How to Apply to Public Health at Stony Brook University: There Is No Stand-Alone Public Health Bachelor’s Degree, and the Closest Path Is the Public Health/Community Health Education Concentration of the Health Science B.S. in the School of Health Professions, Chosen in the Senior Spring, for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

The short answer: on the majors and degrees list we read, Stony Brook University (SUNY) has no bachelor’s degree called Public Health. The closest option is the Health Science B.S. in the School of Health Professions, which lists a Public Health/Community Health Education area of study alongside Environmental Health and Safety, Health Care Management, Health Care Informatics, Exercise Science and others. The Master of Public Health is a graduate program and is not covered here. The list also shows a “Gender/Sexuality & Public Health” area under the Women’s and Gender Studies B.A. and a Health, Medicine & Society minor in the College of Arts and Sciences. For the wider life-science and medicine picture, see our separate overview. Below is what the pages say for fall 2027 entry, split into U.S., international, Chinese and transfer applicants.

1. Degree and program

• Health Science (B.S.): housed in the School of Health Professions. The admissions program page says it serves three groups: pre-health students heading to clinical graduate programs (DPT, OTD, medical school, PA, SLP and others), students in the five-year pathway for radiation therapy, radiologic technology or medical dosimetry, and students working in entry-level healthcare while studying part time in non-clinical graduate programs. Its listed career options include Public Health Worker.
• Areas of study: the admissions page lists nine: Disability Studies and Human Development; Emergency and Critical Care; Environmental Health and Safety; Exercise Science; Health Care Informatics; Health Care Management; Public Health/Community Health Education; Radiation Therapy; Radiologic Technology. The school’s spring-coursework page lists six non-clinical (the same list without Environmental Health and Safety) and three clinical concentrations (Medical Dosimetry, Radiation Therapy, Radiologic Technology), and its curriculum overview says the major has grown to “ten” areas, so the lists do not fully agree. Confirm with a Health Science advisor.
• Public Health/Community Health Education: the school says it provides a basic foundation in public health, including epidemiology and biostatistics, and introduces planning, implementing and evaluating community-based health education programs. It names health departments, public health agencies and HMOs as internship settings, and says it serves students pursuing clinical and non-clinical graduate studies.
• Internship: HAN 411 Internship in Health Science is an elective of 1–3 credits at 45 hours per credit, needing a faculty sponsor in the concentration. The pages read do not describe a required internship or hour total for the public health concentration; not published there.
• STEM designation, honors or research track: not stated on the Health Science pages read.
• Related: the Health, Medicine & Society minor (21 credits, sociology-based, with at most three classes from the major course list counting toward it) and the Gender/Sexuality & Public Health area under Women’s and Gender Studies. Check each department for requirements.
• Combined degrees: the accelerated-degrees page lists bachelor’s/Master of Public Health options for Africana Studies, Earth & Space Sciences and Women’s & Gender Studies (B.A./M.P.H.) and Applied Mathematics & Statistics (B.S./M.P.H.). Health Science is not on that list, and the page does not say whether international students may apply; not published there. Students apply after enrolling and are advised to talk to their department in the first year.
• Pre-med and graduate study: the advising page says students planning medical, dental or nursing school should visit the Pre-Health Advising Center on the west campus and then complete the Health Science online workshop to learn how to fit those requirements into the major. It also says most graduates historically plan to continue their education.

2. How you enter the major

• No separate application: the school says the major can be declared as early as freshman year by attending a declaration workshop (a video and survey), and that there is “no formal application process.” First-year applicants apply to Stony Brook in general; the admissions office says applicants who do not name a major are considered for the university. In the admissions first-year page’s list of restricted health majors only Nursing and Social Work appear; Health Science is not listed.
• Fall start only: students spend the first three years on the west campus completing liberal-arts requirements and must meet the advancement requirements before the full-time senior-year curriculum. The FAQ says the major can begin only in the fall of the senior year, “no exceptions.”
• Advancement requirements (by the end of the spring before senior year): (1) 91 credits with a minimum GPA of 2.0; (2) all S.B.C. requirements except ESI, SPK and WRTD; (3) at least 16 credits of natural science, including HAN 200 and HAN 202 (or equivalent anatomy and physiology); (4) 21 credits of related electives including HAN 251 and HAN 312 (extra natural science credits can count here); (5) 10 upper-division credits; (6) the declaration workshop and survey; (7) WRT 102 or equivalent.
• Grades: prerequisite natural science and related-elective courses need a C or better and cannot be taken G/P/NC or S/U. For the starred courses (HAN 200, 202, 251, 312) a student has three attempts (a withdrawal counts as one), and after a third attempt below C must change major. Students with a second major or minor must finish its coursework before advancing.
• After advancing: the FAQ says all senior-year HAN courses need a C or better and students must keep a 2.5 Health Sciences Center GPA to stay in good standing. Senior courses run as learning communities with the same cohort, tracks cannot be mixed, and students should expect classes five days a week including a Friday class.
• Capacity: the pages read do not state a cap; not published there. Ask a Health Science advisor.

3. Prerequisites and curriculum

• High school preparation: the Health Science pages read do not list specific high school math or biology requirements, and the admissions page describes a holistic review with no automatic cutoff in GPA, rank or test scores; further detail is not published there.
• Prerequisites before senior year: HAN 200 and 202 Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Science I and II (4 credits each, with virtual lab exercises); HAN 251 Research Methods in Health Science (3 credits, with CITI human-subjects training); HAN 312 Human Anatomy, Health and Medical Language (3 credits).
• Fall senior core (five courses, same section): HAN 300 Health Care Issues, HAN 333 Communication Skills, HAN 335 Professional Ethics, HAN 364 Health Care Informatics, HAN 383 Scholarly Writing in Health Science (prerequisites HAN 251 and WRT 102). Fall electives include Kinesiology, Radiation Physics in Medicine and the HAN 411 internship.
• Public Health/Community Health Education courses (spring): HAN 440 Introduction to Community Health, HAN 450 Introduction to Public Health, HAN 452 Epidemiology and Biostatistics, HAN 455 Health Literacy for Public Health, HAN 456 Behavioral and Social Aspects of Health. They are restricted to Health Science students approved for the senior-year track.
• Statistics or math: beyond the biostatistics in HAN 452, the pages read list no separate statistics or math requirement (statistics appears only as a prerequisite for HAN 311 Kinesiology). The full degree requirements sit in the university catalog at catalog.stonybrook.edu, a third-party Acalog catalog that we did not access; check it there.
• AP/IB credit: not stated on the Health Science pages read. Separately, AP English (3), IB English HL (5) and others count as English-proficiency evidence, which is not the same as course credit.

4. Rounds, fee and materials (fall 2027)

• First-year deadlines: early action November 1; regular decision January 15. The page calls these completion deadlines, so the application, recommendation and transcript must all be received by then. Spring 2027 entry is November 1. Early action decisions come on December 11 and January 29 (a complete application by November 1 is guaranteed a decision on January 29); regular decision notices on February 26 and March 26.
• Platforms and fee: Common App, SUNY App or Coalition (use one); the application fee is $50.
• Materials: high school transcript; one letter of recommendation (teacher, counselor, coach or similar, not a family member); an essay on a topic of your choice; SAT/ACT optional (codes SAT 2548, ACT 2952) under a holistic review.
• Honors programs: Honors College, WISE, University Scholars and others are for fall entry only and need a separate form; they are unrelated to Health Science and not covered here.

5. Three groups of readers

U.S. students

• Admission: through general admission, with no separate Health Science seat application. New York residents and out-of-state students use the same application and deadlines; the pages read do not state an in-state preference rule; not published there.
• Tuition: see section 6.

International students

• How to apply: there is no separate international application; you apply as a first-year or transfer student and your citizenship and visa (F-1 and so on) identify you as international. Deadlines and the $50 fee are the same as above; grades for the three most recently completed years of secondary school must be submitted in English, sent directly from your school.
• English proficiency: TOEFL, Duolingo, SAT, ACT, IELTS, AP, IB, A-levels or PTE. Minimums shown: TOEFL iBT 80 (exams before January 21, 2026; 4 on the new scale after that date), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 105, ACT English 19, SAT EBRW 480, IB English HL 5, AP English 3, A-level C, PTE 53 and Gaokao English 125 out of 150. Applicants from native English-speaking countries or who attended an English-medium school are exempt. Those who fall short may be considered for conditional admission to the University Preparation Program at the Intensive English Center; the page adds that restricted majors may need higher course grades but does not say whether Health Science counts.
• Proof of funds: only after admission, to document one year of educational and living expenses for the I-20; the page says financial documentation is not needed for an admission decision.
• International scholarships: the scholarships page says all incoming first-year applicants are considered and most first-year awards need no separate application; it does not describe a separate international award; not published there.
• Work or internship limits: not published on the pages read, including how the HAN 411 internship applies to F-1 students; ask the international student services office.

Applicants from China (separate section)

• Whether the Gaokao is considered for admission: the international first-year page does not say; not published there. It appears only as an accepted English-proficiency score (125 out of 150).
• Transcripts and exit-exam materials: the page asks for grades for the three most recently completed years in English (four years if you have already graduated); whether a separate senior-high exit exam result is required is not published there.
• Any note for Chinese applicants: none on the pages read. Ask the admissions office (enroll@stonybrook.edu) or use the “Connect with International Students and Admissions Team” link on the international pages.

6. Costs (2026-27 estimates)

• Tuition: $7,070 for New York residents and $31,050 for out-of-state residents (the page does not break out international students separately; confirm with the university). Fees are $3,860 for both.
• Housing and meals: housing $12,291 (standard double) and meal plan $7,450. Direct costs for commuters are $10,930 (in-state) and $34,910 (out-of-state); for on-campus students $30,671 and $54,651.
• Indirect costs: books $900, transportation $840, personal $2,408, total $4,148. Estimated yearly cost of attendance: $34,819 in-state and $58,799 out-of-state. Full-time students are billed for university health insurance unless they waive it with proof of coverage.
• Program surcharge: the page says tuition and fees may vary by program of study; no Health Science surcharge is stated on the pages read. Check Student Financial Services (stonybrook.edu/sfs).

7. Transfer

• Who counts as a transfer applicant: anyone who has completed or will complete coursework at a regionally accredited college or university after high school. Applicants are expected to have performed well, typically with at least 24 college credits and a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher; restricted majors may differ. The transfer restricted-majors list (Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing, Respiratory Care, Social Work) does not include Health Science.
• Deadlines: fall 2027, May 1; spring 2027, November 1. The fee is $50 (waived for up to four colleges for SUNY or CUNY two-year graduates). Decisions begin mid-February for fall and mid-November for spring.
• Materials: official transcripts from every college attended; a final high school transcript if you have fewer than 24 credits; SAT/ACT optional. Transfer students with more than 56 credits must name a major to be eligible for financial aid.
• Entering Health Science: the school’s requirements are the same 91 credits, 2.0 GPA, 16 natural science credits (including HAN 200/202) and 21 related-elective credits; how transfer credit maps depends on the transfer equivalency database. Transfer students also start the senior-year curriculum only in the fall.
• International transfer: the same dates; an English-proficiency exemption applies if you completed a college-level writing course at a U.S. college with a C or above; otherwise the same tests and scores as above.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• No Public Health bachelor’s degree; choose the Public Health/Community Health Education concentration of the Health Science B.S., selected in the senior spring
• Common App, SUNY App or Coalition; regular deadline January 15; $50 fee; one recommendation; testing optional
• Before senior year: 91 credits, 2.0 GPA, 16 natural science credits (including HAN 200/202), 21 related-elective credits (including HAN 251/312), WRT 102, prerequisites at C or better; fall start only

International applicants (including China):

• English: TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 105 or Gaokao English 125 and others; proof of funds only after admission
• The role of the Gaokao, exit-exam materials and China-specific notes are not published on the pages read

Transfer students:

• Typically at least 24 credits and a 2.8 GPA; fall deadline May 1; Health Science is not on the restricted transfer list, but the 91-credit advancement rules still apply

Sources: Stony Brook University, Majors, Minors & Degrees; Health Science program page; Health, Medicine & Society minor; School of Health Professions: Health Science; Advancement requirements; Prerequisite coursework; Curriculum overview; Fall coursework; Spring coursework; Public Health/Community Health Education concentration; Major declaration and advising; Health Science FAQs; Accelerated degrees; First-year applicants; International first-year; Transfer; International transfer; Cost of attendance; Scholarships. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 estimates that the page says are subject to change after state and SUNY approval); check Stony Brook’s website for the latest.