Major in Global Public Health and the Common Good (B.A./B.S.)

Public health is the science and art of improving health, preventing disease, prolonging life and enhancing well-being. Public health is closely related to medicine and draws on the same body of scientific knowledge.  But unlike clinical medicine and nursing, which deal with individual patients one at a time, public health safeguards the health of entire populations – cities, states, countries and even the world. Public health workers fight epidemics. They protect the environment. They work to promote social justice and reduce disparities in health.

Public health is highly interdisciplinary. Its core science is epidemiology. It collaborates with a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, biostatistics, demography, environmental science, climate science, economics, law, history, geography, social science, neuroscience, psychology, political science, international studies, health care administration, and city planning.

Boston College offers a 6-course undergraduate minor and a 12-course undergraduate major in Global Public Health and the Common Good as well as a wide range of public health courses.

Our entry-level courses are open to all students from across Boston College and are designed to introduce students in any field of study to core concepts in public health.

Enrollment in the minor and major in Global Public Health and the Common Good is by competitive application submitted in January/early February of the freshman or sophomore year.

A unique and distinctive aspect of the program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College is our strong focus on the ethical, moral and legal foundations of global public health. This emphasis reflects our foundation in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition of service and our commitment to a preferential option for the poor. 

The program is unique also in that it spans multiple schools across Boston College – the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences, the Connell School of Nursing, the School of Social Work, the Lynch School of Education, the Carroll School of Management, the Law School, and the School of Theology & Ministry. Faculty members from all of these schools teach and advise students in the Global Public Health program. Selected courses in all of these schools are approved as Electives in the program in Global Public Health and the Common Good.

All students who take classes in Global Public Health at Boston College will gain familiarity with core concepts in public health and acquire insights about health and society that will inform their life’s work in a broad range of fields and professions.  They will come to understand the key role that public health plays in maintaining the stability of modern societies – a role that was never more clearly evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Students who complete the minor in Global Public Health will gain a solid foundation in public health appropriate for careers in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and nursing. ​ The minor will appeal also to some students interested in law, economics, environmental studies, international studies, mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, the humanities, business, social work or education. It will broaden their understanding of the intersections between human health, modern society, the environment and the health of the planet.

Students who complete the major will graduate with deep understanding of the theory and practice of public health and will be well prepared for postgraduate studies in public health (MPH and PhD) and for a broad range of careers in government, NGOs, and the private sector.

Because public health is highly interdisciplinary, students from all schools and majors across Boston College are encouraged to take courses through the program for Global Public Health and the Common Good.  Our student body is deliberately diverse, and this diversity brings a unique perspective to the classroom. 

For example, International Studies students in the Global Public Health minor educate their fellow students about the role of diplomacy in advancing public health. Students interested in entrepreneurship or communication will gain insights about public health that will enable them to develop new products and services or design health-marketing campaigns. Students planning careers in medicine, nursing or dentistry will come to understand how the health of populations influences the health and well-being of individual patients.

Public health and medicine are closely related and share a common body of scientific knowledge, but they differ from each other in that the focus of public health is on the health of populations, while medicine’s focus is on the health of individual patients. 

The minor in Medical Humanities, Health and Culture at Boston College is an interdisciplinary, humanistic and cultural sequence of courses that studies illness, health, health care, and the body. Courses in the Medical Humanities minor complement coursework in public health and in the pre-health program. Students can cross-enroll in these programs.

Students who complete the program in Global Public Health and the Common Good will have a variety of career options. 

Students who complete the major or minor in Global Public Health and the Common Good will be prepared to enter any of the health professions – medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or the allied health professions – and they will carry with them an extra credential and a body of knowledge that will enrich and inform their life’s work.

They will be fully prepared to pursue advanced training in public health at a School of Public Health and to earn a Master’s degree (MPH) degree or a doctoral degree (PhD or Dr.P.H.) in public health. 

They will be competitive for staff positions in environmental and community health organizations and for research assistant positions at health departments, universities, and hospitals. 

Visit our website and sign up for our list serve to learn about public health and public-health-related events at Boston College and throughout the Boston area. Boston is a hub for medical and public health activity — there is everything from lectures, debates, and film screenings. 

There are many public health-related clubs on campus at BC working in a wide variety of areas.  The Public Health Club of Boston College started in September 2015 and coordinates on-campus events to educate students about public health. For a list of other clubs, click here.  

Please email us (publichealth@bc.edu) if you would like more information or if you want to advertise an event or job opportunity.

There are many opportunities to gain experience in public health both on and off campus at Boston College. During the academic year and in the summer, students can work as an Undergraduate Research Fellow (URF) for a faculty member doing research in an area of public health. 

Students can also explore internship and volunteer opportunities in a wide range of public health organizations within the City of Boston and beyond. We are happy to offer guidance to students seeking internship and volunteer opportunities related to public health.

There are multiple field trips related to public health during spring break and during the summer. Many of these trips are organized by student-led clubs. For a list of these clubs, click here.  

The Boston College Career https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/offices/student-affairs/sites/careers.html is another excellent source of information about internship and volunteer opportunities and also about health-related job opportunities following graduation from BC.

The goal of the minor in Global Public Health and the Common Good is to introduce students from a wide range of majors, disciplines, and schools across Boston College to key concepts in Global Public Health. Many students in the minor are pre-health and nursing students, but we encourage students from all majors and all schools across BC to apply for the minor. A distinctive future of the minor is its strong emphasis on the ethical, moral, and legal foundations of global public health. 

The major will prepare students for postgraduate studies (MPH and PhD) and careers in public health. It will enrich the education of students headed to medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine who wish deep knowledge of public health.

Coursework in the major in Global Public Health and the Common Good will be grounded in epidemiology and biostatistics, the core disciplines of public health.  Students will delve deeply into the intellectual and experiential understanding of the social determinants of health – the complex web of social, economic, environmental, political and historical factors that influence health and drive the spread of disease.

Enrollment in the major or minor in Global Public Health and the Common Good is by a competitive application submitted in January/early February of the freshman or sophomore year.  In some circumstances, we will also consider applications from juniors who have a clear and demonstrated path for completion of the program in their remaining time at BC.

We strongly recommend signing up for our Newsletter to stay up to date on all announcements relating to application dates and procedures.  Application decisions are released in March, before advising and registration for the fall semester begin.

This program will enrich the education of students headed to medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine and complements the pre-health curriculum. Many pre-health students minor in Global Public Health and a smaller number complete the major. Future physicians, dentists and veterinarians who are cross-trained in public health will be uniquely well equipped to understand how social, cultural, economic and historical factors influence the health and well-being of their patients. 

Nurses are the backbone of the public health system in the United States and in many countries around the world. The program in Global Public Health and the Common Good will enrich and complement nursing education at Boston College. Future nurses and nurse practitioners who are cross-trained in public health will be uniquely well equipped to understand how social, cultural, economic and historical factors influence the health and well-being of the patients and the communities that they serve. 

In theory, students can double major in Global Public Health and the Common Good and another program at Boston College. However, careful advising is strongly recommended if a student intends to pursue two majors to be sure that there is adequate space in their schedule to allow for the completion of both sets of program requirements prior to graduation. We are happy to meet with students considering a double major to help asses whether it is feasible.

Students are welcome to take public health electives and even to fulfill core public health requirements at universities in other countries during semesters abroad. It is essential to note that each course a student plans to take in an overseas university must be individually reviewed and approved in advance by the Director of the BC Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good. We are pleased to assist students in selecting overseas universities and courses.

No more than three credits (one course) that are used to fulfill requirements for another major or minor at Boston College can be counted towards the minor in Global Public Health and the Common Good.  In other words, students must have at least 15 credits that are unique to the minor in Global Public Health and the Common Good. The only exception is for nursing students, who are permitted to double count two courses (NURS4260 and NURS4261 Population Health). 

No more than six credits (two courses) used in another major or minor at Boston College may be applied toward the major in Global Public Health and the Common Good. In other words, students must have at least 30 credits that are unique to the major in Global Public Health and the Common Good. 

Most students in the major for in Global Public Health and the Common Good pursue the B.A. degree, which provides a solid grounding in public health science and prepares them for medical, dental, or veterinary school; postgraduate study in public health or health policy; and direct entry into the public health workforce. 

For those students who are interested in gaining deeper education in the scientific foundations of public health, the B.S. in Global Public Health includes all of the courses included in the B.A. degree plus at least five additional 3-credit science courses. The science courses approved for inclusion the B.S. degree include courses in quantitative science (Computer Science, Mathematics, and Economics), laboratory science (Biology, Neuroscience, Chemistry, and Physics) Earth and Environmental Science, and Environmental Studies. Completion of a B.S. degree in Global Public Health and the Common Good will prepare students for all of the careers available to Global Public Health B.A. graduates as well as for careers in academia, biomedical research, industry, and data sciences.

Yes! We have more applicants for our programs than we have seats, and we are always willing to give students second chance.   

Students who are not accepted into the minor or the major in Global Public Health and the Common Good on their first application are most welcome to apply again in the following academic year. We encourage students who are not accepted on the first try to strengthen their application in the year between applications by taking one or more of our public health courses and/or participating in activities related to public health on and off campus. We encourage these students to meet with us to discuss their options.

Boston College and the Tufts University School of Medicine have developed an Accelerated Master of Public Health (MPH) Pathway for Boston College students.  This program allows Boston College students to earn up to 12 Tufts University MPH credits while they are still undergraduates at BC.

Boston College students who enroll in this program and are accepted by Tufts may matriculate into the Tufts MPH program following their graduation from BC and may be able to complete their MPH requirements in as little as one year, thus saving considerable time and tuition.

Boston College students can apply for the Tufts Accelerated Master of Public Health (MPH) Pathway no earlier than the spring of their sophomore year and no later than April 1st of their junior year.  We encourage students who may be interested in this program to meet with us as early as possible in their time at Boston College.  Please contact our office for more information and details. 

Prospective incoming students interested in Global Public Health and the Common Good major should apply to the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences (MCAS), selecting the Undecided or another Major in MCAS. After arriving on the Boston College campus, students would then apply to the GPH&CG program during January of their first year. If accepted, students will then be transferred into CSON where advising will take place.