Our new undergraduate program in public health, one of only a few in
the country, leads to a bachelor of science degree in public health. The aim of the program is to provide students with broad knowledge of some of the important issues in public health.

What is Public Health?

Public health is a broad social enterprise. The field of public health is concerned with protecting, promoting and improving the health and well-being of populations, particularly those most vulnerable in today’s society.

Public health draws on an interdisciplinary approach to solving problems to extend the benefits of current knowledge in ways that will have the maximum impact on the health status of a population.

With social justice as the foundation of public health, those who study and practice in this field are concerned with the many conditions that influence health and well-being, including social, economic, political and medical care factors.

Those engaged in this field are concerned with questions as diverse as:

• What is the best way to reduce deaths from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa?
• What can governmental and non-governmental agencies do to improve the safety of the nation’s food supply?
• How can tobacco consumption be reduced worldwide?
• What types of strategies can be put in place in schools, neighborhoods and communities to reduce violence?
• How can access to life-saving pharmaceutical drugs be improved in less developed countries?
• Should special consent be required for HIV testing?
• How can we improve access to health care in this country? What are the pros and cons of different policy proposals to do that?
• How is climate change affecting public health in different parts of the world?
• What kinds of systems need to be put in place to deal with natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina?
• What is the best way to reduce the use of illegal drugs?

Public Health Training

While those who practice health care - in medicine (as doctors, emergency technicians, physician assistants), nursing (as nurses or nurse practitioners), dentistry, or other allied health fields - are part of our nation's public health workforce, those choosing a public health career typically focus their work on developing policies and programs that support the creation of well-being and the prevention of disease.  They focus their studies on disease prevention and health promotion in neighborhoods, schools, communities, and in government, examining how to deliver services, improve environments, and equip people with information to protect their own health.

A Liberal Arts Foundation

Students gain a strong background in the liberal arts.

Courses in the social and natural sciences, humanities, and foreign language – offered by faculty in NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences as well as in Steinhardt – expose students to the different ways that scholars and thinkers examine and interpret the world around them.

A two-semester sequence of courses in writing helps students develop essential communication and analytical skills for advanced coursework in the major or a minor of their choice.

A Focus on Public Health

Students gain a broad background in the field of public health.

To ensure that students are introduced to some of the key issues in public health, students take courses that examine different health problems and conditions. Topics investigated in these courses include a broad range of the most pressing health problems and issues of our time.

• Courses in Epidemiology (the study of disease) and statistics ground students in the skills to study and address the distribution of disease and risk across populations and in different settings
• Additional courses in the major examine different health problems and conditions from social, legal, ethical, economic and political perspectives: environmental health problems, public health nutrition, global public health, legal and illegal drug use, reproductive health
• Courses mix experiences in the field and opportunities to visit public health programs and hear from public health experts with experiences in the classroom to help students develop skills in:
  • assessing public health problems
  • weighing possible solutions
  • understanding key actors in implementing these solutions, and
  • evaluating the outcomes of new programs

Field-Based Experiences and Internships

Students gain knowledge and skills through field-based learning and structured internships:

• semester-long course designed to introduce students to the practice of public health includes field trips to meet with key leaders in the field of public health/

• semester-long internship, arranged in consultation with each student, on campus or in selected agencies (e.g., United Nations, American Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, New York City Department of Health)

Electives and Minors

The Public Health major enables students to explore a wide range of interests through unrestricted electives. Students may choose from hundreds of courses offered across the University. Or they may deepen their understanding of a particular field by declaring a minor in an area of study directly related to public health, such as nutrition, food studies, public policy, or environmental studies or in an area of study that expands their knowledge in new directions, such as foreign language, economics, area studies, or science.

Public Health Brigades at NYU

The NYU Public Health Brigades Club was started by 2 undergraduate students in the fall of 2008.  To learn more, please click here.