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Public Health

At Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ, the public health minor examines how social, environmental, and biological factors shape health and well-being. On the Occidental campus in Los Angeles, you’ll study public health through science, policy, and community-based practice.

Earn Your Public Health Minor From Oxy

The Occidental public health undergraduate program prepares you to understand and address complex health challenges at the population level. You’ll explore how disease prevention, health promotion, and policy intersect, studying issues such as infectious disease, environmental health, access to care, and health inequities. The minor draws from the natural and social sciences, giving you a broad foundation in how public health operates locally and globally.

Administered jointly by biology, kinesiology, and Urban & Environmental Policy, the program emphasizes interdisciplinary learning and real-world application. Studying public health on the Occidental campus in Los Angeles places you in some of the most diverse communities and health systems in the world. Graduates of the Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ public health department pursue careers and graduate study in public health, medicine, law, policy, environmental health, healthcare administration, and community advocacy.

What You’ll Learn as a Public Health Minor at Occidental

A group of Occidental (Oxy) students and a professor walking down a hallway. Two are wearing lab jackets and 3 are wearing street clothes

Understand health systems

You’ll examine how social conditions, policy, and biology influence population health. Coursework emphasizes prevention, epidemiology, data analysis, and ethical decision-making while connecting health outcomes to real-world contexts.

Apply classroom learning through internships, research, and practicum experiences. You’ll work with community organizations and health agencies to understand public health challenges from the ground up.

Oxy’s innovative Summer Justice Internship Program offers paid, 10-week internships through the Urban & Environmental Policy department and our Urban & Environmental Policy Institute, placing students with community partners across Los Angeles. Participants gain hands-on public health experience, build professional skills, and explore career paths through real-world work.

The public health minor pairs well with majors in biology, kinesiology, Urban & Environmental Policy, psychology, sociology, and economics. Combining programs strengthens preparation for health-focused careers and graduate study.

An Occidental (Oxy) student wearing a stethoscope and speaking to another person

Learning Public Health in LA

Studying public health at the Los Angeles-based Occidental campus places you in a city shaped by health disparities, innovation, and activism. You’ll engage with public agencies, nonprofits, and community partners while gaining hands-on experience addressing real public health issues.

What Our Graduates Are Doing

Molecular Research Specialist, Arizona State University

Matthew De Koch
2023

MPH, Health Management & Policy, NYU School of Global Public Health

Shanna Yeh
2022

Medical student, Georgetown University School of Medicine

Sherin Aboobucker Sidiq
2022

Administrative Fellow, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Emily Kapins MPH
2022

School Social Worker, San Francisco Unified School District

Sofia Zwass
2021

Research Data Analyst, Center on Reproductive Health, Law and Policy: UCLA

Leslie Serrano MPH
2021

Medical student, John A. Burns School of Medicine

Jasmine Davis
2021

Senior Analytics Coordinator, Health Services Advisory Group

Mia McFarland MPH
2021

Medical Interpreter, Linguava

Jazmin Calderon
2021

FAQs

The Public Health minor is an interdisciplinary program focused on disease prevention, health equity, and population-level health.

Yes. The program combines coursework from biology, kinesiology, urban and environmental policy, and the social sciences.

Yes. Many students complete internships, practicum courses, or community-based research in Los Angeles.

Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ public health graduates pursue careers in healthcare, medicine, law, policy, environmental health, social work, and administration, with many continuing to further graduate study in health, public policy, or related fields.

Studying on the Occidental campus in Los Angeles provides hands-on opportunities to examine health equity, policy, and prevention in diverse, real-world communities.

Contact Public Health
UEPI 104

1882 Campus Road