Boston University Has No Undergraduate Major Called “Public Health”: The Closest Path Is the BS in Health Science in Sargent College, Which the College Calls BU’s Undergraduate Public Health Degree, Plus a Public Health Minor and a BS/MPH, for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

The short answer first: Boston University’s list of undergraduate majors has no major named “Public Health”. The closest path is in Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: the college’s page for the Bachelor of Science in Health Science says Sargent is home to the Health Science BS program, “BU’s undergraduate public health degree program”, and describes it as an interdisciplinary approach to the health sciences and global public health. Under “Public Health”, the academic bulletin lists only a Minor in Public Health and a BS-to-MPH offered jointly with the School of Public Health (SPH); a BA-to-MPH in the College of Arts & Sciences is linked but was not read. The guide below follows the pages for fall 2027 entry, split into U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. The broader life-sciences picture at BU is covered in our separate overview article.

1. Degrees and options

• Health Science (BS): in Sargent’s Department of Health Sciences. The bulletin says the first two years combine biological sciences, humanities and social sciences (including the BU Hub general education) with a foundation in global health and the health sciences; the last two years apply the health sciences to global public health, with qualitative and quantitative methods and a senior seminar, and the program ends in a practicum at a public health or clinical site in the Boston area or abroad. Graduation needs at least 128 units, a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and no more than 16 units of D grades.
• Practicum: the program’s page says every Health Science undergraduate must complete an approved, planned and supervised practicum (SAR HS 405, 4 credits), in the summer before or either semester of senior year (or in junior or senior year at approved study-abroad locations such as Dublin or Geneva). It requires 120 hours (about 8–12 hours a week for 12–14 weeks), an ePortfolio, midpoint and final supervisor reviews and a letter grade, and carries a one-time $100 fee per undergraduate internship course. Sites include public health departments, clinics, hospitals and non-profits; samples include the Boston Public Health Commission and Boston Medical Center. CAS PS 495 (Internship in Health and Human Services) is the listed alternative to SAR HS 405.
• Honors and research: Health Science students may apply for the Sargent College Senior Thesis for Distinction, which puts “graduation with distinction” on the diploma and transcript. The bulletin also says the program works with four study-abroad programs to fulfill at least two program requirements abroad.
• Minor in Public Health: offered through Sargent’s Department of Health Sciences; six courses, each with C or higher: Introduction to Public Health (SPH PH 510), an international health course, Epidemiology (SAR HS 300), a statistics course, and two public health electives (at least 6 units). No more than two courses (8 units) from a major concentration may count toward the minor.
• BS/MPH (five-year bachelor’s-to-master’s): offered jointly by Sargent and SPH. Students complete the 128-unit BS and the 42-unit MPH; up to 12 units of SPH coursework taken in the last two undergraduate years count toward both; at least 30 units must be taken as an MPH student; with careful planning and full-time study both degrees can be finished in five years rather than the usual minimum of five and a half. Students in all Sargent undergraduate concentrations may apply, but not while enrolled in another bachelor’s-to-master’s program. The program page calls the route popular and time-saving for Health Science students. Whether international students may apply is not stated on the pages read.
• STEM designation: the pages read do not say; not published there.
• Pre-health and other graduate study: the Health Science page says the major suits students aiming at the BS-to-MPH or at prerequisites for graduate programs in medicine, nursing, physician assistant training or physical therapy; students planning medicine or dentistry, or a career as a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, take an alternate sequence of basic science courses. BU’s pre-health advising pages were not read.

2. How you get into the major

• Apply to a school or college: BU’s first-year page says you must specify a BU school or college when applying, and the majors list shows Health Science as a BS in Sargent College. The page also says that while you are considered for the school you pick, you may be offered admission to another BU program for which you qualify, such as the College of General Studies. Whether Health Science is capped, and whether Sargent sets its own high school requirements, is not published on the pages read; ask admissions.
• Progression gates (Sargent degree requirements): entering junior year takes at least 64 credits, a GPA of 2.0 and the required first- and second-year courses (transfer courses below C are not accepted; C– is not acceptable). Entering senior year takes 96 credits and the junior-year required and professional courses.
• Internal transfer into Health Science: a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher on at least 12 units per term for at least one term at BU; completion of the Gateway Criteria certified by a Sargent advisor, after discussing the transfer in person with an advisor; and a grade of B– or better in SAR HS 325 (Introduction to Global Health, 4 units). Current Health Science students also need B– in that course to count it toward the major and advance.
• No minimum admission GPA or enrollment cap for Health Science appears on the pages read; not published there.

3. Prerequisites and curriculum (from the bulletin)

• Sargent College courses (10 units): SAR HP 150 (0 units; waived for transfers), SAR HP 151 (2 units; waived for post–first-year transfers), SAR HP 252 Health and Disability Across the Lifespan, SAR HP 353 Organization & Delivery of US Healthcare.
• Science foundations: CAS PS 101 General Psychology; one cellular biology course with a lab (CAS BI 105 Introductory Biology for Health Sciences, or BI 108 Biology 2); one general chemistry course with a lab (CAS CH 101, or CH 171); one additional biology course with a lab from a list (BI 107, 114, 203 and others); and one additional science course (lab optional; biology, chemistry, physics, anthropology, neuroscience, nutrition or exercise physiology options). The heading says “4 courses” but five items are listed, so the page is not fully consistent. The page notes that BI 105 and CH 171 “do not fulfill premed or pre-PA requirements”.
• Statistics and computation (6–8 units): one statistics course (CAS MA 113, 115, 116, 121, 213, 214 or SPH PH 517 Quantitative Methods for Public Health) and one computing or data course (CAS CS 105, CS 111, CDS DS 100, DS 110 or SAR HS 340 GIS).
• Health Science core (25 units, all required): SAR HS 210 Data, Society and AI Ethics for Health Sciences, SAR HS 300 Epidemiology, SAR HS 325 Introduction to Global Health (or SPH PH 506 in Geneva), SAR HS 345 Global Environmental Health, SAR HS 354 Health Policy, SAR HS 440 Qualitative Research Strategies in Global Health, and a 1-unit Designing Your Life professional development course.
• Additional requirements (14–16 units): one 300-level course (for example social determinants of health, global mental health or global health nutrition); one 400-level senior seminar (for example global maternal and child health, global health in humanitarian emergencies, climate change and health, public health policy and advocacy, or immigrant health); one politics/policy course from a list; and one of CAS PS 495 or SAR HS 405 (the practicum).
• High school math, biology and so on: BU’s recommended curriculum for most programs is 4 years of English, 3–4 of mathematics (precalculus/calculus recommended), 3–4 of laboratory science, 3–4 of history and/or social science and 2–4 of a world language; hard math requirements apply to Engineering and Questrom only. Any separate Sargent or Health Science high school requirement is not published on the pages read.
• AP/IB credit: the advanced credit page says most BU programs award credit for AP scores of 4 or 5; IB, GCE A-Level and several national exams can also earn credit, with final credit decided by the admitting school or college. Which Health Science courses they replace is not published on the pages read; ask Sargent advising.

4. Rounds, deadlines and materials (first-year, fall 2027)

• Early Decision (binding, for high school seniors): application due November 2, decisions December 14. Early Decision 2: January 5, decisions February 8. Regular: January 5. Some merit scholarships require applying by December 1.
• Platform: the Common Application or the QuestBridge Application. Required: the Common App personal statement plus the BU supplemental essay (two essays), the high school transcript, senior-year grades (first marking period for ED; first semester for Regular), the counselor recommendation and school report, and one teacher evaluation.
• Application fee: $80, with fee waivers available.
• Testing: BU is test-optional for first-year applicants applying through fall 2028 and spring 2029, across all undergraduate schools and colleges and scholarships; it superscores the SAT and the ACT.
• Dates: the deadlines page prints no year, so confirm the dates apply to fall 2027 entry.

5. The three readers

U.S. applicants

• The tuition page gives one tuition figure with no in-state/out-of-state split. Any in-state preference is not published.
• 2026/27 costs: tuition $73,024; housing $13,170 (depending on accommodation); food $7,570; fees $1,570; total estimated billed expenses $95,334. Other expenses are estimated at $1,000 for books, $1,455 personal and $630 local transportation, for a total cost of attendance of $98,419. Massachusetts law requires medical insurance for students enrolled in at least 75% of the full-time curriculum; those without qualifying coverage must buy the University’s plan. The pages read list no Health Science program surcharge; confirm with admissions.
• The BU Promise: for first-time first-year U.S. citizens and permanent residents, BU says it meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans; admitted first-year students from households earning under $200,000 with typical assets can expect to pay no more than $20,000 per year, and households at $75,000 or less with typical assets pay nothing (sample table for students starting in 2026/27).

International applicants

• BU defines an international student as a non-U.S. citizen or non-permanent resident. Required: the Common App, secondary school records, senior-year grades (plus predicted results for exam-based curricula such as IB, GCE or CBSE/ISC), counselor recommendation, teacher evaluation, English proficiency results, documentation of financial support and a passport data page. InitialView or Vericant interviews are optional and do not replace test results. Documents not in English need a notarized English translation.
• English: if your first language is not English you must submit TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic or the Duolingo English Test. BU says the most competitive applicants have a TOEFL composite of at least 90–100 with no section below 20; on score reports from January 21, 2026 a total of 5.0 or higher; an IELTS overall score of 7 satisfies the requirement for all programs; a Duolingo total of 125–135, with all subscores required. IELTS Indicator, TOEFL ITP Plus, TOEFL Essentials and IELTS One Skill Retake are not accepted. The TOEFL code is 3087. A waiver request must arrive by the application deadline, and the Board of Admissions decides.
• Financial documents: required for students on an F-1 or J-1 visa and recommended with the application; they must be current (within 12 months of the start date), in English, readily available or liquid, and the account owner must match the sponsor signing the statement. Early Decision and ED2 applicants must submit them by the deadline or the Board cannot proceed with academic review.
• Scholarships: first-year international students are eligible to apply for merit scholarships. The BU Promise is for U.S. citizens and permanent residents only.
• Internship or work limits for international students in public health: not published on the pages read; ask BU’s international student office.

Applicants from China (separate section)

• Whether the Gaokao is considered: the pages read do not mention the Gaokao; not published there. Contact International Admissions (intadmis@bu.edu, 617-353-4492).
• Transcripts and exit-exam materials: the secondary school credentials page lists, for China, the Senior High School Graduation Certificate (毕业证书（高中）). It says all credentials must come with the final secondary school transcript and leaving exam scores if applicable, and that copies of qualifying exams taken during secondary school should be sent too. The page does not mention a “huikao” or similar exit-exam certificate, so whether one is needed is not published there.
• English scores: TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic or Duolingo, as above; TOEFL ITP Plus and TOEFL Essentials are not accepted.
• Any school note for Chinese applicants: apart from the credential entry above, none on the first-year pages; the transfer rule for Chinese universities is in section 7.

6. Costs and scholarships, a note

Costs and the BU Promise are in section 5. The application page says some merit scholarships require applying by December 1. Aid for study-abroad add-ons and research or internship funding was not read; check Sargent College and admissions.

7. Transfer

• Who counts as a transfer applicant: someone who has completed the equivalent of a U.S. secondary education and will have at least one full-time semester (12 or more credits) as a degree candidate at another college or university. Transfers must choose a school or college and may not apply undeclared, and must check the majors list to see that the program is open to transfer students; the majors page read does not mark whether Health Science is open to transfers, so that is not published there.
• Deadlines: September entry March 15 (decisions mid-April to mid-June); January entry November 2 (decisions mid-November to mid-December). Fee $80; one essay of no more than 600 words. BU does not require SAT/ACT for transfer admission.
• Materials: Common App, official transcripts from every college attended, a Transfer Report completed by an official at each institution, and the high school transcript with proof of graduation. Submit course syllabi early so credits can be evaluated; Transferology shows how courses transfer.
• Credit: for full-time on-campus schools, a maximum of 68 external or transfer units can count toward a degree; transfer courses do not earn BU Hub units, and transfers follow a Hub transfer-student curriculum.
• Minimum GPA: the transfer page gives none; not published there (it shows fall 2024 transfers: 6,728 applicants, 840 enrolled, average college GPA 3.8).
• International transfers must also submit the credentials on the international applicants page. Applicants from Chinese universities must have the Chinese Ministry of Education’s Center for Student Services and Development (CSSD) send two items directly: the Verification Report of China Higher Education Student’s Academic Transcript (in English) and official transcripts (English and Chinese).
• Entering Health Science: GPA or prerequisite conditions for outside transfers are not published on the pages read; the internal-transfer rules are in section 2.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• No “Public Health” major; the closest is the Health Science BS in Sargent College (128 units, 120-hour practicum); you apply to a school or college
• Common App; ED November 2, ED2 and Regular January 5; $80 fee; testing optional; one teacher evaluation
• BS/MPH: apply in the second semester of sophomore year (June 1) or first semester of junior year (December 15), with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2

International applicants (including China):

• TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo required; F-1/J-1 funds recommended with the application and required for ED by the deadline
• The Gaokao, China-specific notes and BS/MPH eligibility for international students are not published; the China credential entry is the high school graduation certificate

Transfer students:

• At least one full-time semester; fall deadline March 15; no undeclared applications; Chinese university transfers need a CSSD verification report

Sources: Boston University, Majors by school and college; Bulletin: BS in Health Science; Bulletin: Public Health; Minor in Public Health; BS-to-MPH; Sargent: BS in Health Science; Degree requirements; Practicum; BS/MPH admission requirements; First-year applicants; Important deadlines; International applicants; Secondary school credentials; Advanced credit; Tuition figures; Transfer applicants; Transfer of credit. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026/27). The deadlines page prints no year, so confirm the dates apply to fall 2027 entry; check BU’s website for the latest. The School of Public Health’s own website was not read.