Global Public Health and History (BA)

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Program Description

The highly selective, demanding undergraduate majors in Global Public Health (GPH) allow CAS students to choose a course of study that is a combination of public health and an academic discipline housed in the College (GPH is not a stand-alone major), and also provide them with instructors and courses drawn from the entire university. This unique structure responds to the ever-increasing demand for interdisciplinary public health practitioners both in the U.S. and abroad. The coursework is integrated with experiential learning and study away requirements to ensure that students are broadly trained and uniquely prepared for a variety of careers.

The majors’ global public health courses are offered by the NYU School of Global Public Health (708 Broadway, 11th Floor; 212-992-6741; https://publichealth.nyu.edu/). GPH delivers truly interdisciplinary public health education at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral level. It builds on the global reach of NYU’s unique Global Network University; draws strength from the entrepreneurial spirit of NYU’s many talented faculty and students; and serves as a conduit for groundbreaking research and education that advances and promotes equitable health for all.

The Global Public Health and History major provides a unique opportunity to unite the study of human experience in relation to particular times and places with the study of health of populations around the world. The major draws on the expertise of the CAS Department of History in providing students with the tools needed to analyze and interpret many different kinds of evidence—cultural, social, economic, and political—and to organize them into a coherent whole, presented clearly in written or oral form. Students will study a variety of topics, such as environmental history, ethnicity, sexuality, epidemiology, health policy, gender, and social movements. NYU’s Global Public Health and History major provides a unique set of skills that may be applied in a variety of careers including law, teaching, public health, business, film, international affairs, and medicine and science. 

Honors Program

Students with strong academic records (a GPA of 3.65 in history and 3.65 overall) may apply to the director of undergraduate studies for admission to the History honors program. Students must be declared GPH & History co-majors and have already taken or are completing the workshop (HIST-UA 9XX) to apply for the two-course, 8-credit program. Applications are released every spring semester. Students must apply by their junior year spring semester.

The honors program is completed in two consecutive semesters and consists of a small HIST-UA 994 Honors Seminar followed by an individualized HIST-UA 996 Honors Thesis/Tutorial. In the Honors Seminar (which satisfies the capstone seminar requirement for the major) students define a thesis topic, develop a bibliography, read broadly, and begin their research. A substantial part of the research, usually including a rough draft of the thesis, should be completed by the semester’s end. In the Honors Tutorial, students work one-on-one with a faculty director to complete the thesis.

The honors thesis varies in length from 40 to 70 pages, depending on the nature and scope of the subject. The completed thesis, approved for defense by the director, is defended before a committee consisting of a primary faculty advisor and at least one additional faculty reader. A grade of at least A- on the thesis is required for the award of honors in History. Students who receive a lower passing grade are simply awarded 8 credits toward the major.

GPH & History co-majors may:

  • Count the Honors Seminar or Tutorial toward their 16 advanced major electives. 
  • Count the Honors Seminar or Tutorial for their 12 combined major electives (if they are not being used as advanced major electives).
  • Count either the Honors Seminar or Tutorial toward their Capstone requirement.

Admissions

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.