BS in Public Health

With this degree, you will have the opportunity launch your career or pursue graduate studies at the top of your game. You will gain the public health problem solving skills you need to become a leader in Indiana and beyond.

By the numbers

$67,795average health educator salary in Indiana (salary.com)

$76,530median annual salary for environmental health scientists (BLS)

$78,830median annual salary for epidemiologists (BLS)

$60M+investment in Indiana public health infrastructure from the CDC

200,000+public health jobs in 2021 (BLS)

Top 1/3Ranking of public health schools by US News & World Report

Alumni profiles

Alumni career profiles

To help our prospective students understand the possibilities a Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree offers, we've asked several alumni to share the career opportunities they have had since graduating. Browse the alumni career profiles to see what our graduates are up to.

Curriculum

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health curriculum provides you with a well-rounded, broad foundation to solve the complicated health problems facing us today. You can customize your program of study to take the courses you need to enter the workforce ready to create change or pursue graduate studies.

If you are interested in this degree, we encourage you to contact our Office of Student Success at (317) 274-2000. Our advisors can answer questions about degree requirements, eligible classes, course substitutions, and course waivers. We’re here to help you.

Take 10 courses for a total of 30 credits.

Core communication

Take two courses for a total of 6 credits.

  • COMM-R 110 Fundamentals of Speech Communication (3 credits)
  • ENG-W 131 Reading, Writing and Inquiry (3 credits)

Analytical reasoning

Take two courses for a total of 6 credits.

  • Choose one course from Analytical Reasoning Group A list (MATH-M 118 recommended)
  • PBHL-B 300 Introduction to Biostatistics (3 credits)

Cultural understanding

Take one course for a total of 3 credits.

Life and physical sciences

Take two courses for a total of 6 credits.

Social sciences and arts and humanities

Take three courses for a total of 9 credits.

Take 14 courses for a total of 42 credits

  • PBHL-P 109 Introduction to Public Health
  • PBHL-S 120 Introduction to Community Health
  • PBHL-H 101 Influencing the Public’s Health
  • PBHL-H 120 Health Care Delivery in the US
  • PBHL-A 215 Storytelling with Data
  • PBHL-E 210 Zombie Apocalypse and other Doomsday Infections
  • PBHL-A 316 Environmental Health Science
  • PBHL-E 322 Principles of Epidemiology
  • PBHL-E 330 Evidence Based Public Health P/C: PBHL-E 322
  • PBHL-S 315 Community Organizing for Health Promotion P/C: PBHL-S 120
  • PBHL-S 337 Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health
  • PBHL-S 349 Research Methods in Community Health P: PBHL-S 120
  • PBHL-S 305 Careers in Public Health
  • PBHL-P 491 Capstone in Public Health

Take seven courses for a total of 21 credits

  • PBHL-A 325 How Not to Get Killed: Injury Prevention
  • PBHL-A 435 Energy, Climate Change, Resilience, and Health
  • PBHL-A 450, A 454, A 455, or A 456 Study Abroad: Health Systems Across the World
  • PBHL-B 275 Probability Without Tears and Without Calculus
  • PBHL-B 285 Classical Biostatistical Regression Methods P: PBHL-B 275, PBHL-B 280 or PBHL-B 300
  • PBHL-B 481 Introduction to Biostatistical Computing P: PBHL-B 275, PBHL-B 280 or PBHL-B 300
  • PBHL-E 391 Chasing Disease: Public Health Surveillance and Response
  • PBHL-E 333 Buzzed and Stoned: The Epidemiology of Substance Abuse
  • PBHL-E 335 The Lurking Pandemic: Chronic Disease Epidemiology
  • PBHL-E 395 Sores and Drips: The Epidemiology of STIs
  • PBHL-H 315 High Risk Health Behaviors and Harm Reduction
  • PBHL-H 330 Global Public Health
  • PBHL-H 420 Health Policy
  • PBHL-S4 15 Applied Health Promotion Methods P: PBHL-S 120
  • PBHL-S 422 Coaching for Health Behavior Change
  • PBHL-P 300 Topics in Public Health
  • PBHL-P 400 Topics in Public Health
  • PBHL-P 490 Internship in Public Health P: PBHL-P 109, admission to FSPH, 2.5 GPA

Faculty

You will have the opportunity to study with faculty across the school, learning from world-renowned researchers and practitioners, as you develop your expertise.

Meet our faculty

What will you do with a degree in public health?

  • Recognize the social determinants of health that impact individuals and communities
  • Prepare written and oral reports and presentations that effectively communicate information to diverse stakeholders, colleagues, communities, and the general public
  • Select, collect, interpret, analyze, and summarize data drawing accurate conclusions for public health decision making
  • Collaborate with diverse populations and utilize critical thinking to address public health problems
  • Describe the historical role of public health nationally and globally and identify and understand current and future public health challenges faced by the U.S. and the world