Program Overview

Temple University Public Health Major

The Public Health Major at Temple University is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of public health. The program requires students to complete a set of specific courses, including the College Core course and Public Health Major courses, as well as an internship and electives.

University Requirements

All students are required to complete the university's General Education (GenEd) curriculum. Additionally, all Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of the major. The specific writing-intensive courses required for this major are SBS 3496 and SBS 3596.

College Requirement

All College of Public Health undergraduates must successfully complete the College Core Course, HRPR 1001 Public Health: The Way We Live, Work and Play.

Clearance Requirements

The Public Health program requires students to complete clinical/field education experiences at facilities both on and off the University campus. These placements may require criminal background checks, Act 33/34 clearances, and perhaps a drug screen. Placements may also require the student to maintain personal health insurance.

Public Health Program Requirements

Students must complete a set of specific courses in the major, including:

• The College Core course
• Public Health Major courses
• One credit-earning internship (SBS 4185)
• Three public health electives
• Two Cognate electives
• Three general (free) electives The major requires a minimum of 120 total credits.

Course List

The following courses are required for the Public Health Major:

• General Electives: three courses (9 credits)
• College Core Requirement: HRPR 1001 Public Health: The Way We Live, Work and Play (3 credits)
• Public Health Major Core:
  • Lower-Division Public Health Coursework:
    • 1000 Level Courses:
      • SBS 1003 Public Health Careers (1 credit)
      • HIM 1055 IT Applications for Health (3 credits)
      • Select two of the following: SBS 1104 Nutrition and Health, SBS 1105 Substance Use and Society, SBS 1106 Human Sexuality (6 credits)
    • 2000 Level Courses:
      • SBS 2001 Biological Foundations of Population Health (3 credits)
      • SBS 2003 Introduction to Public Health Writing (1 credit)
      • SBS 2101 Disease Prevention and Control (3 credits)
      • ENVH 2102 Environmental Health (3 credits)
      • SBS 2103 Health Psychology and Human Behavior (3 credits)
      • SBS 2201 Health Communication (3 credits)
      • HPM 2214 Politics and Payments in US Healthcare System (3 credits)
      • SBS 2216 Ethnicity, Culture and Health (3 credits)
      • EPBI 2219 Biostatistics and Public Health (3 credits)
  • Upper-Division Public Health Coursework:
    • 3000+ Level Courses:
      • EPBI 3101 Introduction to Epidemiology (3 credits)
      • EPBI 3102 Introduction to Research Methods (3 credits)
      • SBS 3104 Professional Seminar (2 credits)
      • SBS 3105 Fundamentals of Health Education (3 credits)
      • SBS 3496 Community-Based Health Program Planning I (WI) (3 credits)
      • SBS 3596 Community-Based Health Program Planning II (WI) (3 credits)
      • SBS 4185 Public Health Internship (6 credits)
• Public Health Electives: select three of the following (9 credits)
  • SBS 1114 Cultural Nutrition
  • SBS 1201 Contemporary Health Issues
  • SBS 2104 Nutrition in the Lifecycle
  • SBS 2203 AIDS and Society
  • SBS 2204 Diet and Weight Management
  • SBS 2205 Coping with Life Stress Workshop
  • SBS 2301 Contemporary Slavery and Public Health
  • SBS 2302 Maternal and Child Health
  • SBS 2304 HEART Peer Educator Training
  • SBS 3001 Community-Based Participatory Research I
  • SBS 3103 Counseling Techniques for Health Professionals
  • ENVH 1103 International Health
  • EPBI 2301 Public Health Beyond Borders
  • EPBI 2361 Epidemiology 360: Determinants, Disease and Health-related Outcomes
  • EPBI 3203 Survey Design and Methods: Agree or Disagree and Everything in Between
  • EPBI 3205 All This Data, Now What? Introduction to Statistical Computing
  • HPM 2202 Man-Made Disasters: Radiological, Chemical & Biological Terrorism
  • HPM 2208 Natural Disasters: Response and Recovery
  • HPM 3207 Principles of Emergency Management: A Public Health Perspective
  • HPM 3215 Special Populations: Strategic Community Outreach
  • HRPR 1005 Introduction to Mindfulness
• Cognate Electives: select two courses with approval of a departmental academic advisor (6 credits)
  • AAAS 2248 Public Policy and the Black Community
  • AOD 1016 Introduction to Adult Learning and Training
  • AOD 1166 Interpersonal Processes through the Life Span
  • CDEV 2255 Environmental Justice in Communities
  • CDEV 3113 Nonprofit Management
  • CDEV 3155 Healthy Community Design and Development
  • CJ 3406 Youth and Crime
  • CSCD 1002 American Sign Language II
  • CSCD 1003 American Sign Language III
  • CSCD 2011 American Deaf Culture
  • CTRP 2251 Sustainable Food Systems Planning
  • EES 2096 Climate Change: Oceans To Atmosphere
  • ENST 2051 The Urban Environment
  • ENST 2157 Environmental Ethics
  • GUS 1021 Urban Society: Race, Class, and Community
  • GUS 1025 World Urban Patterns
  • GUS 1961
  • GUS 3062 Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems
  • GSWS 3259 Women and Poverty
  • GSWS 3722 Women and Political Violence
  • HCM 3502 Healthcare Financing and Information Technology (Fall 7B only)
  • HCM 4596 Healthcare Quality and Risk Management (Spring only)
  • HIM 1101 Medical Terminology
  • HRPR 1101 Contemporary Aspects of Disability
  • HRPR 1444 Movement Injuries: Prevention and Care
  • KINS 2203 Physiology of Physical Activity
  • KINS 2362
  • LGBT 2400 Topics in LGBT Studies
  • PHIL 2157 Environmental Ethics
  • PHIL 2957 Honors Environmental Ethics
  • PHIL 3249 Ethics in Medicine
  • POLS 3124 Politics of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
  • PSY 2301 Foundations of Developmental Psychology
  • REL 2006 Death and Dying
  • REL 2996 Honors Death and Dying
  • SSWU 4302 Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents
  • SSWU 4309 Societal Responses to Aging
  • SSWU 4312 Loss and Grief
  • SOC 2553
  • SOC 2565 Race, Science, Health, and Medicine
  • SOC 3249 Social Inequality
  • SOC 3511 Environmental Sociology: The End of the World as We Know It?
  • SOC 3525 Urban Health
  • SPAN 3601 Spanish for Health Professions
  • RCTH 1102 Inclusive Recreation and Sports Services
  • RCTH 2103 Foundations of Recreational Therapy Practice
  • ARBC 1002 Arabic Elements II
  • CHI 1002 Chinese Elements II
  • FREN 1003 Introduction to French III
  • GER 1002 Introduction to German II
  • HEBR 1002 Elements II
  • HIN 1002 Hindi Elements II
  • ITAL 1002 Italian Language II
  • JPNS 1002 Japanese Elements II
  • KRN 1002 Korean Elements II
  • LAT 1002 Latin 2
  • PORT 1002 Basic II
  • RUS 1002 First-Year Russian II
  • SPAN 1003 Intermediate
  • VTNM 1002

Total Credit Hours

The total credit hours required for the Public Health Major is 85 credits, with an additional 35 credits of general electives and other requirements to reach the minimum of 120 total credits for graduation.