Innovative Joint Degree Program in Public Health Launched for Yale Undergraduates

A new joint-degree program for Yale undergraduates who are interested in improving public health has been launched by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH) at Yale School of Medicine.

The program is designed to give students a broad understanding of the factors that shape the health of populations and to equip them with the tools to determine how health shortfalls might be addressed effectively. It complements interests in such related professions as medicine, law and management, and offers socially meaningful application for theoretical training in both the physical and social sciences.

Through the five-year Select Program in Public Health, undergraduates can earn a B.A. or B.S. at Yale College and a M.P.H. from EPH. While students majoring in the sciences, social sciences and humanities are encouraged to apply, the program is open to applicants from all undergraduate majors who are committed to improving the health of the public.

“The Select Program in Public Health has been developed over the past two years, guided by the Education Committee (at EPH), and benefiting from feedback by the Dean’s Office at Yale College and the directors of undergraduate studies from several departments,” says Mark Schlesinger, director of undergraduate studies for EPH and professor in the Division of Health Policy and Administration.

In addition to completing requirements for a standard Yale College major, students will be enrolled full time at EPH in their fifth year, when they will finish the remaining 10-course curriculum, a master’s thesis and a public health internship.

“Our goal is to allow students to translate ideas from the classroom into real-world settings involving health policies, health-promoting interventions, and targeted research addressing population health needs,” says Schlesinger. “Though just beginning, the program has elicited considerable excitement among undergrads and a lot of enthusiasm from faculty all across the Yale campus.”

Yale College students interested in the B.A.-B.S./M.P.H. program should apply for admission in the spring of their sophomore year. During this first year, juniors will also be allowed to apply with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies from their major.

For further information on the program, visit The Select Program in Public Health web page at http://publichealth.yale.edu/admissions/babs_mph.html or contact the EPH Office of Student Affairs at mary.keefe@yale.edu.