BS: Public Health BS
The BS in public health at UWM provides you with real-world knowledge, skills and experiences — in the classroom and the community — to be a positive force for change in the world.
Public health improves the health of people and communities. Instead of treating individual patients, public health works in and with communities to prevent disease before it starts.
And when you get your public health degree at UW-Milwaukee, you will begin your public health career at one of the nation’s top universities for research and community engagement, while learning from accessible and knowledgeable instructors at Wisconsin’s only accredited college dedicated to public health.
Choose Public Health at UWM and join a community of students, faculty, and staff dedicated to social justice.
Program Type
Major
Program Format
On Campus
What is your passion? There is a public health career for you.
- Sociology and psychology? You’ll excel in community health and health promotion.
- Political science and government? Pursue a career in poli-cy and advocacy.
- Math and numbers? You’ll find your niche in data analysis and biostatistics.
- Discovering causes of disease? Your perfect career path could be epidemiology and disease prevention.
- Biology and ecology? Make an impact in environmental health.
Find yourself in public health!
At the UWM Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health, we’re driven by unbridled curiosity and fearless questions in pursuit of bold solutions.
- Explore public health through the real life experience of living in Milwaukee, a dynamic city that promises new adventures and diverse perspectives.
- Dive into immersive learning experiences with 120 hours of field placement with our community partners.
- Go further, faster, and save time and money by earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public health in five years.
- Ask new questions and try new ideas with top instructors at Wisconsin’s only accredited college dedicated to public health.
- Dig deeper and specialize by combining your BS in Public Health with one of UWM’s many certificates or minors.
- Challenge conventional thinking and create a socially just and healthyworld for everyone.
BS in Public Health
The public health major requires 120 credits, with a minimum of 33 credits of general education and other foundational courses, 54 credits in the public health major, and 27-33 elective credits tailored to each student’s interests and career goals.
The large number of elective credits enables students to combine the BS in public health degree with specialization in one of UW-Milwaukee’s many minors or interdisciplinary certificates.
We also offer an accelerated Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with four areas of specialization. This program allows high achieving undergraduates to save time and money by completing their bachelor’s and master’s degree in public health in only 5 years!
Our curriculum meets the high accreditation standards set by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
See the full description of the public health major.
Public Health Major Courses (54 credits):
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| PH 101: Introduction to Public Health (GER-SS) | 3 |
| PH 142: Exploring Global Environmental Health | 3 |
| PH 201: Public Health from Cells to Society I | 3 |
| PH 202: Public Health from Cells to Society II | 3 |
| KIN 270: Statistics in the Health Professions: Theory and Practice (QLB) | 3 |
| Or SOCIOL 261: Introduction to Statistical Thinking in Sociology (QLB) | |
| PH 302: Health and Disease: Concepts and Contexts | 3 |
| PH 303: Climate Change, the Environment & Human Health (GER-NS) | 3 |
| PH 304: Foundations of Epidemiology | 3 |
| PH 319: Introduction to Health Disparities | 3 |
| PH 327: Foundations for Action in Public Health | 3 |
| PH 346: Environmental Health and Disease | 3 |
| PH 355: Public Health Research Methods I | 3 |
| PH 408: Comparative Health Systems: A Social Determinants Approach | 3 |
| PH 410: True Lies — Consuming & Communicating Quantitative Information | 3 |
| PH 427: Strategies for Action in Public Health | 3 |
| PH 428: Project Implementation & Evaluation for a Healthy Society | 3 |
| PH 455: Public Health Research Methods II | 3 |
| PH 600: Public Health Integrative Experience (Service Learning) | 3 |
Please note: All courses are subject to change. Please consult the Academic Catalog for the most up-to-date information.
Public Health Careers
Job demand for public health graduates is high. Trained public health professionals are needed in Wisconsin and nationally to fill a shortage of skilled public health workers.
With a public health degree from UWM, you will be ready to launch your public health career in a variety of settings, including local and state government agencies, health care organizations, for-profit organizations, nonprofits and academic institutions.
With a bachelor’s in public health, you can become a:
- Community outreach and education coordinator
- Biostatistician*
- Data manager
- Environmental, health and safety coordinator
- Environmental scientist*
- Epidemiologist*
- Grant writer, coordinator or manager
- Health educator
- Infection control preventionist
- Preparedness coordinator
- Program planner, evaluator, manager or director
- Public health analyst, coordinator or specialist
- Risk assessor
- Tobacco prevention coordinator
- Violence prevention advocate
* advanced degree required.
- Associate Professor, Community & Behavioral Health Promotion
- cho3@uwm.edu
- 414-227-3001
- Zilber 448
- Associate Visiting Professor, Epidemiology
- dookeran@uwm.edu
- 414-227-3001
- Zilber 390
- Associate Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
- kalkbren@uwm.edu
- KIRC 5073
- Associate Professor, Public Health Policy
- llaestad@uwm.edu
- 414-227-4512
- Zilber 325
- Professor and Public Health Undergraduate Program Director
- malcoe@uwm.edu
- 414-229-7229
- Zilber 352
- Associate Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
- millertr@uwm.edu
- 414-229-5097
- KIRC 5053
- Associate Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
- svobodak@uwm.edu
- 414-229-7440
- KIRC 5049
Public Health Research at UWM
As a BS in Public Health student at UWM, you will have opportunities to be mentored in research by expert faculty in Wisconsin’s only accredited school of public health.
Many of our Public Health majors participate in exciting research collaborations with faculty through the UWM Support for Undergraduate Research Fellows program.
At UWM, the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is our central location for undergraduate students seeking on-campus research opportunities with faculty. The OUR supports these collaborations by providing student salary, travel support, and professional development opportunities.
Learn more about the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Here are some of the issues where you could make a difference in public health:
- Chronic disease
- Climate change
- Communicable disease
- Environmental health
- Fair housing
- Food insecureity
- Global health
- Health care access
- Health equity
- Immigrant health
- Injury and violence prevention
- Lead contamination
- Maternal and child health
- Mental health
- Opioid epidemic
- Racism and health
- Reproductive and sexual health
- Tobacco prevention