Global Public Health/Applied Psychology (BS)

Program Description

The Bachelor of Science program in Global Public Health/Applied Psychology provides interdisciplinary education that combines psychological theory, research, and practice with public health principles with the goal of improving health outcomes among diverse populations. The undergraduate major connects with the mission of the Department of Applied Psychology to prepare students to understand and to intervene in human development across contexts and cultures.

Global public health courses are offered through the College of Global Public Health and take take one required course in each of the six core public health areas: Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Policy, Environmental Health, Sociobehavioral Health, and Internship. A hallmark of the major is the fieldwork requirement in both psychology and global public health, offering students the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in lectures and readings to research and other real-world experiences. Students cover a range of topics, such as developmental, abnormal, and community psychology; women and mental health; sexuality; epidemiology; health policy; research methods; and group dynamics. The major provides excellent preparation for graduate programs in psychology, public health, and related areas, as well as graduate programs in business and law.

Honors

Applied Psychology students with a record of exceptional achievement are welcome to apply to our Honors Program. Seniors accepted to the program are required to conduct an independent research project on a topic of their choice under the close mentorship of an Applied Psychology faculty member.

In many cases, the Honors project will be part of a larger project being worked on by a research mentor and their team. Conversely, a student might also develop an original small-scale research project to conduct under the supervision of their research mentor. Students who are accepted into the Honors program will have the opportunity to submit their project for review and presentation to the annual Undergraduate Research Conference website held late in Spring semester.

Please note: Once a student has been accepted into the Honors Program, and they have confirmed their intention to join the program, the student must continue with the program until the end of that semester.

Criteria for Acceptance into Honors Program

Each student's application will be evaluated by three blind reviewers, faculty members, who rate the application on the following areas, from a scale of one to five (5 being the best score):

• Quality of proposed project
• Feasibility of proposed project
• Relevance to the field of Applied Psychology
• Student's academic record
• Evidence of a solid relationship with the research mentor
• Evidence of mentor's commitment to the project

Graduating with Honors

All students in the Honors Program are required to take a two-semester Honors seminar. This seminar must be taken in the Fall and Spring semesters of the Senior year.

To graduate with Honors, students must have a cumulative and major GPA of at least a 3.65 at the time of graduation, as well as an A in both Honors seminars and at least an A- in Seminar in Applied Psychology I and II.

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. 

Program Requirements

¹

Please visit the Applied Psychology website for a list of courses categorized by content area.

The Global Health Major requires one Fall, Spring or Summer semester abroad at one of NYU's 14 global sites.

Sample Plan of Study

¹

OR it can be taken as a co-req with APSY-UE 10

²

Must be taken in consecutive semesters subsequent to completion of APSY-UE 1034

The Global Health Major requires one Fall, Spring or Summer semester abroad at one of NYU's 14 global sites.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will:

1. Demonstrate a broad understanding of psychology as a social and behavioral science, and explore its connection to other disciplines.
2. Demonstrate a solid scientific and research background, develop critical thinking skills, and apply knowledge gained in lectures and reading to research and the practice of psychology.
3. Use effective written and oral communication skills to analyze, synthesize, and disseminate information.
4. Demonstrate readiness to enter the field as a professional as defined by the fieldwork core competencies (i.e., cognitive, behavioral, and communication).

Policies

Program Policies 

STEM OPT Benefits for International Students

If you’re an international student, you may be able to work in the United States after graduation for an extended period of time. Most students studying on F-1 visas will be eligible for 12 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) off-campus work authorization. F-1 students in this program may also be eligible for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) OPT extension, allowing you to extend your time in the United States to pursue degree-related work experience for a total of 36 months or 3 years. For more information on who can apply for this extension visit NYU’s Office of Global Services: STEM OPT.

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

Steinhardt Academic Policies

Additional academic policies can be found the Steinhardt academic policies page.