Courses | B.S. in Public Health
Below are the course requirements for this academic program. In addition to these program-specific requirements, all majors include Biola's traditional undergraduate core curriculum. For more program details, including a sample course sequence, visit Biola's academic catalog.
GPA Requirements
All major requirements must be completed with a "C-" or better grade.
Curriculum Requirements
The number of credits required to graduate with a Public Health, B.S is the university minimum of 120, and the degree offers two concentrations, Global Health or Pre-Health Professions, as well as a track to the MPH, all of which are detailed below.
Concentrations
Global Health
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Program-Specific Core Curriculum Courses | ||
| Public Health majors automatically meet the Core Curriculum requirement of 6 credits in science and mathematics. | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Ethics (recommended Core Curriculum Philosophy course) | ||
| Concentration Core Courses | ||
| KNES 200 | Public Health Principles and Practice | 3 |
| KNES 300 | Health Education and Health Promotion | 3 |
| KNES 310 | Community and Global Health | 3 |
| KNES 330 | Global Health Leadership | 3 |
| KNES 340 | Health Policy and Ethics | 3 |
| KNES 355 | Health Care Systems | 3 |
| KNES 475 | Public Health Capstone Practicum | 3 |
| Concentration Elective Courses (select 6 credits) | 6 | |
| Introduction to Development | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
or COMM 472 | Intercultural Communication | |
| Seminar: Topics in Intercultural Health Care 1 | ||
| Principles of Epidemiology | ||
| Measurement and Evaluation in Kinesiology | ||
| Principles of Biostatistics | ||
| Health Behavior and Health Promotion | ||
| Applied Public Health Research Methods | ||
| Current Issues in Global Health | ||
| Global Health Ethics and Human Rights | ||
| Global Communicable Disease Control | ||
| Topics in Kinesiology and Public Health | ||
| Internship | ||
| Introduction to Psychopathology | ||
or PSYC 319 | Cross-Cultural/Ethnic Issues in Psychology | |
or PSYC 320 | Developmental Psychology: Lifespan | |
| Biology Requirements | ||
| BIOS 236 | Principles of Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| or BIOS 254 | Human Anatomy | |
| or BIOS 281 | Physiology | |
| BIOS 305 | Global Development and Ecological Sustainability | 3 |
| or BIOS 353 | Environmental Ethics | |
| KNES 325 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| Math Requirement | ||
| MATH 318 | Biostatistics | 3 |
| or MATH 210 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics | |
| Concentration Course Requirements: 40 credits | ||
| Core Curriculum Requirements 2 | 61 | |
| General Electives 3 | 19 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
- 1
Select from the following topics: Global Health Perspectives, Global Health Priorities, Global Health Begins with Personal Health, Communication in the Context of Culture.
- 2
See Core Curriculum Program section for details.
- 3
May be taken as additional Concentration Elective courses. May also be counted as prerequisites required for Concentration Elective courses.
Pre-Health Professions
The Pre-Health Professions concentration helps prepare students for seven different Health Profession graduate/professional programs: (1) Pre-Medicine, (2) Pre-Veterinary Medicine, (3) Pre-Dental, (4) Pre-Optometry, (5) Pre-Pharmacy, (6) Pre-Physician Assistant, and (7) Pre-Podiatry. Each Health Profession graduate/professional program has slightly different prerequisite courses that students in the Pre-Health Professions concentration may take. Students are guided toward graduate/professional requirements during individual academic advising with their faculty advisor.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Program-Specific Core Curriculum Courses | ||
| Public Health majors automatically meet the Core Curriculum requirement of 6 credits in science and mathematics. | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Ethics (recommended Core Curriculum Philosophy course) | ||
| Concentration Core Courses | ||
| KNES 200 | Public Health Principles and Practice | 3 |
| KNES 300 | Health Education and Health Promotion | 3 |
| KNES 340 | Health Policy and Ethics | 3 |
| or KNES 355 | Health Care Systems | |
| KNES 475 | Public Health Capstone Practicum | 3 |
| Concentration Elective Courses (select 3 credits) | 3 | |
| Microbiology | ||
| Nutrition and Metabolism | ||
| Genetics | ||
| General Biochemistry I | ||
or CHEM 411 | General Biochemistry I | |
| General Biochemistry II | ||
or CHEM 412 | General Biochemistry II | |
| Principles of Epidemiology | ||
| Measurement and Evaluation in Kinesiology | ||
| Community and Global Health | ||
| Principles of Biostatistics | ||
| Health Behavior and Health Promotion | ||
| Environmental Health | ||
| Applied Public Health Research Methods | ||
| Global Communicable Disease Control | ||
| Current Issues in Epidemiology | ||
| Molecular Epidemiology | ||
| Epidemiology of Chronic Disease | ||
| Outbreak and Emergency Preparedness | ||
| Cancer Epidemiology | ||
| Public Health Policy and Practice | ||
| Topics in Kinesiology and Public Health | ||
| Internship | ||
| Introduction to Psychopathology | ||
| Developmental Psychology: Lifespan | ||
| Chemistry Requirements | ||
| CHEM 105 | General Chemistry I 1 | 4 |
| CHEM 106 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 301 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 311 | Laboratory in Organic Chemistry I | 1 |
| CHEM 302 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 312 | Laboratory in Organic Chemistry II | 1 |
| Physics Requirements | ||
| PHSC 111 | Physics I 2 | 3 |
| PHSC 117 | Physics I Laboratory | 1 |
| PHSC 112 | Physics II | 3 |
| PHSC 118 | Physics II Laboratory | 1 |
| Biology Requirements | ||
| BIOS 111 | Fundamentals of Cellular and Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOS 113 | Fundamentals of Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| BIOS 112 | Fundamentals of Organismal Biology | 3 |
| BIOS 114 | Fundamentals of Organismal Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| BIOS 236 | Principles of Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| or BIOS 254 | Human Anatomy | |
| or BIOS 281 | Physiology | |
| BIOS 312 | Cell and Molecular Biology | 3 |
| Math Requirement | ||
| MATH 318 | Biostatistics | 3 |
| or MATH 150 | Calculus I | |
| or MATH 210 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics | |
| Concentration Course Requirements: 57 credits | ||
| Core Curriculum Requirements 3 | 61 | |
| General Electives 4 | 2 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
- 1
The prerequisite for CHEM 105 is a passing score on Chemistry Placement Exam or CHEM 107 with at least a "B-".
- 2
The prerequisite for PHSC 111 is a passing score on the Physics Placement Exam or PHSC 092 with a grade of "C" or better or 3 or above on any Advanced Placement (AP) Physics.
- 3
See Core Curriculum Program section for details.
- 4
May be taken as additional Concentration Elective courses. May also be counted as prerequisites required for Concentration Elective courses.
MPH Grad Track
Students will earn a Public Health, B.S. and advance to the Master of Public Health in one of two specializations offered by completing a minimum of 150 credits for both degrees.
The mission of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program is to provide rigorous academic and practical experiences to equip public health agents of change: dedicated to improving population health, establishing preventative measures, and promoting health equality, with careers in government health agencies, healthcare systems, and non-profit organizations.
The MPH program at Biola University is focused on preparing public health professionals who are ethical leaders equipped to serve local and global communities. Our MPH program allows students to focus on one of two public health specializations:
1. Master of Public Health in Global Health
2. Master of Public Health in Epidemiology
The Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for the Undergraduate portion of the MPH Grad Track are located on the tab of this program page. The PLOs and Admission/Graduation Requirements for the Graduate (MPH) degree can be found on the program pages for the Master of Public Health in Global Health and the Master of Public Health in Epidemiology.
CEPH Accreditation Status
The MPH program at Biola University is a pre-candidate for accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Biola University is working with CEPH towards obtaining Public Health Program (PHP) CEPH accreditation.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Level Requirements | ||
| Program-Specific Core Curriculum Courses | ||
| Public Health majors automatically meet the Core Curriculum requirement of 6 credits in science and mathematics. | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Ethics (recommended Core Curriculum Philosophy course) | ||
| Public Health Requirements | ||
| KNES 200 | Public Health Principles and Practice | 3 |
| KNES 300 | Health Education and Health Promotion | 3 |
| KNES 340 | Health Policy and Ethics | 3 |
| KNES 355 | Health Care Systems | 3 |
| Concentration Elective Courses (Select 9 credits) | 9 | |
| Introduction to Development | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
or COMM 472 | Intercultural Communication | |
| Seminar: Topics in Intercultural Health Care 1 | ||
| Measurement and Evaluation in Kinesiology | ||
| Applied Public Health Research Methods | ||
| Topics in Kinesiology and Public Health | ||
| Internship | ||
| Introduction to Psychopathology | ||
| Cross-Cultural/Ethnic Issues in Psychology | ||
| Developmental Psychology: Lifespan | ||
| Biology Requirements | ||
| BIOS 236 | Principles of Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| or BIOS 254 | Human Anatomy | |
| or BIOS 281 | Physiology | |
| BIOS 305 | Global Development and Ecological Sustainability | 3 |
| or BIOS 353 | Environmental Ethics | |
| Math Requirement | ||
| MATH 210 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| or MATH 318 | Biostatistics | |
| Graduate Level MPH Requirements | ||
| PHLT 505 | Principles of Epidemiology | 3 |
| PHLT 510 | Community and Global Health | 3 |
| PHLT 515 | Principles of Biostatistics | 3 |
| PHLT 535 | Public Health Policy and Practice | 3 |
| Concentration Course Requirements: 43 credits | ||
| Core Curriculum Requirements 2 | 61 | |
| General Electives 3 | 16 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
- 1
Select from the following topics: Global Health Perspectives, Global Health Priorities, Global Health Begins with Personal Health, Communication in the Context of Culture.
- 2
See Core Curriculum Program section for details.
- 3
May be taken as additional Concentration Elective courses. May also be counted as prerequisites required for Public Health Elective courses.
Graduate Level (MPH) Requirements
Public Health BS/MPH Advancement Requirements
In order to advance from the Public Health, B.S. to the MPH degree, students need to fulfill the following requirements prior to starting graduate course work (by the beginning of their last year).
- Complete Biola University’s Graduate Education application
- Interview with an MPH graduate faculty
- Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Students with a 2.8 cumulative GPA or higher will be considered but the decision is highly weighted on their graduate faculty interview
- Write a statement of purpose and objectives
MPH, Global Health Specialization
Below are the detailed requirements for the MPH, Global Health specialization. Four 500-level PHLT courses are taken in the MPH Grad Track students’ last undergraduate year.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Global Health Core Requirements | ||
| Principles of Epidemiology 1 | ||
| Community and Global Health 1 | ||
| Principles of Biostatistics 1 | ||
| PHLT 520 | Health Behavior and Health Promotion | 3 |
| PHLT 525 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| PHLT 530 | Global Health Leadership | 3 |
| or PHLT 540 | Theology of Work and Vocation | |
| Public Health Policy and Practice 1 | ||
| PHLT 605 | Research Methods | 3 |
| PHLT 610 | Public Health Integrative Experience | 2 |
| PHLT 615 | Graduate Project | 4 |
| PHLT 620 | Public Health Practicum | 3 |
| Global Health Elective courses (select 9 credits from the following) | 9 | |
| Current Issues in Global Health | ||
| Global Health Ethics and Human Rights | ||
| Grant Writing | ||
| Integration of Global Health and Missions | ||
| International Program Design | ||
| Global Communicable Disease Control | ||
| Community Health Assessment, Planning and Evaluation | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
Graduate MPH course taken in students' last undergraduate year.
MPH, Epidemiology Specialization
Below are the detailed requirements for the MPH, Epidemiology specialization. Four 500-level PHLT courses are taken in the MPH Grad Track students’ last undergraduate year.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Epidemiology Core Requirements | ||
| Principles of Epidemiology 1 | ||
| Community and Global Health 1 | ||
| Principles of Biostatistics 1 | ||
| PHLT 520 | Health Behavior and Health Promotion | 3 |
| PHLT 525 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| PHLT 530 | Global Health Leadership | 3 |
| or PHLT 540 | Theology of Work and Vocation | |
| Public Health Policy and Practice 1 | ||
| PHLT 605 | Research Methods | 3 |
| PHLT 610 | Public Health Integrative Experience | 2 |
| PHLT 615 | Graduate Project | 4 |
| PHLT 620 | Public Health Practicum | 3 |
| Epidemiology Elective courses (select 9 credits from the following) | 9 | |
| Global Communicable Disease Control | ||
| Current Issues in Epidemiology | ||
| Molecular Epidemiology | ||
| Epidemiology of Chronic Disease | ||
| Outbreak and Emergency Preparedness | ||
| Cancer Epidemiology | ||
| Applied Methods in Epidemiology | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
Graduate MPH course taken in students' last undergraduate year.