Catalogue 2011-12

• Keck School of Medicine of USC
• Department of Preventive Medicine
  • Undergraduate Degrees
  • Minor Programs
  • Graduate Programs - Admissions
  • Master's Degrees
  • Dual Degrees
  • Doctor of Philosophy Programs
  • Courses of Instruction
    • Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
    • Preventive Medicine

Undergraduate Degrees

Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies

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 (42 units) is required of all students.

Non-hp courses (20 units)		units
BISC 120L	General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution, or
BISC 121L	Advanced General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution	4
BISC 220L	General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology, or
BISC 221L	Advanced General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology	4
CHEM 105aL	General Chemistry, or
CHEM 115aL	Advanced General Chemistry	4
MATH 116	Mathematics for the Social Sciences, or
MATH 125*	Calculus I	4
PSYC 100	Introduction to Psychology	4

HP Courses (22 units)		units
HP 200	Introduction to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention	4
HP 300	Theoretical Principles of Health Behavior	4
HP 320	Biological and Behavioral Basis of Disease	4
HP 340L	Health Behavior Statistical Methods	4
HP 350L	Health Behavior Research Methods	4
HP 480	Internship in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, or	2-4
HP 490x	Directed Research	2-8

Advanced HP and Health Profession Preparatory Courses

A total of 24 units of electives are required of all students (at least 12 of the 24 must be HP courses).

electives (24 units)		units
BISC 320L	Molecular Biology	4
BISC 330L	Biochemistry	4
CHEM 105bL	General Chemistry, or
CHEM 115bL	Advanced General Chemistry	4
CHEM 322abL	Organic Chemistry	4-4
EXSC 300L	Physiology of Exercise	4
EXSC 301L	Human Anatomy	4
EXSC 407aL	Advanced Exercise Physiology	4
HP 400	Culture, Lifestyle, and Health	4
HP 401	Cultural Competence in Medicine	4
HP 402	Maternal and Child Health	4
HP 403	Behavioral Medicine	4
HP 404	Religion and Health	4
HP 405	Sexually Transmitted Disease: A Global Public Health Priority	4
HP 408	Environmental Health in the Community	4
HP 410	Issues in Prevention and Cessation of Drug Abuse	4
HP 411	Drug Intervention Program Design and Evaluation	4
HP 412	Health Promotion and Prevention Policy	4
HP 420	Gender and Minority Health Issues	4
HP 421	Violence as a Public Health Issue	4
HP 422	AIDS in Society	4
HP 430	Obesity and Health	4
HP 431	Behavior and Education Strategies for Nutrition and Fitness	4
HP 432	Clinical Nutrition	4
HP 433	Advanced Topics in Nutrition	4
HP 434	Physical Activity and Health	4
HP 441	Health Promotion in the Workplace	4
HP 442	Chronic Disease Epidemiology	4
HP 450	Traditional Eastern Medicine and Modern Health	4
HP 460	Adolescent Health	4
HP 465	Health Status of Indigenous Peoples of America	4
HP 485	Global Health: Obesity and Nutrition	4
PHYS 135abL	Physics for the Life Sciences, or	4-4
PHYS 151L	Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics, and	4
PHYS 152L	Fundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism	4
PPD 325	Fundamentals of Health Policy and Management	4
PPD 330	Introduction to Health Care Systems	4
PSYC 336L	Developmental Psychology	4
PSYC 355	Social Psychology	4
PSYC 437	Adolescent Development	4
SOCI 350	Social Exclusion, Social Power, and Deviance	4
SOCI 475	Medical Sociology	4

Bachelor of Science in Global Health Studies

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, 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 220L	General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology, or
BISC 221L	Advanced General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology	4
CHEM 105aL	General Chemistry, or
CHEM 115aL	Advanced General Chemistry	4
ECON 203	Principles of Microeconomics	4
HP 270	Introduction to Global Health	4
HP 320	Biological and Behavioral Basis of Disease	4
HP 470	Case Studies in Global Health	4
IR 308	Globalization: Issues and Controversies	4
MATH 125	Calculus I	4

CORE RESEARCH COURSES (10-16 units)		UNITS
HP 340L	Health Behavior Statistical Methods	4
HP 350L	Health Behavior Research Methods	4
HP 490x	Directed Research	2-8, 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 300	Theoretical Principles of Health Behavior	4
HP 400	Culture, Lifestyle, and Health	4
HP 401	Cultural Competence in Medicine: Promoting Health in Diverse Communities	4
HP 402	Maternal and Child Health	4
HP 403	Behavioral Medicine	4
HP 404	Religion and Health	4
HP 405	Sexually Transmitted Diseases: A Global Public Health Priority	4
HP 420	Gender and Minority Health Issues	4
HP 422	AIDS in Society	4
HP 450	Traditional Eastern Medicine and Modern Health	4

IR ELECTIVES (Minimum 8 units)		UNITS
IR 305	Managing New Global Challenges	4
IR 306	International Organizations	4
IR 307	Contemporary International Politics	4
IR 308	Globalization: Issues and Controversies	4
IR 315	Ethnicity and Nationalism in World Politics	4
IR 323	Politics of Global Environment	4
IR 325	Rich and Poor States in the World Political Economy	4
IR 371	Global Civil Society: Non-Governmental Organizations in World Politics	4
IR 424	Citizenship and Migration in International Politics	4
IR 444	Issues and Theories in Global Society	4

OTHER ELECTIVES (Maximum 8 units)		UNITS
BISC 120Lx	General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution, or
BISC 121L	Advanced General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution	4
BISC 320L	Molecular Biology	4
BISC 330L	Biochemistry	4
CHEM 105bL	General Chemistry, or
CHEM 115bL	Advanced General Chemistry	4
CHEM 322aL	Organic Chemistry	4
CHEM 322bL	Organic Chemistry	4
GERO 483	Global Health and Aging	4
PHYS 135aL	Physics for the Life Sciences, or
PHYS 151L	Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics	4
PHYS 135bL	Physics for the Life Sciences, or
PHYS 152L	Fundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism	4
POSC 442	The Politics of Human Differences: Diversity and Discrimination	4
POSC 451	Politics of Resources and Development	4
POSC 456	Women in International Development	4
PPD 250	Third World Cities	4
PPD 382	International Development	4
SOCI 432	Racial and Ethnic Relations in a Global Society	4
SOCI 460	Key Issues in Contemporary International Migration	4
SOCI 470	Development and Social Change in the Third World	4

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.

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