree with a Major in Public Health Sciences
Upon completing the BA degree with a major in Public Health Sciences, students will be able to:
- Understand the functions of health promotion and public health on human health and disease prevention. They will demonstrate fundamental knowledge of epidemiology, statistics, environmental health, health policy, and theories and models of health behavior.
- Explain the role of socioeconomic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and other factors on human health, including personal health and public and community health.
- Read, select, and interpret important information from health sciences literature. They will be able to identify and understand appropriate methodologies in public health research studies.
- Collaborate with other professionals, staff, and communities in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion programs. They will be able to administer and manage health promotion programs, serve as a public health resource person, and communicate and advocate for health and public health.
- Promote public health education and promotion within the framework of legal, ethical, moral, and professional standards.
- Demonstrate an ability to work in a collaborative environment and deliver public health information effectively through written, oral, and media-based formats.
Requirements for the BA Degree with a Major in Public Health Sciences
For general university requirements, see Graduation Requirements. Students pursuing the BA degree with a major in Health Sciences must complete:
- A minimum of 14 courses (42 credit hours) to satisfy major requirements.
- A minimum of 120 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
- A minimum of 5 courses (15 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above.
- A maximum of 4 courses (12 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this major. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the major’s academic advisor or, where applicable, the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the major's Official Certifier.) Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Public Health Sciences | 42 | |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the BA Degree with a Major in Public Health Sciences | 120 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements 1 | ||
| HEAL 222 | PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY HEALTH | 3 |
| HEAL 372 | ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN HOUSTON AND BEYOND | 3 |
| HEAL 407 | EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3 |
| HEAL 412 | HEALTH CARE DELIVERY & POLICY IN THE UNITED STATES | 3 |
| HEAL 462 | HEALTH BEHAVIOR: THEORY AND HEALTH PROMOTION PRACTICE | 3 |
| KINE 319 | STATISTICS FOR THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 8 elective courses (see course list below) | 24 | |
Select at least 2 courses (minimum of 6 credit hours) from course offerings in the Schools of i.) Humanities and Arts and ii.) Social Sciences (see course list below) | ||
Select at least 2 courses (minimum of 6 credit hours) from course offerings in the Schools of iii.) Engineering and Computing and iv.) Natural Sciences (see course list below) | ||
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Health Sciences | 42 | |
| Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements * | 47 | |
| University Graduation Requirements * | 31 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| * | Note: University Graduation Requirements include 31 credit hours, comprised of Distribution Requirements (Groups I, II, and III), FWIS, and LPAP coursework. In some instances, courses satisfying FWIS or distribution requirements may additionally meet other requirements, such as the Analyzing Diversity (AD) requirement, or some of the student’s declared major, minor, or certificate requirements. Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements include general electives, coursework completed as upper-level, residency (hours taken at Rice), and/or any other additional academic program requirements. |
| 1 | Core Requirements include an introductory course designed to acquaint students with the fundamental concepts of public health and community health issues, an environmental health course, a course on methods of understanding distributions and determinants of health issues, a course that introduces the U.S. health care system and health policy, an application course in which students learn and apply theories and models commonly used in health promotion research and practice, and a course that introduces statistics. |
Course List to Satisfy Requirements
Elective Requirements
To fulfill the elective requirements for the Major in Public Health Sciences, students must complete a total of 8 elective courses (minimum of 24 credit hours) from the course list below. At least 2 courses (6 credit hours) must be selected from the Schools of i.) Humanities and Arts and ii.) Social Sciences, and at least 2 courses (6 credit hours) must be selected from the Schools of iii.) Engineering and Computing and iv.) Natural Sciences. The remaining 4 courses (12 credit hours) can be selected from course offerings from any school on the approved elective requirements listed below. In keeping with the university’s interest in an interdisciplinary approach to undergraduate education, this allows students to choose health-related courses from across disciplines.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Schools of i.) Humanities and Arts and ii.) Social Sciences | ||
| AAAS 317 / MDHM 315 | RACE, MEDICINE, AND MASS INCARCERATION IN THE UNITED STATES | 3 |
| ANTH 381 | MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | 3 |
| ANTH 386 | MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY OF FOOD AND HEALTH | 3 |
| ANTH 446 | ADVANCED TOPICS IN BIOMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | 3 |
| ECON 481 | HEALTH ECONOMICS | 3 |
| ENGL 272 / MDHM 272 | LITERATURE AND MEDICINE | 3 |
| ENGL 273 / SWGS 273 | MEDICINE AND MEDIA | 3 |
| ENST 301 | ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE | 3 |
| ENST 315 | ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH | 3 |
| ENST 367 / SOCI 367 | ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY | 3 |
| MDHM 201 | INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL HUMANITIES | 3 |
| MDHM 359 | RESPONSIBLE AI FOR HEALTH | 3 |
| PHIL 266 | MEDICAL ETHICS | 3 |
| PHIL 354 / MDHM 354 | THE PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE | 3 |
| POLI 329 | HEALTH POLICY | 3 |
| PSYC 345 | HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| PSYC 346 | STRESS AND HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFESPAN | 3 |
| SOCI 313 | DEMOGRAPHY | 3 |
| SOCI 345 | MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY | 3 |
| SOCI 351 | REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND SOCIETY | 3 |
| SOCI 465 / SWGS 465 | GENDER AND HEALTH | 3 |
| SOSC 330 | HEALTH CARE REFORM IN THE 50 STATES | 3 |
| Schools of iii.) Engineering and Computing and iv.) Natural Sciences | ||
| BIOE 360 / GLHT 360 | APPROPRIATE DESIGN FOR GLOBAL HEALTH | 3 |
| BIOS 201 | INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I | 3 |
| or BIOS 101 | AP/OTH CREDIT INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I | |
| BIOS 353 | MICROBIOLOGY: THE MOLECULAR BASIS FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT | 3 |
| BIOS 370 | CURRENT BIOSCIENCES AND HEALTH POLICY TOPICS | 3 |
| BIOS 372 | IMMUNOLOGY | 3 |
| GLHT 201 | INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL HEALTH | 3 |
| HEAL 103 | NUTRITION | 3 |
| HEAL 119 | INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH AND WELLNESS | 3 |
| HEAL 132 | MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY | 3 |
| HEAL 208 | CHEMICAL ALTERATIONS OF BEHAVIOR | 3 |
| HEAL 212 | PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE MEDIA | 3 |
| HEAL 306 / SWGS 306 | HUMAN SEXUALITY | 3 |
| HEAL 313 | FOUNDATIONS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSION | 3 |
| HEAL 338 | PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH & WELL-BEING: SOCIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, CONSEQUENCES, & PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACHES | 3 |
| HEAL 350 | UNDERSTANDING CANCER | 3 |
| HEAL 360 | VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE | 3 |
| HEAL 375 | THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
| HEAL 376 | FUNDAMENTALS AND APPLICATIONS OF GIS IN PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
| HEAL 379 | INTERNSHIP IN HEALTH SCIENCES | 1-3 |
| HEAL 380 | DISPARITIES IN HEALTH IN AMERICA | 3 |
| HEAL 403 | PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION | 3 |
| HEAL 495 | INDEPENDENT RESEARCH IN HEALTH SCIENCES | 1-3 |
| HEAL 498 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN HEALTH SCIENCES | 3 |
| KINE 300 | HUMAN ANATOMY WITH LAB | 4 |
| KINE 301 | HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY | 3 |
| KINE 326 | PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3 |
| KINE 440 | RESEARCH METHODS | 3 |
Policies for the BA Degree with a Major in Public Health Sciences
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Departmental Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the major in Public Health Sciences should be aware of the following departmental transfer credit guideline:
- No more than 4 courses (12 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the major.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Department of Kinesiology website: https://kinesiology.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the BA Degree with a Major in Public Health Sciences
Academic Honors
The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.
Unique Programs
Rice-UTSPH Public Health Scholars
Rice undergraduate students interested in pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth School of Public Health (UTSPH)) may apply to the Rice-UT Public Health Scholars Program. This unique coordinated program enables accepted Rice students to earn credit towards their Rice undergraduate degree (BA or BS with any major), and to accelerate in the completion of their UTSPH Master of Public Health degree to within one year after completing their Rice undergraduate degree. For more information on the Rice-UTSPH Public Health Scholars Program, please see the Rice-UT Public Health Scholars Program tab on the Dean of Undergraduates website.
Rice-UTMB Physical Therapy Scholars
Beginning in Fall 2023, a program agreement is in effect between the Sports Medicine and Exercise Physiology (SMEP) program at Rice University and the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB). This unique Rice-UTMB Physical Therapy Scholars Program (Rice-UTMB PTS) offers an opportunity for qualified SMEP students who have identified physical therapy as a career choice to receive preference during the admission process into the UTMB Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. For more information on the Rice-UTMB Physical Therapy Scholars Program, please see the Department of Kinesiology website.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Department of Kinesiology website: https://kinesiology.rice.edu/.