How to Apply to Public Health at Rice University: Public Health Sciences Is a BA Offered by the Department of Kinesiology, 14 Courses and 42 Credit Hours, Declared After You Arrive Rather Than Applied For Separately, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Rice University’s public health undergraduate program is Public Health Sciences, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) major offered by the Department of Kinesiology and listed in the catalog under the natural sciences; the catalog shows no BS in the field. This guide goes deeper on that major and does not repeat our general life-sciences guide for Rice. Note that the catalog page sometimes calls the same major “Health Sciences” (course code HEAL). Below are the points for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, then transfer students.

1. Degrees and programs

• Degree: BA with a major in Public Health Sciences. The department’s goal is to give students a fundamental background in disease control and prevention from a population health perspective, an integrated understanding of how individual, behavioral, environmental and structural factors shape health, and how multidisciplinary public health approaches assess, protect and advance health; the catalog calls it an excellent option for students preparing for graduate school in public health or other health-related graduate or professional programs such as medicine or dentistry.
• Learning outcomes: understand the functions of health promotion and public health, with fundamentals in epidemiology, statistics, environmental health, health policy and health behavior theories; explain socioeconomic, behavioral, biological and environmental influences; read and interpret health sciences literature; collaborate in planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion programs; promote public health education within legal, ethical and professional standards; and deliver public health information in written, oral and media formats.
• Honors: the catalog mentions university-level Latin honors and distinction in research and creative work; the department lists no separate honors program.
• Combined bachelor’s-master’s: the Rice–UTHealth Houston Public Health Scholars Program (open to BA or BS students in any major) lets accepted Rice students take up to five graduate courses (16 credit hours) at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in the senior year and complete the Master of Public Health within one year after the Rice degree. Whether it is open to international students is not stated.
• Internship: the major has no required internship or practicum hours; the elective list includes Internship in Health Sciences (HEAL 379, 1–3 credits, junior or senior standing, department permission).
• STEM designation and minor requirements: not stated on the pages we read. The catalog’s program list also has entries such as Global Health Technologies, Medical Humanities, Healthcare Management, Bioscience and Health Policy, and Behavioral Medicine and Health Resilience; we did not read those pages and do not know whether they are majors, minors or certificates, so check the catalog.

2. How you enter the major and what it takes

• No separate application to the major: the Admission FAQ says that when you apply you select one of seven schools and up to three majors or areas of interest, including minors and pre-professional tracks, and can elaborate in the Rice Supplement; Admission says applicants are assessed on their preparedness and alignment with the majors they select. Public Health Sciences sits in the natural sciences; the application pages show no separate public health step and no cap.
• Declaring after arrival: students file a Declaration of Major form in ESTHER with an unofficial transcript for the advisor’s approval. You may declare any time up to or during the spring semester of your second year and cannot register for the fall of your third year without a declared major; transfer students should declare in their first year or before reaching junior status. The department may state reservations if it thinks a student is not well prepared.
• Departments cannot simply refuse you: apart from Architecture and the Shepherd School of Music, no department may refuse to admit an undergraduate unless specific curricular conditions are written into the program requirements or resources are limited. The Public Health Sciences catalog page lists no GPA or prerequisite threshold for entering.
• Inside the major, a major GPA of at least 2.00 across the courses that satisfy the major.

3. Prerequisites and courses

• High school courses (Admission): at least 16 units — English 4, social studies 2, mathematics 3, laboratory science 2, one foreign language 2, plus 3 more in any of those areas. The page also says the natural science and engineering divisions require at minimum trigonometry or precalculus and both chemistry and physics (a second year of chemistry or biology may replace physics). No separate high school prerequisites are given for Public Health Sciences, and whether the school-level statement applies to this major is not spelled out; ask Admission.
• Major requirements: 14 courses, 42 credit hours (120 for the degree, with at least 5 courses at the 300 level or above and at most 4 courses from study abroad or transfer).
• Six core courses (3 credits each): HEAL 222 Principles of Public and Community Health; HEAL 372 Environmental Challenges and Public Health in Houston and Beyond; HEAL 407 Epidemiology; HEAL 412 Health Care Delivery & Policy in the United States; HEAL 462 Health Behavior: Theory and Health Promotion Practice; KINE 319 Statistics for the Health Professional.
• Eight electives (at least 24 credit hours): at least two from the Schools of Humanities and Arts and Social Sciences and at least two from the Schools of Engineering and Computing and Natural Sciences; the other four from any approved school. Examples on the humanities and social science side include medical anthropology, health economics, environmental health, medical ethics, health policy, health psychology and medical sociology; on the engineering and natural science side, Introduction to Global Health (GLHT 201), nutrition, public health and the media, public health nutrition, human anatomy and physiology, GIS in public health and research methods.
• Prerequisites (course descriptions): HEAL 462 requires HEAL 222; HEAL 412 recommends HEAL 222; HEAL 313 (Foundations of the Public Health Profession, limited to the major) requires HEAL 222; HEAL 222 lists enrollment as limited to freshmen and sophomores. KINE 319 and the epidemiology course list no prerequisites.
• AP/IB (Admission): AP scores of 4 or 5 earn transfer credit; IB credit requires the IB Diploma with 6 or 7 on higher-level exams; international exams such as A-Levels or the Abitur with an A or B may earn credit. Whether such credit can replace a Public Health Sciences course is not stated (the elective list does allow AP credit in place of BIOS 201).

4. Rounds, fees and materials (first-year)

• Dates: Early Decision I closes November 1, with decisions by mid-December and the deposit due January 4; Early Decision II closes January 4; Regular Decision closes January 4, with decisions by April 1 and the deposit due May 1. Early Decision is binding. A QuestBridge National College Match is also offered. For Early Decision II the Admission pages give decisions in “late January” while the General Announcements give “mid-February”; for the ED II deposit, the domestic page says mid-February and the international page says March 1. The sources contradict each other, so rely on the latest word from Admission.
• Application fee: $75, nonrefundable; U.S. applicants may request a waiver in the Common App, and QuestBridge participants qualify automatically.
• Essays (2026–2027): the Rice Supplement — what draws you to the academic areas you selected (150 words); which elements of the Rice experience appeal to you (150 words); one of two community prompts (500 words); and “The Box,” an image upload that is not evaluated.
• Recommendations: a counselor plus two teachers of core academic subjects (ideally one related to the intended area of study).
• Testing: Rice recommends but does not require SAT or ACT scores; applicants without scores receive full consideration; scores are superscored, and once you opt in you cannot withdraw them.
• Interviews: recommended but optional and not guaranteed; all 2026–2027 interviews are virtual, with alumni volunteers or current students.
• Transcripts: grades 9–11 plus the courses being taken in grade 12; applicants in international exam-based curricula also send final exam results and, if available, predicted results.

5. Three kinds of readers

U.S. applicants

• The fee page lists one undergraduate tuition figure with no in-state or out-of-state distinction; it does not mention in-state preference.
• Aid: for domestic students admission is need-blind, and Rice meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans through the Rice Investment (eligibility is set by the Office of Financial Aid).

International applicants

• English: applicants whose first language is not English must show at least two years of full-time study in an English-language curriculum or submit an official score: TOEFL iBT 100 (exams taken before January 21, 2026) or 5.0 on the updated scale (from that date), IELTS Academic 7.0, Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 185, Duolingo 130. Results must come from a single sitting (no TOEFL MyBest); the IELTS General Training test is not accepted; the TOEFL code is 6609.
• Application fee: $75; international applicants are not eligible for a fee waiver.
• Proof of funds: after you apply, complete the International Student Financial Statement in the portal with bank statements or affidavits and scholarship letters (tax documents and proof of income are not accepted); if available funds are below $101,634 you must explain how you will cover the cost of attendance. Documents must be in English and in U.S. dollars. The application is not complete until the statement and documents arrive.
• Aid: Rice is need-aware for international applicants and offers need-based aid to a limited number of first-year international applicants. You must indicate on the application that you want to be considered; international students admitted without requesting aid cannot apply in later years. Rice uses the CSS Profile.
• Merit scholarships: about 20% of admitted students receive one each year, with no separate application; domestic and international students are all considered automatically and are told at admission.
• Other: the undergraduate international orientation fee for incoming international students is $395. Limits on internships or work for international students in public health: not stated.

Applicants from China

• The Admission and catalog pages we read do not mention China: no China-specific guidance, no statement on whether the Gaokao is considered, and nothing on Huikao records (not stated). Contact Admission (admission@rice.edu, 713-348-7423).
• What applies generally: transcripts must be in English, or accompanied by an official translation together with the original; applicants from international exam-based curricula submit final exam results.

6. Costs and scholarships

• 2026–2027 (General Announcements): undergraduate tuition for students who entered in 2024 or later is $71,140 a year ($35,570 a semester; $2,964 per credit hour). Required fees: student activity $120, student recreation center $144, health and wellness support services $720 (annual); the student health insurance premium is listed as “TBA.” Living: the page states the annual room and board charge in a residential college as $20,530, of which room is $13,930 and meal plan A $6,600 (students living on campus must buy plan A). The application fee is $75. The catalog lists no Public Health Sciences surcharge; some courses carry their own course fees, shown on the course schedule.
• Scholarships and aid are in the previous section.

7. Transfer students

• Who counts: anyone who has earned at least 12 semester hours after high school must apply as a transfer student; the page asks for at least a 3.2 GPA in the most recent college work, and admitted transfers typically have 3.5 or higher; you must complete at least four semesters (60 semester hours) full-time at Rice to earn the bachelor’s degree.
• Deadlines: fall entry March 15, with rolling decisions in June; spring entry October 15, with decisions by December 1. Application fee $75.
• Prerequisites: transfer applicants have no coursework requirements tied to the intended area of study, but the committee considers the pursuit of and performance in relevant coursework.
• Materials: Common App and the Rice Supplement; final high school transcript and all college transcripts; a College Report; two college instructor recommendations; SAT/ACT recommended but not required.
• Transfer credit: credit is approved by Rice; the department guideline allows no more than 4 courses (12 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing toward the Public Health Sciences major.
• International transfers: they may apply, with English proficiency and the International Student Financial Statement; Rice offers neither financial aid nor merit scholarships to international transfer applicants, a policy that also applies to admitted students throughout their years at Rice. Transfer students from the U.S. are likewise not eligible for merit scholarships.

8. Pre-health and graduate school

The department says the major suits students going on to public health graduate school or other health graduate and professional programs, and the Rice–UTHealth Houston Public Health Scholars Program is described above; for pre-med advising see our general life-sciences guide for Rice.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Choose the natural sciences school and up to three areas of interest; Early Decision I November 1, Early Decision II and Regular Decision January 4; $75 fee; SAT/ACT recommended, not required
• Declare by the spring of the second year; take HEAL 222 in the first or second year

International applicants (including China):

• TOEFL / IELTS Academic 7.0 / Duolingo 130, or two years of English-medium study; International Student Financial Statement (explain if funds are under $101,634); no fee waiver
• Gaokao use: not stated; contact Admission

Transfer students:

• GPA of at least 3.2 in recent college work; fall March 15; at most 4 transfer courses count toward the major; no aid for international transfers

Sources: Rice University, Admission: first-year domestic applicants; Admission: first-year international applicants; Admission: transfer applicants; Admission: FAQ; General Announcements: admission; General Announcements: Public Health Sciences BA; General Announcements: Public Health Sciences (with course descriptions); General Announcements: majors, minors and certificates; General Announcements: unique programs; General Announcements: tuition and fees. The admission deadline pages show no year (the essay prompts are labelled 2026–2027), and the transfer page gives March 15 for fall transfer; check that these apply to fall 2027 entry. The General Announcements are the 2026–2027 edition.