Required Courses
There is no one specific list of coursework requirements for all public health programs. Course pre-requisites may vary significantly, and some programs may not have any specific course pre-requisites.
While Northwestern University is on the quarter calendar, our course credit is expressed in terms of units, not semester or quarter hours. Course credit units can be confusing for Northwestern pre-health students in understanding how their Northwestern credits fulfill common pre-health prerequisites. This section provides a broad overview of course pre-requisites
Course Unit Conversion:
- 1 Northwestern Course Credit = 2.66 semester hours or 4 quarter hours
- Northwestern University Course Credit Unit Conversion information
Choosing a Major
There is also no specific undergraduate major required by public health programs, however, certain courses or majors may be required by specific core areas within a public health program. For example, environmental health concentrations may require/prefer an applicant with a chemistry/physical sciences background; biostatistics and epidemiology core areas may require an applicant with a strong math and science background. At Northwestern, the Global Health Studies minor or adjunct major provides a strong foundation for students interested in public health on a global level.