Public Health Sciences
Be a driving force behind solutions to today’s most pressing public health issues.
Chronic disease and food insecurity. Healthy aging, reproductive health, and environmental justice. Infectious disease outbreaks and substance use disorders. As a student in the Public Health Sciences major, you will be part of the effort to understand and address these and other complex public health issues.
The Public Health Sciences major offers an interdisciplinary curriculum spanning community health education, health policy and management, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, and biostatistics, and is designed to help you connect the dots between science, policy, and practice. Along the way, you will learn from award-winning faculty whose work is improving health outcomes in communities across Massachusetts and around the world.
You will also have opportunities to gain practical experience through internships, research, and outreach programs that promote health and well-being in diverse communities. These hands-on opportunities allow you to practice and develop valuable skills in areas such as:
- Health equity and access
- Health care systems and policy analysis
- Public health communication and advocacy
- Environmental health and sustainability
- Data analysis and program evaluation
Explore our programs
Undergraduate
UMass Amherst ranked 9th best college to major in public health in USA Today’s College Guide
First-generation students
Underrepresented minorities
Benefits list
Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs
Public health majors have the opportunity to participate in study abroad programs led by world-class UMass faculty. Their courses focus on topics relevant to global health, and students participate in practical public health experiences, all while immersing themselves in a new culture and country.
Small Class Sizes, Close-Knit Community
Our low student-to-faculty ratio offers public health sciences students individual contact and hands-on training with leading scientific experts partnering with the CDC, NIH, and WHO.
Interdisciplinary Coursework
Draw connections between public health disciplines with core courses ranging from anatomy and physiology to ecosystems and biodiversity, gender, sexuality, and culture to the sociology of immigration.
CEPH Accreditation
Every program in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences is fully accredited by the Council of Education for Public Health, a key benefit of attending UMass Amherst.
Alumni spotlight
In the Spotlight
“I find public health to be the ideal intersection of medicine and activism. Public health addresses social factors like race and economic status as large contributors to the health of individuals. Public health as a field tries to address health inequities and discrepancies in treatment of individuals, and I want to help do that as well.”
Community stories
Featured Faculty
Gloria DiFulvio
Senior Lecturer in Community Health Education
Co-Director, Center for Program Evaluation
Focus on substance abuse prevention, suicide prevention, adolescent health, LGBT health, evaluation.
Sofija Zagarins
Lecturer in Epidemiology
Focus on nutrient sufficiency and micronutrient status; overall diet quality; bone mass and body composition; disease prevention and management.
Nicholas Reich
Director, COVID-19 Forecast Hub
Director, Influenza Forecasting Center of Excellence
Focus on forecasting, machine learning, time series, infectious disease modeling, cluster-randomized trials.
Laura Vandenberg
Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Focus on endocrine disruptors, hazard assessment, developmental biology, endocrinology
Daniel López-Cevallos
Focus on health equity, social determinants of health, Latinx immigrants, community-engaged research, Latin America
In the News
SPHHS Students Named 2025 Alumni Association Scholarship Recipients
The UMass Amherst Alumni Association has announced the recipients of its 2025 scholarships and awards, including 7 SPHHS students from all 4 majors.
Student Teams Receive Community Engagement Group Awards
A pair of teams featuring SPHHS students recently won Outstanding Undergraduate Community Engagement Group Awards from the Civic Engagement & Service-Learning.
SPHHS Students Featured in Senior Spotlight Series
Thirteen graduating seniors representing the four SPHHS undergraduate majors are featured in the 2025 Senior Spotlight Series.
Public Health Sciences
Building the foundations for careers in public health and clinical professions.
Accreditation
The Public Health Sciences major at UMass Amherst is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, which is an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health, and public health programs outside schools of public health.