USC
University of Southern California
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Undergraduate Degree

Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies

3375 S. Hoover Street
University Village, Suite E 210
Los Angeles, CA 90089-7798
Director: Elahe Nezami, Ph.D.
(213) 740-1060
FAX: (213) 821-1733
Email: bhealthy@usc.edu
www.usc.edu/medicine/hp

The undergraduate program in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies (HP) provides a well-rounded, professionally-focused education leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. The program is concerned with the sociocultural, behavioral, psychological, and biological factors contributing to wellness and disease. It is an ideal major for students interested in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, public health, epidemiology, health psychology, and health behavior research. Areas of study include: global health; cultural diversity in medicine; substance abuse prevention and program planning; nutrition and fitness; health promotion of minority and underserved populations; and general public health issues (e.g., HIV/AIDS, violence, health promotion in the workplace and behavioral medicine).

Program Requirements
The Bachelor of Science degree is awarded after students successfully complete 128 units, consisting of 66 units for the major and fulfillment of USC general education requirements including third semester equivalency in a foreign language.

General Education Requirements
The university's general education program requires six courses plus writing and diversity requirements, which provide a coherent, integrated introduction to the liberal arts and sciences. See here and here for more information.

Requirements for the Major (66 units)
The program is divided into core and elective components.

The following core component (46 units) is required of all students.

Non-hp courses (24 units)Units
BISC 120LGeneral Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution, or
BISC 121LAdvanced General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution4
BISC 220LGeneral Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology, or
BISC 221LAdvanced General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology4
CHEM 105aLGeneral Chemistry, or
CHEM 115aLAdvanced General Chemistry4
MATH 116Mathematics for the Social Sciences, or
MATH 125*Calculus I4
PPD 230Introduction to Health Policy and Management4
PSYC 100Introduction to Psychology4

*MATH 125 allows students who have placed out of MATH 116 to take a higher-level math class; it also satisfies the math requirement for premedical students.

HP Courses (22 units)Units
HP 200Introduction to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention4
HP 300Theoretical Principles of Health Behavior4
HP 320Biological and Behavioral Basis of Disease4
HP 340LHealth Behavior Statistical Methods4
HP 350LHealth Behavior Research Methods4
HP 480Internship in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, or 2-4
HP 490xDirected Research2-8

Advanced HP and Health Profession Preparatory Courses
A total of 20 units of electives are required of all students (at least 12 of the 20 must be HP courses).

electives (20 units)Units
BISC 320LMolecular Biology4
BISC 330LBiochemistry4
CHEM 105bLGeneral Chemistry, or
CHEM 115bLAdvanced General Chemistry4
CHEM 322abLOrganic Chemistry4-4
EXSC 300LPhysiology of Exercise4
EXSC 301LHuman Anatomy4
EXSC 407aLAdvanced Exercise Physiology4
HP 400Culture, Lifestyle, and Health4
HP 401Cultural Competence in Medicine4
HP 402Maternal and Child Health4
HP 403Behavioral Medicine4
HP 404Religion and Health4
HP 405Sexually Transmitted Disease: A Global Public Health Priority4
HP 408Environmental Health in the Community4
HP 410Issues in Prevention and Cessation of Drug Abuse4
HP 411Drug Intervention Program Design and Evaluation4
HP 412Health Promotion and Prevention Policy4
HP 420Gender and Minority Health Issues4
HP 421Violence as a Public Health Issue4
HP 422AIDS in Society4
HP 430Nutrition and Exercise Epidemiology4
HP 431Behavior and Education Strategies for Nutrition and Fitness4
HP 432Clinical Nutrition4
HP 433Advanced Topics in Nutrition4
HP 441Health Promotion in the Workplace4
HP 442Chronic Disease Epidemiology4
HP 450Traditional Eastern Medicine and Modern Health4
HP 460Adolescent Health4
PHYS 135abLPhysics for the Life Sciences, or4-4
PHYS 151LFundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics, and4
PHYS 152LFundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism4
PPD 330Introduction to Health Care Systems4
PSYC 336LDevelopmental Psychology4
PSYC 355Social Psychology4
PSYC 437Adolescent Development4
SOCI 350Deviant Behavior4
SOCI 475Medical Sociology4

Bachelor of Science in Global Health

The Bachelor of Science in Global Health is a multidisciplinary degree of the Keck School of Medicine's Department of Preventive Medicine. This undergraduate program offers an examination of public health and policy issues in the context of global affairs. Students complete course work from Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies and International Relations in addition to requirements from other schools of the university. The program provides students with a strong background in understanding and evaluating global health issues and prepares students to become health professionals with international competencies. This program is an ideal major for students interested in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, global health, international relations, public health, epidemiology, health psychology and health behavior research.

Program Requirements
The Bachelor of Science degree is awarded after students successfully complete 128 units, consisting of 66 units for the major and fulfillment of USC general education requirements including third semester equivalency in a foreign language.

General Education Requirements
The university's general education program requires six courses plus writing and diversity requirements, which provide a coherent, integrated introduction to the liberal arts and sciences. See here and here for more information.

Requirements for the Major (66 units)
The program is divided into core and elective components. As part of the core research requirements, students must complete a directed research requirement, HP 490x, with a specific international research focus.

The core component (42-46 units) is required for all students.

CORE COURSES (32 units) Units
BISC 220LGeneral Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology, or
BISC 221LAdvanced General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology4
CHEM 105aLGeneral Chemistry, or
CHEM 115aLAdvanced General Chemistry4
ECON 203Principles of Microeconomics4
HP 270 Introduction to Global Health4
HP 320Biological and Behavioral Basis of Disease4
HP 470Case Studies in Global Health 4
IR 308Globalization: Issues and Controversies 4
MATH 125Calculus I4

CORE RESEARCH COURSES (10-16 units)Units
HP 340LHealth Behavior Statistical Methods4
HP 350LHealth Behavior Research Methods4
HP 490xDirected Research2, max 8

Students must choose 24 units of elective course work from the following lists. At least 8 units must be from HP and at least 8 units must be from IR.

HP ELECTIVES (Minimum 8 units)Units
HP 300Theoretical Principles of Health Behavior4
HP 400Culture, Lifestyle, and Health 4
HP 401Cultural Competence in Medicine: Promoting Health in Diverse Communities4
HP 402Maternal and Child Health 4
HP 403Behavioral Medicine4
HP 404Religion and Health4
HP 405Sexually Transmitted Diseases: A Global Public Health Priority4
HP 420Gender and Minority Health Issues4
HP 422AIDS in Society4
HP 450 Traditional Eastern Medicine and Modern Health 4

IR ELECTIVES (Minimum 8 units)Units
IR 305Managing New Global Challenges4
IR 306International Organizations 4
IR 307Contemporary International Politics4
IR 308Globalization: Issues and Controversies4
IR 315Ethnicity and Nationalism in World Politics4
IR 323Politics of Global Environment4
IR 325Rich and Poor States in the World Political Economy4
IR 371Global Civil Society: Non-Governmental Organizations in World Politics4
IR 424Citizenship and Migration in International Politics4
IR 444Issues and Theories in Global Society4

OTHER ELECTIVES (Maximum 8 units)Units
BISC 120LxGeneral Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution, or
BISC 121LAdvanced General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution4
BISC 320LMolecular Biology 4
BISC 330LBiochemistry4
CHEM 105bL General Chemistry, or
CHEM 115bLAdvanced General Chemistry4
CHEM 322aLOrganic Chemistry4
CHEM 322bLOrganic Chemistry4
GERO 483Global Health and Aging4
PHYS 135aLPhysics for the Life Sciences, or
PHYS 151LFundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics4
PHYS 135bLPhysics for the Life Sciences, or
PHYS 152L Fundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism4
POSC 442The Politics of Human Differences: Diversity and Discrimination4
POSC 451Politics of Resources and Development4
POSC 456Women in International Development4
PPD 250Third World Cities4
PPD 382International Development4
SOCI 432Racial and Ethnic Relations in a Global Society4
SOCI 460Key Issues in Contemporary International Migration4
SOCI 470Development and Social Change in the Third World4

Progressive Degree Programs in Preventive Medicine

The Master of Public Health, the Master of Science in Biostatistics and the Master of Science in Molecular Epidemiology programs admit a limited number of undergraduate students to a progressive degree program which allows them to pursue a master's level degree while completing the bachelor's degree. Applicants to the program must have com­pleted 64 units of course work and must submit their applications prior to the completion of 96 units of course work. Applicants need not submit GRE scores, but are expected to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 at the time of application. The application for admission to a progressive degree program must be accompanied by an approved course plan proposal and two letters of recommendation. The requirements for both the B.S. and the master's degrees must be satisfied, including a minimum of 128 undergraduate units. For further details on progressive degree programs, see here.