Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [Public Health Policy] From University of California

This is a forward-thinking mission that acknowledges and complements traditional discipline-based research and training in public health. It is a specific mission that is increasingly recognized by eminent organizations such as the Institute of Medicine’s Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, by research and education funding institutions such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health & Society Scholars Program, and by distinguished Schools of Public Health.

New sources of funding for research and education are emerging, including the translational science initiative of the National Institutes of Health, to support this ecological paradigm of public health. The societal challenges facing health care and the burden of diseases at the community, national, and international levels have increased the demand for experts capable of researching, developing, and implementing programs to prevent disease and to improve population health. 

The Department hosts activities that bridge disciplinary perspectives, methods, and practices to nurture new leaders in public health through research and training on risk factors that render people vulnerable to diseases in their communities and the development of strategies for preventing disease by separating risk factors from specific vulnerable populations.

The B.S. in Public Health Sciences and the B.A. in Public Health Policy degree programs train students in multidisciplinary approaches to public health practice and research. The degrees explore both quantitative and qualitative aspects of public health at all levels of analysis. Graduates will advance, through selective employment or further education, to become the new generation of public health professionals prepared to face the emerging challenges to human health from a population perspective using cutting-edge prevention approaches.

Students considering the public health degrees should carefully evaluate their academic preparation and career goals before enrolling in either the B.S. or B.A. degree program. Changing from a degree program to the other is possible, but will require completion of the required lower- and upper-division courses specified for each program.