Global Public Health and the Common Good
Public health is the science and art of protecting the health of populations. Its mission is to enhance health, prevent disease, reduce disparities, extend longevity for all people, and safeguard the health of cities, states, and nations.
In this program, you will gain a deep understanding of the theory and practice of public health and prepare for graduate study in medicine, nursing, public health, health policy, law, and international relations or for a career in business, social work and public health practice.
Contact
Global Public Health and the Common Good
publichealth@bc.edu
648 Higgins Hall
617-552-2187
An Innovative New Program
Bringing Global Public Health to BC
The Connell School introduces a new interdisciplinary major.
Global Public Health and the Common Good major
The program emphasizes the scientific and social dimensions of public health.
At a Glance
Distinctive Features
Rigorous
You will receive a rigorous education that places public health education in a highly interdisciplinary, liberal arts context. This will enable you to explore public health’s connections to history, sociology, literature, engineering, art, economics, and political science.
Jesuit, Catholic Tradition
This major, which draws on Boston College’s Jesuit, Catholic tradition and Pope Francis’ teaching in Laudato Si’, will strongly emphasize the ethical and moral foundations of public health and the intersection between public health, social justice, and care for our Common Home.
Flexible Career Options
You will be prepared to serve the public health needs on a global capacity, in addition to local, regional, and national communities.
Academic Program
This program is a collaboration between the Connell School of Nursing and the Schiller Institute for Science and Society.
Coursework in the major will be grounded in epidemiology and biostatistics, the core disciplines of public health. You will gain 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.
The major will consist of 36 academic credits, equivalent to 12 full-semester courses.
In addition to the Major coursework, all Global Public Health and the Common Good major students must complete the Boston College Core Curriculum. The undergraduate Core is a set of 15 required courses that give students exposure to a wide range of subjects. Click here for more general information on the BC Core.
Major students must also complete the Boston College Language Proficiency Requirement, which requires demonstration of intermediate-level proficiency in a modern or classical language in order to graduate. Click here for more information on language proficiency.
8
Required Courses
| Course # | Course Name |
|---|---|
| PHCG/NURS 1210 | Public Health in a Global Society An overview of public health that includes public health’s historical origins, the global burden of disease, sub-disciplines of public health including maternal/child health, environmental health, and nutrition. Co-taught by two professors from different backgrounds, the course exemplifies the collaborative nature of public health. It makes use of examples in research and practice, focusing on at-risk populations and on strategies for reducing health disparities and improving health equity at the population level. |
| PHCG 2120 | Introduction to Epidemiology This course introduces basic principles and methods of epidemiology and biostatistics. Measures of disease frequency, association and causation, the design and analysis of studies, and the potential issues that may arise in these studies are addressed. |
| PHCG 3560 | Biostatistics, Data Analytics and Quantitative Methods in Public Health This course covers descriptive and inferential statistics used in biomedical and public health studies, with emphasis on practice and implementation. Descriptive statistics, probability, basic hypothesis testing, ANOVA, and linear and logistic regression will be covered. |
| PHCG/THEO 3223 | Ethics of Global Public Health and the Common Good This course studies key ethical issues in global public health, including epidemics, pandemics, poverty, underdevelopment, and the inequitable global burden of disease. It considers ethical approaches to address these issues, including human rights and the common good. To identify the ethical agenda and pathways to its implementation, case studies are presented, including examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The course’s readings, analyses, and proposals encompass the health sciences, anthropology, social sciences, philosophical and theological bioethical discourses, and social doctrine considering both Catholic and Protestant contributions. |
| PHCG 3600 | Health Inequities: Origins and Remedies Disease is not distributed evenly or randomly within societies, but instead is concentrated among people of color, the poor and the marginalized. This course will examine the social, economic, political, legal, historical and environmental factors that drive disparities in health and explore strategies to overcome these structural injustices. |
| PHCG 2130 | Global Public Health Law This course will examine the critical role of law in creating and implementing social policy and achieving (or at least seeking) social justice. |
| PHCG 3300 | Global Health: Theory to Practice In this course, students will learn how to apply the theories and practices learned in other global health courses by working through practical case studies involving real-life global health problems. |
| PHCG 3810 | Public Health Planning, Practice, and Evaluation A new course which will include didactic material and case studies on leadership, advocacy, project implementation and evaluation, and community partnerships. Classroom teaching will be complemented with community engagement. |
2
Courses for Required Capstone Project
Senior Capstone Experience | |
|---|---|
PHCG4975 and PHCG4976 |
The Senior Capstone is a 2-semester, 6-credit, mentored, interdisciplinary experience that spans both semesters of the senior year. It is the culmination of the undergraduate experience in Global Public Health. Working individually or in teams, students have the opportunity to design a project that tackles a real-world problem in global public health. Students have several options for completing the Capstone: Option 1: Students may produce a scholarly, scientific report of publishable quality on a topic in public health. The outcome may be a report, a manuscript suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, or a poster suitable for presentation at a regional or national professional meeting. Option 2: Students may develop a video, computer app, or other innovation that addresses a public health issue. To support the innovation, students will prepare a portfolio that includes a concise written summary of the problem, explains how the innovation addresses the problem, and includes other key materials such as a marketing plan or a media strategy. Option 3: Students may complete a yearlong, community-based engagement project on an issue relevant to public health in partnership with a community group, an NGO, a government agency, or a consulting firm. The product will include the partnered work itself, often in the form of an internship, and the creation of at least one product that serves the partner, e.g. an analysis of community issues, a database of resources, or a new training module. The Capstone experience is supported by two 3-credit courses that meet once per week across both semesters. |
2
Electives
Electives:
You will choose two electives from an extensive list of courses.
Notice to our PreHealth Students:
Students applying to medical, dental, or veterinary programs in the United States calculate a science GPA that includes all BCPM (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics) courses.
It is the belief of the Global Public Health and the Common Good program faculty that, in accordance with the guidelines outlined by AMCAS, the courses listed below should be reported in your “BCPM” GPA when applying through AMCAS. When filing an application, PreHealth students should read the instructions on the AMCAS or AACOMAS application carefully, as policies may change.
- PHCG2120 Introduction to Epidemiology
- PHCG3120 Cancer Epidemiology
- PHCG3560 Biostatistics, Data Analytics and Quantitative Methods in Public Health
- PHCG4140 Children's Health and the Environment
As a graduate from this program, you will be prepared for:
- graduate study in medicine, nursing, public health, health policy, law, and international relations or
- a career in business, social work and public health practice
You will learn how the health of populations affects economic growth and alters the destiny of nations. You will acquire knowledge of key elements of public health: disease prevention; health promotion; survey design; community assessment; data collection, management, and analysis; policy development; outbreak investigation and control; infection dynamics; project implementation; grant writing, public health communication; and leadership.
The acceptance to the Global Public Health and the Common Good program is by application, which occurs in January annually. The best way to stay informed of all things related to the Global Public Health program, is to subscribe to our newsletter.
Admittance to the major and minor in Global Public Health and the Common Good is by application. Students can apply in the Spring semester of either their freshman or sophomore year. Rising seniors will be considered only if they have already fulfilled many of the course requirements for the minor.
We seek a broad range of students from programs and schools across Boston College to apply.
- We invite pre-health and nursing students who wish to understand how the health of populations informs the care of individual patients.
- We invite students from the humanities, business, economics, environmental science, pre-law, political science, international studies and other majors who wish to learn how the health of populations and the social, political, economic and environmental determinants of health and disease influence public policy, drive economic growth, and shape the destiny of nations.
Students who wish to apply to the program are encouraged to take Public Health in a Global Society (NURS1210 cross-listed as PHCG1210) before applying. This course is open to students in all schools at Boston College, but it is not required to apply to the program.
Please contact publichealth@bc.edu with any questions regarding the application.
Student Ambassadors, 2024-2025
Because of their merit and passion for public health, GPHCG Student Ambassadors have been selected to represent the program at BC and beyond. It is their job to lead the next generation of public health professionals and help create meaningful impact in their communities.
Scholarship
Undergraduate Research
In the Undergraduate Research Fellows (UGRF) program, undergraduates pair with research-intensive faculty and their teams to work on scholarly projects. They are financially compensated for their time and effort. CSON supports approximately 50 research placements for undergraduate students each year. Many UGRFs contribute substantially to scientific products including presentations and published abstracts and papers.
Faculty Research
Students are invited to learn about our research and to become involved in projects of significant importance to modern societies.
Areas of major research interest within the program are:
- The spread of pandemics,
- Nutrition and health.
- Health impacts of pollution and climate change, and
- The ethical and legal foundations of public health
FAQ
Print
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.
“Developing this major at Boston College is aligned with our mission to use our education and knowledge in service to others – in this case, to serve people and communities through global public health.”
