BA in Epidemiology
This major has 14 required courses, for a total of 52 credits. Two mathematics courses are recommended but are not required and do not count toward the major.
The epidemiology major leads to a bachelor of arts degree and satisfies the social sciences requirement of the Rochester Curriculum.
Key goals for this major:
- Understand the theories, concepts, and skills required to assess population health
- Understand the methodologies used to examine factors associated with the development and prevention of disease
- Apply the basic tools necessary for analysis of data applicable to public health outcomes
Important Changes Beginning Fall 2026
Beginning in fall 2026, PM "U" courses are no longer offered, and all PM courses are offered only as 3-credit courses. The one exception is PM 415, which is offered as a 3-credit course plus a REQUIRED 1-credit lab. As a result, beginning in fall 2026, the major includes one additional 4-credit elective, bringing the required course load to 14 courses. The total number of credits for the major remains 52. To facilitate this change, all non-PM courses have moved from elective group I to elective group III.
Recommended Mathematics Courses — NOT Part of the Major Requirements
The two courses below are recommended only. They are NOT required for the epidemiology major, and they do NOT count toward the 14 required courses or the 52 credits.
- MATH 161: Calculus I (4 credits)
- MATH 162: Calculus II (4 credits)
Note: Students can also take MATH 141–MATH 143.
Major Requirements (14 Required Courses, 52 Credits)
Some of these courses require prerequisites. The prerequisites are not counted toward the major.
| Requirement group | Course | Credits | Typical semester offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health General Core (all 4 courses; 16 credits total) | PHLT 101: Introduction to Public Health I | 4 | Fall and spring |
| PHLT 103: Concepts of Epidemiology | 4 | Fall and spring | |
| STAT 180: Intro Applied Statistical Methodology (beginning fall 2024) or STAT 212: Applied Statistics I (before spring 2024) | 4 | STAT 180: fall and spring; STAT 212: fall and spring | |
| PHIL 228(W): Public Health Ethics or PHIL 225(W): Ethical Decisions in Medicine | 4 | PHIL 228: fall; PHIL 225: spring | |
| Specific Core Requirements (4 courses plus 1 lab; 15 credits total) | PM 414: History of Epidemiology | 3 | Spring, even-numbered years only |
| PM 415: Principles of Epidemiology | 3 | Fall and spring | |
| PM 415-L: Principles of Epidemiology Lab (required; take at the same time as PM 415) | 1 | Fall and spring | |
| STAT 216: Intermediate Statistical Methodology | 4 | Fall, summer and spring | |
| STAT 218: Categorical Data Analysis | 4 | Fall and spring | |
| ELECTIVES (A total of six courses, 21 credits total): three courses from group I, one course from group II, and two courses from group III. | |||
| Electives, Group I — Epidemiology (choose 3; 9 credits total) | PM 412: Survey Research | 3 | Fall |
| PM 413(H): Field Epidemiology | 3 | Spring | |
| PM 418(W): Cardiovascular Epidemiology | 3 | Fall | |
| PM 424(W): Chronic Diseases Epidemiology | 3 | Spring | |
| PM 442(W)(H): Nutritional Epidemiology | 3 | Spring | |
| PM 451(W): Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases | 3 | Fall | |
| PM 470(W): Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology | 3 | Fall | |
| PM 489(W): Injury Epidemiology and Emergency Care Research Methods | 3 | Fall | |
| Electives, Group II — Statistics (choose 1; 4 credits total) | MATH 218: Mathematical Modeling in Life Sciences | 4 | Spring |
| MATH/STAT 201: Introduction to Probability | 4 | Fall, summer and spring | |
| MATH/STAT 203: Introduction to Mathematical Statistics | 4 | Fall and spring | |
| STAT 217: Advanced Statistical Methodology | 4 | Spring | |
| STAT 219: Nonparametric Inference | 4 | Fall | |
| STAT 221(W): Sampling Techniques | 4 | Fall | |
| STAT 276: Statistical Computing in R | 4 | Fall and spring | |
| STAT 277: Introduction to Statistical Software and Exploratory Data Analysis | 4 | Fall | |
| Electives, Group III — Additional Electives (choose 2; 8 credits total) | BST 465: Design of Clinical Trials | 4 | Spring |
| EESC 251: Introduction to Geographic Systems | 4 | Spring | |
| PHLT 201(W): Environmental Health | 4 | Spring | |
| PHLT 397(W): Community Engagement Internship** | 4 | Fall and spring | |
| A Group II statistics course not already used to satisfy the Group II elective requirement | 4 | See Group II above | |
| A second PHLT internship course (students may use up to two PHLT internship courses toward the public health major — e.g., PHLT 397(W) plus another, such as PHLT 394 EDRA) | 4 | — | |
Totals: 14 courses, 52 credits. Electives comprise six courses for 21 credits total: three from Group I, one from Group II, and two from Group III.
Important — confirm course timing before you plan. The "typical semester offered" column above is a general guide only. The timing of each course offering must be confirmed in UR Student or CDCS. The semesters listed above should NOT be taken to imply that a course is offered in every semester shown, and offerings are subject to change, so you should revisit your plan regularly.
The same course may not be used to satisfy both a Group I or Group II elective and a Group III elective.
**Open to juniors, seniors, Take 5, and e5 public health majors; permission of EPD faculty advisor required.
Upper-Level Writing Requirement
Students are required to register for two upper-level writing courses within this major. The courses designated with (W) have writing requirements that would satisfy the Rochester Curriculum's upper-level writing requirement. Students should register for the "W" section; for each PM (W) course there is a cap of five students who can register for the writing component.
Overlapping Major Courses
Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the public health-related programs, no more than two courses may overlap between a public health major and another major. The introductory STAT course (STAT 212 or STAT 180) is not included in course overlap.
Transfer Credit
Students are permitted (with the approval of their public health faculty advisor) to use up to two transfer courses towards their public health program.
Note: Students may choose to major, or to minor, or to complete a cluster within the Public Health-Related programs, but they cannot do more than one.
Ready to Declare?
See the How to Declare a Major or Minor in Epidemiology page for instructions.