GWU BS Public Health Program: Curriculum & Admissions

GWU BS Public Health Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) at George Washington University is one of the most established undergraduate public health programs in the United States, housed within the prestigious Milken Institute School of Public Health. Established in 1997 and accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the program combines rigorous public health training with a liberal arts education that produces graduates equipped to address complex health challenges from multiple perspectives.

The GWU BS Public Health program requires 120 credits across four categories: university general education, public health core courses, guided electives, and general electives. What makes this program distinctive is its foundation in the liberal arts tradition—drawing from the classical trivium of language, logic, and rhetoric alongside the quantitative disciplines—while building specialized competencies in epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health policy, and global health. This approach ensures that BSPH graduates possess not only technical public health skills but also the critical thinking and communication abilities that distinguish effective public health professionals.

Located in the heart of Washington, DC, GWU provides unparalleled access to the nation’s public health infrastructure, including the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offices, the World Health Organization, and countless health policy organizations. For students exploring other health-related programs, the Howard University Pharmaceutical Fellowship offers a complementary pathway in health sciences within the same metropolitan area.

Milken Institute School of Public Health

The Milken Institute School of Public Health (GWSPH) is GWU’s dedicated school for public health education and research, named following a transformative gift from the Milken Institute that elevated the school’s resources and national profile. The school occupies a modern facility at 950 New Hampshire Avenue NW in Washington, DC, providing students with state-of-the-art classrooms, research laboratories, and collaborative spaces designed specifically for public health education.

The BSPH program is led by Program Director Elizabeth Gray, JD, MHA, who brings both legal and healthcare administration expertise to the program’s leadership. The dedicated undergraduate advising office ensures that students receive personalized guidance throughout their academic journey, from course selection and prerequisite planning to career counseling and graduate school preparation. The advising team is accessible at sphundergrad@gwu.edu, reflecting the school’s commitment to student support.

The school’s mission emphasizes producing students who carry public health knowledge into diverse professional fields, bringing informed and evidence-based viewpoints to public health issues regardless of their ultimate career path. This vision recognizes that public health literacy is valuable across professions—from law and business to technology and government—and that undergraduate public health education serves as a versatile foundation for numerous career trajectories.

GWU BS Public Health Core Curriculum and Courses

The public health major comprises 46 total credits divided between 34 credits of core courses and 12-13 credits of guided electives. Students must earn a C- or better in every core course, ensuring that all graduates meet minimum competency standards across all public health disciplines. The core courses are structured with a careful prerequisite chain that builds knowledge progressively from introductory concepts to advanced applications.

Foundation Courses

PUBH 1010: First-Year Experience in Public Health (1 credit, Pass/No Pass) provides entering students with an introduction to the school, the profession, and the opportunities available within the BSPH program. External and late-entering transfers are exempt from this requirement.

PUBH 1101: Introduction to Public Health and Health Services (3 credits) serves as the gateway course, covering the history, philosophy, core values, and organizational structure of public health. This course is a prerequisite for most upper-level public health courses and establishes the conceptual framework for the entire program.

Science and Methods Courses

PUBH 2110: Public Health Biology (3 credits) addresses the biological foundations of public health, including human health and disease mechanisms. A prerequisite biology course must be completed before enrollment.

PUBH 2140: Research Methods Foundations (3 credits) develops competency in research design, data collection methodologies, and evidence-based approaches—essential skills for any public health professional.

PUBH 2142: Introduction to Biostatistics for Public Health (3 credits) covers the statistical methods specific to public health research and practice, including the interpretation and application of quantitative data to health problems.

PUBH 3131: Epidemiology (3 credits) is the study of disease distribution and determinants in populations—the foundational science of public health. This course requires prior completion of biostatistics.

Applied Public Health Courses

PUBH 2112: Principles of Health Education and Health Promotion covers program planning, intervention design, and health communication strategies. PUBH 3130: Health Services Management and Economics addresses healthcare delivery systems from both organizational and economic perspectives. PUBH 3132: Health and Environment explores the relationship between environmental factors and population health. PUBH 3133: Global Health and Development provides an international perspective on health challenges. PUBH 3135W: Health Policy examines the legal, ethical, and regulatory dimensions of public health governance. Students interested in health policy within a legal framework should also explore the Duke JD Law Program for advanced study.

Capstone

PUBH 4140W: Senior Seminar (3 credits) is the culminating academic experience, requiring completion of all prior core courses. It integrates the full range of public health competencies developed throughout the program. Variants include a Community Needs Assessment or Service Learning option, allowing students to apply their knowledge to real community health challenges.

GWU BS Public Health Guided Electives

The guided elective component (12-13 credits) allows students to deepen their knowledge in specific areas of interest within and beyond public health. The approved elective list is remarkably broad, spanning departments from Anthropology and Computer Science to Philosophy and Women’s Studies. This interdisciplinary approach reflects the reality that public health intersects with virtually every academic discipline.

Students can choose from courses in epidemiology, environmental health, nutrition science, emergency health services, health communication, medical anthropology, bioethics, health economics, and geographic information systems, among many others. Up to 9 guided elective credits may be earned through approved study abroad or non-GWU courses, and up to 9 credits of undergraduate research (PUBH 3995) or independent study (PUBH 4199) may count toward the elective requirement.

Particularly notable elective options include courses in computer science for health informatics, sustainability studies for environmental health applications, and political science courses focused on health policy and governance. This breadth ensures that students can craft an elective portfolio that aligns precisely with their career goals, whether they plan to pursue clinical practice, policy work, research, or health administration.

GWU Public Health Pre-Medical Concentration

The Pre-Medical Professional (PMP) concentration is designed for BSPH students planning to apply to medical school. This concentration adds the science prerequisites required by most medical schools to the public health curriculum, creating an efficient pathway that prepares students for both the MCAT and a career that combines clinical medicine with population health expertise.

The PMP concentration requires 41-42 additional credits of science coursework, including two semesters each of biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics, plus one semester of biochemistry and calculus. These courses satisfy the prerequisite requirements of virtually all US medical schools while the public health core provides the population health perspective that is increasingly valued in medical education and practice.

Students pursuing the PMP concentration graduate uniquely prepared for medical careers, possessing both the clinical science foundation required for medical school and the public health knowledge that enables them to think beyond individual patients to community and population-level health outcomes. This dual preparation is particularly valuable as the healthcare system increasingly emphasizes preventive care, health equity, and social determinants of health. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, medical schools increasingly value applicants with public health backgrounds.

GWU Public Health Pre-Health Professions Concentration

The Pre-Health Professions (PHP) concentration serves students pursuing careers in allied health fields such as physical therapy, physician assistant studies, dietetics, and other health professions that require graduate-level training. Like the PMP concentration, PHP adds science prerequisites to the public health curriculum, but the specific course requirements are tailored to the admission expectations of allied health graduate programs.

This concentration recognizes that many health professions benefit enormously from a public health foundation. Physical therapists who understand health disparities, physician assistants who can interpret epidemiological data, and dietitians who appreciate environmental health factors all deliver more effective and equitable care. The PHP concentration produces graduates who are competitive applicants for top allied health graduate programs while carrying a public health perspective into their clinical practice.

Students in either concentration benefit from GWU’s location in Washington, DC, which provides access to major medical centers including the GW Hospital, Georgetown University Medical Center, and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center—creating abundant shadowing, volunteer, and clinical experience opportunities that strengthen graduate school applications.

GWU BS Public Health Admission Requirements

The GWU BSPH offers multiple entry pathways to accommodate students at different stages of their academic journey. Understanding these pathways and their specific requirements is essential for prospective students planning their application strategy.

First-Year and External Transfer Admission

Prospective first-year students and external transfers apply through the GWU Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The university evaluates applications holistically, considering academic achievement, standardized test scores (when submitted), extracurricular involvement, essays, and recommendation letters. Students interested in public health should demonstrate genuine engagement with health-related issues, whether through coursework, volunteer work, or community involvement.

Internal Transfer Process

Current GWU students enrolled in other schools within the university can transfer to the Milken Institute School of Public Health starting in their second semester. The primary academic requirement is a cumulative GWU GPA of 2.75 or higher. Upon transfer, students must declare the Public Health major within two weeks and begin working with GWSPH undergraduate advisors to plan their course sequence.

Academic Standards

All public health core courses and guided electives require a minimum grade of C- for credit toward the degree. This standard ensures that graduates possess genuine competency across all program areas rather than merely accumulating credits. Students who do not meet this threshold in a course must retake it to receive major credit, maintaining the program’s academic integrity and the value of the BSPH credential.

GWU Public Health Career Paths and Graduate School

The GWU BSPH opens doors to a remarkably diverse range of career paths, reflecting the breadth of public health’s intersection with other professional fields. Graduates pursue careers in government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels, working on health policy, disease surveillance, environmental regulation, and health services administration. The proximity to federal agencies provides GWU graduates with a significant advantage in securing government positions.

Health education and promotion roles are natural career fits for BSPH graduates, who develop specific competencies in program planning, intervention design, and health communication throughout their coursework. Business and consulting careers in healthcare management, pharmaceutical companies, health technology firms, and insurance organizations also actively recruit public health graduates who can bridge clinical knowledge and organizational strategy.

For students pursuing advanced degrees, the BSPH serves as excellent preparation for graduate programs in public health (MPH, DrPH), medicine (MD), nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, law (particularly health law), and policy. The PMP and PHP concentrations specifically prepare students for health professions graduate programs. GWU’s own Milken Institute School offers direct pathways to MPH and other graduate public health degrees, and BSPH graduates are well-positioned for competitive programs nationwide. For a different approach to graduate-level health education, explore the UT Austin MSSW Program.

Washington DC: The Public Health Capital

No undergraduate public health program benefits more from its location than GWU. Washington, DC is the epicenter of US and global public health policy, housing the headquarters or regional offices of virtually every major health organization. The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, the CDC’s Washington offices, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization’s Americas regional office, and hundreds of health-focused non-profits and advocacy organizations all operate within commuting distance of the GWU campus.

This concentration of health organizations creates internship, research, and employment opportunities that are simply unavailable at most other universities. BSPH students regularly intern at federal agencies, global health NGOs, health policy think tanks, and congressional offices where health legislation is drafted and debated. These experiences provide professional connections and practical skills that accelerate career development and significantly strengthen graduate school applications.

The city itself serves as a living laboratory for public health study. DC’s diverse population, urban health challenges, health equity issues, and complex governance structure provide real-world context for classroom learning. Students can observe the implementation of health policies in real time, study health disparities across neighborhoods, and engage with community health organizations addressing the most pressing public health challenges of the day.

How to Apply to the GWU BS Public Health

Getting started with the GWU BSPH begins with a clear understanding of your current academic status and intended pathway. First-year applicants should submit their applications through the GW Office of Undergraduate Admissions, typically during the fall of their senior year of high school. Early decision and regular decision options are available, and students are encouraged to indicate their interest in public health in their application materials.

External transfer students follow a similar admissions process but should ensure that their previous coursework aligns with GWU’s general education requirements and, where possible, includes courses that transfer as BSPH prerequisites. The advising office at sphundergrad@gwu.edu can provide guidance on course equivalencies before a formal application is submitted.

Current GWU students interested in transferring from another school should consult with GWSPH undergraduate advisors early—ideally in their first year—to plan their course selections strategically. Meeting the 2.75 GPA requirement and taking courses that satisfy both their current program and BSPH prerequisites can facilitate a smooth transition. Once accepted, students should declare the Public Health major immediately and begin working with advisors to map out their remaining course sequence, paying careful attention to prerequisite chains that determine when specific courses can be taken.