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, with classes taught by faculty from the following programs:
- Community Health Education
- Health Policy and Management
- Environmental Health Sciences
- Epidemiology
- Biostatistics
This interdisciplinary program is designed to help you connect the dots between science, policy, and practice. You will also design your own focus area in public health, and have opportunities to gain practical experience through internships, research, and outreach programs that promote health and well-being in diverse communities.
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
Sofija Zagarins
Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology
Nicholas Reich
Director, COVID-19 Forecast Hub
Director, Influenza Forecasting Center of Excellence
Laura Vandenberg
Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Daniel López-Cevallos
In the News
SPHHS Teams Receive 2026-27 Mutual Mentoring Team Grants
The Office of Faculty Development has announced the awarding of mutual mentoring projects in 2026-27, including three teams featuring SPHHS faculty members.
Public Health Capstone Course Hosts Spring 2026 Culminating Poster Symposium
Seniors enrolled in the undergraduate public health sciences capstone course presented their semester’s work at the Capstone Poster Symposium held on April 28.
SPHHS Students Featured in 2026 Senior Spotlight Series
Seven graduating seniors representing the four SPHHS undergraduate majors are featured in the 2026 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.