Treatment plant
Bachelor of Science

Public Health

Study areas such as epidemiology, biostatistics, health systems, and health communication.

Students majoring in public health study areas such as epidemiology, biostatistics, health systems, and health communication to address society’s complex public health challenges, ranging from infectious diseases to addiction. The program offers hands-on learning and cutting-edge research opportunities with leading faculty and researchers.

Our majors prepare for diverse career opportunities in community health, government and environmental agencies, hospitals, and education.

Graduates can pursue careers in human and veterinary health care, health education, environmental health monitoring, health policy, administration, and epidemiology, or continue their education at a graduate or professional school to pursue a master’s, doctorate, or professional health degree, such as a Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, or a Doctor of Pharmacy.

Experiential Learning enables students to collaborate with the Experiential Learning coordinator to gain access to institutional resources and programs to engage in research, internships, cooperative education, study abroad programs, ministry programs, service learning, and much more. Public health majors need 4 credits (180 hours) of internship experience to graduate.

Specializations

  • Community and Behavioral Health focuses on addiction science, including the fundamentals of behavioral health, the theoretical basis of substance use disorder, the complex interactions between physical and mental health, and the behavioral antecedents and correlates of chronic health conditions. (Vancouver | Spokane)
  • General Option enables students who have been accepted into the public health major to select one of more than a dozen academic concentrations or create their own concentration in collaboration with their academic advisor. Some of these concentrations include:

    Animal Science | Environmental Justice | Environmental Policy | Gender and Sexuality | Health and Communities | Health and Culture | Health Communication | One Health | Pre-Med | Pre-Vet | Pre-Nursing 
  • Infectious Disease focuses on population health, health systems, methods, biostatistics, health communications, environmental health administration, and community health development. You’ll study epidemiology, infectious disease testing, vaccine development, data management, statistical analysis, and bioinformatics. (Pullman) 

3 campuses, 1 vision

Map of three wsu campuses

Providing public health education tracks in infectious disease (Pullman) and community and behavioral health (Spokane and Vancouver).

  • WSU Pullman – Large residential campus in a vibrant college town
  • WSU Spokane – Regional medical hub on WSU’s health sciences campus with basic and translational research labs
  • WSU Vancouver – Small urban campus where students get extensive faculty interaction and mentoring


Career

With a Public Health degree, you can work in:  

  • Human and veterinary healthcare
  • Health education, promotion and disease prevention
  • Emergency preparedness and response planning
  • Environmental health monitoring
  • Biostatistics and research analysis
  • Health policy and administration
  • Epidemiology and disease surveillance

More Public Health resources


Tuition and financial resources

We know financial planning is important. Learn about estimated annual cost of attendance for resident and nonresident students, and available financial aid and scholarships.

If you’re a current undergraduate student, log in to the college’s internal web to see additional available college scholarships and financial resources.


Public Health stories


Questions about the Public Health degree program? Email us

June morning Kamiak butte

Tours & visits

Pullman is located in the Palouse region of the Inland Northwest, homelands of the Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) Tribe and Palus people. The Palouse has one of the most beautiful and unique landscapes in the world. Rolling hills and wide-open skies give the region its distinctive appeal. Residents enjoy outdoor activities and the benefits of small town living with the cultural richness of bigger city life.

Notice of Nondiscrimination – WSU does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, disability, age, religion, creed, genetic information, marital status, protected veteran/military status, or immigration or citizenship status in any education program or activity that it operates complaint with Title IX and other civil rights laws and regulations. Inquiries regarding Title IX, ADA, or other civil rights laws, as well as reports of discrimination can be directed to the Compliance and Civil Rights, WSU ADA Coordinator, or WSU Title IX Coordinator. More information on WSU’s policies and procedures to respond to discrimination and harassment are available here: Nondiscrimination statement.