updated 8/15/2008

G. Thomas Chandler, Interim Dean
Cheryl L. Addy, Executive Associate Dean
Gregory A. Hand, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Saundra Glover, Associate Dean for Health Disparities and Social Justice
C. Marjorie Aelion, Associate Dean for Research
Elaine M. Frank, Chair, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Dwayne Porter, Interim Chair, Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Robert McKeown, Chair, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
J. Larry Durstine Chair, Department of Exercise Science
Janice C. Probst, Interim Chair, Department of Health Services Policy and Management
Edward A. Frongillo, Chair, Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior

Distinguished Professor Emerita and Dean Emerita
Winona B. Vernberg, Ph.D., Purdue University, 1951

Overview

Degree Programs

The Arnold School of Public Health offers both the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree and the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree, each with a major in public health. These degrees are designed to provide a broad liberal undergraduate education that includes a general understanding of public health, instills a strong sense of values, and provides the capacity to adapt acquired knowledge and abilities to address new challenges.

Entrance Requirements

Incoming freshmen who meet University of South Carolina admissions standards are eligible for admission to the degree programs offered by the Arnold School of Public Health. Transfer admission requires school approval as well as prerequisite conditions.

Transfer Admission

1. Students enrolled in other units on the Columbia campus, and students from other USC campuses, must have completed at least 12 USC credit hours with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75.
2. Additionally, students from other USC campuses who have completed fewer than 30 semester hours must also meet Columbia campus freshman admission requirements.
3. Transfer students from regionally accredited institutions must present a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 on all college work taken. Students who have fewer than 30 semester hours of college work must also meet Columbia campus freshman admission requirements.

Retention and Progression

1. If the semester, yearly, or cumulative grade point average of a student is below 2.00, the student will be notified in writing.
2. A student in a public health program must have an overall C average and must complete all public health-related core courses and program selectives with a minimum grade of C.
3. A student may attempt a public health-related core course a maximum of two times to fulfill the requirement. A grade of W will be recognized as an attempt.
4. A student may repeat a maximum of 4 public health-related core courses.

Attendance Requirements

Students enrolled in public health programs are subject to attendance regulations of the University described elsewhere in the bulletin.

Degree Requirements

A. General Education Requirements (B.A. 40-41 hours; B.S. 58 hours)

1. English--B.A. and B.S. students are required to take ENGL 101 and 102. Students who exempt ENGL 101 and/or 102 without receiving credit toward graduation must enroll in 3 or 6 credits of English above the 100 level.

2. Numerical and Analytical Reasoning--B.A. students are required to earn 6 credits in one of the following ways: MATH 122 or 141, plus an additional course from PHIL 110 or 111, computer science, or statistics; two courses from one of the following fields: philosophy (110 and 111 only), computer science, or statistics. B.S. students are required to take MATH 141 and MATH 142.

3. Liberal Arts--Both B.A. and B.S. students are required to take PSYC 101, SOCY 101, ARTE 360, and a history elective. In addition, B.A. students are required to take ANTH 102, ECON 224, and ECON 531.

4. Natural Sciences--B.A. students are required to earn 7-8 credits, including at least one course with a laboratory requirement. B.S. students are required to take BIOL 101/101L, BIOL 102/102L, CHEM 111, CHEM 112, CHEM 333/333L, CHEM 334/334L, EXSC 223/223L, and EXSC 224/224L.

5. Foreign Languages--Students shall demonstrate in one foreign language the ability to comprehend the topic and main ideas in written and, with the exception of Latin and Ancient Greek, spoken texts on familiar subjects. This ability can be demonstrated by achieving a score of two or better on a USC foreign language test. Those failing to do so must satisfactorily complete equivalent study of foreign language at USC.

B. Required Public Health-Related Major Courses (36 Hours)

PUBH 102 Introduction to Public Health
STAT 205 Elementary Statistics for the Biological and Life Sciences
EPID 300 Introduction to Epidemiology (new course being developed)
ENHS 221 Environmental Pollution and Health
HPEB 321 Personal and Community Health
EXSC 410 Psychology of Physical Activity
HPEB 300 Introduction to Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior
HPEB 511 Health Problems in a Changing Society
HPEB 553 Community Health Problems
HSPM 500 Introduction to Health Care Management and Organization
PHIL 550 Health Care Ethics
Must Select One:
COMD 500 Intro to Speech-Language Disorders and Audiology (3 hours) OR EXSC 191 Introduction to Exercise Science (3 hours)

C. Program Selectives (B.A. 30 hours, B.S. 21 hours)

Courses selected with approval of the undergraduate advisor.

1. B.A. Selectives: Pick courses at the 300 level or above, from the 3 groups.
Group A (12 hours): ANTH, PSYC, SOCY
Group B (12 hours): GEOG, HIST of medicine, ECON, POLI
Group C (6 hours): PHIL, SOWK, WOST, HPEB

2. B.S. Selectives: Pick courses from the 2 groups.
Group A (12 hours): BIOL (200 level or above), CHEM (400 level or above), GEOL (300 level of above), PHYS (200 level or above)
Group B (9 hours, all at 500 or 600 level): ANTH, COMD, EXSC, GEOG

D. Electives (B.A. minimum of 14 hours; B.S. minimum of 5 hours)

Total (120 hours)

Courses

Epidemiology and Biostatistics (EPID)

• 410 -- Principles of Epidemiology. (3) (Prereq: STAT 205, PUBH 102) Introduction to descriptive and analytical epidemiology. Topics will include the distribution and determinants of disease, surveillance, outbreak investigations, measures of association, screening tests, bias, and causal reasoning.
  

Environmental Health Sciences (ENHS)

• 221 -- Environmental Pollution and Health. {=ENVR 221} (3) A survey of pollution (chemical, biological, physical) effects on environmental quality and public health with emphases on how each pollutant class behaves and affects individual and community health over acute to chronic exposure periods.
  

Health Services Policy and Management (HSPM)

• 401 -- Independent Study. (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) Enrollment and topic to be approved in advance by advisor and instructor. Restricted to senior year undergraduates.
  
• 500 -- Introduction to Health Care Management and Organization. (3) Provide students with overview of health services management, management techniques and the different roles and functions of the different health care services. Use of field trips and guest speakers from different health care providers.
  
• 509 -- Fundamentals of Rural Health. (3) Overview of the delivery and financing of health care in the rural United States, with emphasis on vulnerable rural populations and access to care.
  
• 513 -- Issues in Health Care Information Management. (3) (Prereq: HSPM 500) An introduction to data management in healthcare institutions for undergraduate students and non-HSPM major graduate students. Topics include the nature of medical data, legal protections surrounding such information, and basis strategies for managing information technology resources.
  
• 514 -- Introduction to Health Services Delivery and Policy. (3) Overview of health services delivery in the United States, including organization and financing of health care, health insurance practices, primary and long-term care among other topics.
  
• 530 -- Finance in Health Administration. (3) (Prereq: BADM 225) Introduction to health care finance. Course will teach reimbursement structures, regulatory mechanisms, cost control, and related factors unique to healthcare organizations.