Undergraduate Courses

For research and independent study courses (92, 190C, 192, 198, 199), students need to contact faculty directly to complete this form: Variable Unit Agreement. More information on department faculty can be found at the following link: PHS Faculty. Once a course is set up, then students need to e-mail PHSInstAffairs@ucdavis.edu for the course registration number (CRN).

For minor completion, you can only use one lower division course and you can can apply STA 13 OR STA 100. Please see FAQ page for more information. 

Public Health Elective Courses

SPH 103. Introduction to Health Economics, Services, Policy, Administration and Management (3) 

Lecture/Discussion- 3 hours. Pass one restricted to undergraduates in senior standing. American health care system and how public health leaders, administrators, and researchers can make effective contributions to populations served. GE credit: QL, SS. Course is not currently offered. 

SPH 106. Intermediate Human Epidemiology (4) 

Lecture/Discussion- 4 hours. Prerequisites(s): NUT 113 C or better or GDB 101 C or better or SPH 102 C or better. Principles of epidemiological methods including causal inference, sources of bias such as confounding, effect measure modification, screening, and interpreting statistical tests of significance. Ethics and history of epidemiology. GE credit: SE. Course is not currently offered. 

SPH 108. Introduction to Program Planning and Evaluation (3) 

Lecture/Discussion- 3 hours. Appropriate techniques of community assessment, planning strategies, data collection, data analysis and evidence- based decision- making. GE credit: SE. Typically offered in odd Winter Quarters. 

SPH 109. History of Epidemiology in Public Health (2) 

Lecture/Discussion- 2 hour(s). Historic events in public health and epidemiology that paved the way for disease control and prevention. GE credit: DD,SE. Typically offered in Winter Quarter only. 

SPH 111. Evaluation & Research Methods in Public Health (3) 

Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours.  Evaluation of programs for professionals in the healthcare, social science, economic and business fields. Evaluations to be conducted for both internal and external purposes. GE credit: SE. Typically offered in even Winter Quarters. 

SPH 114. Air Pollution & Chemicals in the Environment (3) 

Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours. Enrollment Restriction: Restricted to upper division students. Air pollution and chemicals in our environment, covering relevant tools through a series of case studies. Air pollution, environmental justice issues related to air pollution, including variability in exposure across cities, and the increased impacts of air pollution on individuals. Regulations, interventions to reduce exposure, estimating health burden, and the impacts of climate change. GE credit: SE. Typically offered Spring Quarter. 

SPH 120. Introduction to Health Informatics (3) 

Lecture - 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): Upper division standing or consent of instructor. Introduction to concepts of health informatics and the impacts of the field on healthcare research and public health. GE credit: SE. Typically offered Fall Quarter. 

SPH 121. Health Informatics Systems (3) 

Lecture/Laboratory - 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): Upper division standing or consent of instructor. Health Informatics with a focus on Information Technology. Data gathering, manipulating, storing, retrieving and classifying. GE credit: SE. Typically offered Winter Quarter. 

SPH 122. Data Organization and Visualization in Health Informatics (3) 

Lecture/Discussion/Laboratory- 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): Upper division standing or consent of instructor. Approaches to organizing and representing health data with a focus on visualization. Components of health data, visualization tools, methods and users for decision making and analysis. GE credit: SE. Typically offered Spring Quarter. 

SPH 132. Health Issues Confronting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (4)

Lecture/discussion- 4 hours. Health issues confronting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (Cross listed as ASA 132.) GE credit: SS. 

SPH 180: Gun Violence: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (2)

Lecture/Discussion - 2 hours. The course will examine existing research and innovative approaches and policies aimed at reducing gun-related harms. Course topics will include an economic analysis of the social costs of gun violence, the harm reduction approach provided by the public health model, an investigation of the empirical evidence on gun policies including background checks and extreme risk laws, the role of law in regulating guns and the gun industry, and a review of community-based approaches to violence prevention, among other topics. GE: SS. 

SPH 92/192. Internship in Community Health Practice (1-12)
Internship—3-36 hours. Prerequisite: upper division and graduate students; consent of instructor. The student, through fieldwork in a community health agency, learns to apply theory and concepts learned in the classroom. (P/NP grading only) 4 units maximum for minor. This course is to be arranged by the student and interested faculty.

SPH 198. Study in Community and International Health (1-5)
Prerequisite: undergraduate standing; consent of instructor. Study and experience for undergraduate students in any number of areas in community and international health. (P/NP grading only.) 4 units maximum for minor. This course is to be arranged by the student and interested faculty. 

SPH 198. Study in Community and International Health through the UC Davis Health Education and Promotion (HEP) Program
1 unit per quarter for nonpaid volunteers; up to two units per quarter for paid student staff who work for HEP. To find more information please visit the HEP website. (P/NP grading only) 4 units maximum for minor.

(Both paid and volunteer student positions with HEP require an application and interview. The selection process takes place Winter quarter for the paid student assistant positions and Spring quarter for unpaid volunteer positions for the following full academic year. 

SPH 199. Research in Community and International Health (1-5)
Prerequisite: undergraduate standing; consent of instructor. Student will work with faculty member in areas of research interest, including but not limited to injury control, international health, health policy,
occupational and environmental health, health promotion and wellness, women’s health, and health demographics. (P/NP grading only) 4 units maximum for minor. This course is to be arranged by the student and interested faculty.

Other Elective Courses

ANT /STS 129. Health and Medicine in a Global Context (4)

Lecture/Discussion—3 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: ANT 002 recommend. Recent works in medical anthropology and the science studies of medicine dealing with social and cultural aspects of global health issues such as AIDS, pandemics, clinical trials, cultural differences in illnesses, diabetes, organ trafficking, medical technologies, illness narratives, and others. (Cross listed as STS 129.) GE credit: SS, WC, WE. 

ANT 002. Cultural Anthropology (5)

Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours; Term Paper. Introduction to cultural diversity in its many forms and methods used by anthropologists to account for it. Relational dynamic of culture, history, and power in constituting "social facts" and "realities". Critical thinking of contemporary concerns. GE credit: DD, SS, WC, WE. As of Fall 2024, 5 units maximum for the minor.  

ARE 106. Econometric Theory and Applications (4) 

Lecture/Discussion- 4 hours; Prerequisite(s): ARE 100A C- or better; (STA 013 C- or better or STA 013Y C- or better); STA 103 C- or better; (PLS 021 C- or better or PLS 021V C- or better or ECS 032A C- or better). Pass One open to Managerial Economics Majors (AMGE) and Agricultural and Resource Economics (GARE). Graduate Majors. Statistical methods for analyzing data to solve problems in managerial economics. Topics include the linear regression model, methods to resolve data problems, and the economic interpretation of results. Not open for credit to students who have enrolled in or completed ECN 140. GE credit: QL, SS. 

ASA 132. Health Issues Confronting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (4)

Lecture/Discussion—4 hours. Health issues confronting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (Cross listed as SPH 132.) GE credit: SS.

BIM 105. Probability and Statistics for Biomedical Engineers (4) 

Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours. Prerequisite(s): MAT 022A C- or better or MAT 027A C- or better or BIS 027A C- or better); ENG 006 (can be concurrent); or consent of instructor. Concepts of probability, random variables, stochastic processes, mathematical modeling, and data analysis, with applications to biomedical engineering. Includes combinatorics, discrete, continuous, and jointly distributed random variables, probability distributions and models, Markov Chains, and Poisson Processes. Computer labs using MATLAB cover mathematical and computational modeling techniques, hands-on data analysis, and computer simulations. Not open to students who have taken MAT 107 or BIS 107; only 2 units of credit for students who have completed MAT 135A or STA 131A. GE credit: SE. 

BIS 020Q. Modeling in Biology (2) 

Lecture/Discussion- 2hours. Prerequisite(s): MAT 016B C- or better (can be concurrent) or MAT 017B C- or better (can be concurrent) or MAT 021B C- or better (can be concurrent) or MAT 021 BH C- or better (can be concurrent). Introduction to the application of quantitative methods to biological problems. Use a mathematical software package to tackle problems drawn from all aspects of biology. 

BIS/MAT 027A. Linear Algebra with Applications to Biology (4) 

Lecture/Laboratory- 5 hours. Prerequisite(s): MAT 017C C- or better or MAT 021C C- or better or MAT 021CH C- or better. Introduction to linear algebra with biological, medical, and bioengineering applications. Matrix algebra, vector spaces, orthogonality, determinants eigenvalues, eigenvectors, principal component analysis, singular value decomposition, and linear transformations. Computer labs cover mathematical computational techniques for modeling biological systems. Only 1 unit of credit to students who have completed MAT 022A. (Cross listed as MAT 027A.) GE credit: SE. 

CHE 121. Introduction to Molecular Structure & Spectra (4)
Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: CHE 110B Modern theoretical and experimental methods used to study problems of molecular structure and bonding; emphasis on spectroscopic techniques. 

CHI 021. Chicana/o & Latina/o Health Care Issues (4)
Lecture/Discussion—4 hours. Prerequisite: CHI 010. Overview of health issues of Chicanas/os and Latinas/os in the State of California; role of poverty/lack of education in limited access to health care. GE Credit: OL, WE. 

CHI 040. Comparative Health: Top Leading Causes of Death (4)
Lecture/Discussion—4 hours. Prerequisite: STA 013 OR STA 013Y; or consent by instructor. Introduction to the epidemiology of the leading causes of death for ethnic/racial minorities. Assessment of disproportionate rates at which ethnic/racial minorities suffer and die from chronic and infectious diseases and injuries and statistical methods used to calculate these rates. Not open for credit to students who have completed CHI 40S. GE credit: SE, QL, WE. 

CHI 114. Women of Color Reproductive Health and Reproductive Politics in a Global Perspective (4)
Lecture/discussion—3 hours. Study contemporary issues in reproductive health and reproductive politics, both globally and in the U.S., for women of color. GE credit: SS, ACGH, DD, WC, WE. 

CHI 121. Chicana/o Community Mental Health (4)
Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: CHI 010 or CHI 020. Mental health needs, problems, and service utilization patterns of Chicanas/os and Latinas/os will be analyzed. An analysis of social service policy, and the economic context of mental health programs. GE credit: SS, ACGH, DD, OL, WE.

CMN 161. Health Communication (4)
Lecture/Discussion—3 hours. Health communication theories and research, including a review of research on health literacy, social support and coping, doctor-patient interaction, health communication campaigns, and media influences on health. Application of new communication technologies in health promotion. GE credit: SS, WE. 

CMN 165. Media and Health (4) 

Lecture/Discussion- 4 hours. Content and effects of health messages in the media. Topics include health news reporting; portrayals of disease, disability, death and health related behaviors; promotion of drugs and other health products; and tobacco and alcohol advertising. GE credit: SS, WE. 

CRD 149. Community Development Perspectives on Environmental Justice (4)
Lecture/Discussion— 4 hours. Environmental justice social movements; inequitable distribution of pollution on low-income communities of color; histories, policies, and innovations associated environmental justice movements in the United States and around the world. GE credit: SS, DD, OL, VL, WE. 

ECN 132. Health Economics (4)

Lecture/Discussion — 4 hours. Prerequisite: (ECN 100 or ECN 100A or ARE 100A); (ECN 102 or ECN 140 or ARE 106 or STA 108); ECN 100B; or consent of instructor. The health care market, emphasizing the role and use of economics. Individual demand, provision of services by doctors and hospitals, health insurance, managed care and competition, the role of government access to health care.

ECN 140. Econometrics (4)
Lecture/Discussion —4 hours. Prerequisite: (ECN 100 or ECN 100A or ARE 100A); ECN 102 or STA 108); or consent of instructor. Pass One open to Economic Majors only. Problems of observation, estimation and hypothesis testing in economics through the study of the theory and application of linear regression models. Critical evaluation of selected examples of empirical research and exercises in applied economics. 

ECS 124. Theory and Practice of Bioinformatics (4)
Lecture/Laboratory — 4 hours. Prerequisite: (ECS 010 or ECS 032A or ECS 030 or ECS 036A or ENG 006); (STA 012 or STA 013 or STA 013Y or STA 032 or STA 100 or STA 131A or MAT 135A or BIM 105); (BIS 002A or MCB 010). Fundamental biological, mathematical and algorithmic models underlying bioinformatics and systems biology; sequence analysis, database search, genome annotation, clustering and classification, functional gene networks, regulatory network inference, phylogenetic trees, applications of common bioinformatics tools in molecular biology and genetics. GE credit: SE. 

ETX 101. Principles of Environmental Toxicology (4)
Lecture/Discussion — 4 hours. Prerequisite: (CHE 008B or CHE 118B or CHE 128B); BIS 002A. Principles of toxicology with a focus on environmental, industrial, and natural chemicals. Topics include fate and effects of chemicals in organisms and the environment, air pollutants, insecticides, aquatic toxicology, endocrine disruptors, biomarkers and bioassays, and risk assessment. GE credit: SE, SL. 

ETX 146. Exposure and Dose Assessment (3)
Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: ETX 112A; ETX 135 recommended. Exposure component of risk assessment; specifically, the presence and/or formation of toxic substances in environmental media, their movement within and between contaminated media, and the contacts of human populations with those media. GE credit: SE, QL, SL, VL. 

EXB 117. Exercise and Aging in Health and Disease (3)

Lecture/Discussion —3 hours. Prerequisite: NPB 101 or NPB 110C; or consent of instructor.  Etiology of and standard therapy for various disease associated with inactivity and aging; e.g., cardiovascular, pulmonary, diabetes, obesity, lipemias, etc. Exercise will then be considered as a protective and/or therapeutic modality. GE credit: SE. Course not currently offered. 

FAP 195. Health Care to Underserved Populations (1)
Lecture—1 hour. Prerequisite: Sociology, political science, or applied behavioral science background recommended, or registration in medical school. Discusses sociocultural perspectives of underserved populations in California impacting their health; roles of family/interpersonal relationships in making health care decisions; and clinician's perspectives in treating people of cultures which are unfamiliar and/or uncomfortable with Western medicine. May be repeated for credit. (P/NP grading only.) - 2 units max to be used for minor.  Course no longer offered. 

HIS 109B. Environmental Change, Disease and Public Health (4)
Lecture/Discussion—3 hours. Analysis of environmental changes from pre-history to the present and their influence on disease distribution, virulence and public health; many of these changes have been driven by human action and transformations of pathogens have accelerated under globalization. Cross listed as SAS 109. GE Credit: SE, SL, SS, WC. 

NUT 111AY. Introduction to Nutrition and Metabolism (3)
Web Virtual Lecture—3 hours; lecture/discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: CHE 008B; NPB 101, or equivalent of NPB 101. Restricted to upper division or graduate level students only. Introduction to metabolism of protein, fat and carbohydrate: the biological role of vitamins and minerals; nutrient requirements during the life cycle; assessment of dietary intake and nutritional status. Not open for credit to students who have completed course NUT 101 or NUT 111AV. GE credit: SE. 

NUT 111B. Recommendations and Standards for Human Nutrition (2)
Lecture—2 hours. Prerequisite: (CHE 008B or CHE 118B or CHE 128B); NUT 111AY; NPB 101 or the equivalent recommend. Critical analysis of the development of nutritional recommendations for humans. Topics include history of modern recommendations, development of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and other food guides; the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI); administrative structure of regulatory agencies pertinent to nutrition recommendations; introduction to scientific methods used to determine the  recommendations; food labeling laws; nutrition recommendations in other countries and cultures. Not open for credit to students who have completed course NUT 111.

PHI 005. Critical Reasoning (4)
Lecture/Discussion —4 hours. Criteria of good reasoning in everyday life and in science. Topics to be covered may include basic principles of deduction and induction; fallacies in reasoning; techniques and aids to reasoning; principles of scientific investigation; aids to clarity. Not open for credit to students who have completed PHI 006. GE Credit: WE.

PHI 015. Introduction to Bioethics (4)

Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours. Critical analysis of normative issues raised by contemporary medicine and biology. Possible topics include euthanasia, reproductive technologies, genetic engineering, informed consent, and patient autonomy, experimentation on human subjects and non-human animals. GE credit: AH, WE. 

PMI 129Y. One Health: Human, Animal and Environment Interfaces (3)
Lecture/discussion—3 hours; web electronic discussion. Limited to upper division undergraduate students in good standing and fulfill the course pre-requisites. Introduction to fundamentals, challenges, and opportunities in One Health using local and global health case studies. Animal, human, and environmental health problems, along with tools and transdisciplinary approaches, will be introduced to foster innovative thinking that addresses complex issues. GE credit: SE, SS, OL, SL. 

PSC 126. Health Psychology (4)
Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: (PSC 001 or OSC 001Y); PSC 041; PSC 101 recommend. Pass One open to Psychology majors only. Psychological factors influencing health and illness. Topics include stress and coping, personality and health, symptom perception and reporting, heart disease, cancer, compliance, and health maintenance and promotion. Not open for credit to students who have completed PSC 160.

SAS 013. Disease & Society (3)
Lecture— 3 hours. Introduction to the concept of disease, the societal and personal impacts of past, present, and future diseases. and the science behind disease discoveries, causes, evolution, treatment, and prevention. GE Credit: SE, SS, SL. 

SAS 109. Environmental Change, Disease and Public Health (4)

Lecture/Discussion- 3 hours. Analysis of environmental changes from pre-history to the present and their influence on disease distribution, virulence and public health. Focus on critical study of many human-driven environmental changes and the accelerated transformation/spread of pathogens under globalization. Not open for credit to students who have taken HIS 109B. (Cross listed as HIS 109) GE credit: SE, SL, SS, WC. 

SAS 121. Global Poverty: Critical Thinking and Taking Action (4) 

Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours. Social Science and engineering analysis of causes and effects of world poverty and of policies to reduce it via economic growth, foreign aid, and community-level interventions, e.g., in potable water, sanitation, lighting, small scale energy, irrigation, health and microfinance. GE credit: SS, WC. 

SOC 162. Society and Culture, and Health (4)

Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours. Prerequisite(s): SOC 001, SOC 002, SOC 003, or SOC 006 recommended. Analysis of how socio-cultural factors shape illness experience. Evaluation of how certain conditions come to be understood as health conditions; illness identities and biographies; doctor-patient interactions; biomedical cultures; how race, ethnicity, and gender shape health practices. GE credit: DD, SS. 

SOC 163. Population Health: Social Determinants and Disparities in Health (4) 

Lecture/Discussion- 4 hours. Prerequisite(s): SOC 001, SOC 002, SOC 003, or SOC 006 recommended. Survey of the social determinants and disparities in health: measurement of population health; health transitions and global disparities; domestic disparities in health by class, race/ethnicity, nativity, gender, and sexual orientation; social determinants including social support, social stress, neighborhoods, and policy. GE credit: DD, SS. 

SOC 164. Health Policy and Politics (4)
Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours. Prerequisite(s): SOC 001, SOC 002, SOC 003, or SOC 006 recommended. Introduction to health policy and politics, including health care access and delivery, and policies related to health inequalities, the social determinants of illness and health behaviors. GE credit: SS, DD.

STA 013. Elementary Statistics (4)
Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours. Prerequisite: two years of high school algebra or the equivalent in college. Descriptive statistics; basic probability concepts; binomial, normal, Student’s t, and chi-square distributions. Hypothesis testing and confidence intervals for one and two means and proportions. Regression. Not open for credit to students who have completed course STA 13V, or higher. GE credit: SE QL. You can use STA 13 OR STA 100 for minor elective units. You cannot use both. 4 units maximum for minor. 

STA 100. Applied Statistics for Biological Sciences (4)
Lecture/Laboratory —4 hours. Prerequisite: MAT 016B C- or better or MAT 017B C- or better or MAT 021B C- or better. Descriptive statistics, probability, sampling distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing, contingency tables, ANOVA, regression; implementation of statistical methods using computer package. Only two units credit allowed to students who have taken course STA 013, STA 032 or STA 103. Not open for credit to students who have taken course STA 102. GE credit: SE, QL. You can use STA 13 or STA 100 for minor elective units. You cannot use both.

STA 144. Sampling Theory of Surveys (4)
Lecture/Discussion/Laboratory — 4 hours. Prerequisite: (STA 130B or STA 131B) or (STA 106, STA 108). Simple random, stratified random, cluster, and systematic sampling plans; mean, proportion, total, ratio, and regression estimators for these plans; sample survey design, absolute and relative error, sample size selection, strata construction; sampling and non-sampling sources of error. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: SE, QL. 

UWP 198. Directed Group Study (1-5)

Learning Activity: variable 1-5 hour(s). Prerequisite(s): UWP 001 or UWP 001v or UWP 001Y or ENL 003 or ENL 003V; or equivalent course; consent of instructor. Directed group study. May be taught abroad. May be repeated for credit. (P/NP grading only) 4 units max to be used for minor. GE: AH, WE.

Clinic Elective Options

FAP 192C. Primary Care Clinics (1)
Clinical activity— 6–8 hours; Seminar— 2 hours; Lecture— 1–2 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor, enrollment at the UC Davis campus, upper division standing. Students must apply and interview with the Board of Clinica Tepati or Imani Clinic. Field experience introduces students to health care delivery, patient histories and physical examinations, health promotions and disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment of episodic, acute and chronic illness, basic laboratory testing and appropriate referral and follow-up. May be repeated for credit. (P/NP grading only.)—2 units max to be used for minor.

IMD 164. Practicum in Community Health Clinic: Bayanihan Clinic (1) 

Clinical Activity- 5 hours. Through active participation in the medical aspects of community health clinics, the undergraduate student gains knowledge of the organization, administration, and problem- solving capabilities. May be repeated for credit. (P/NP grading only.) 2 units max to be used for minor.

IMD 194. Practicum in Community Health Clinic (1) 

Clinical Activity- 5-15 hour(s). The undergraduate student, through active participation in medical aspects of community health clinics, gain knowledge of the organization, administration, and problem-solving capabilities of these primary care facilities. (P/NP grading only.) 2 units max to be used for minor.

OBG 194. Shifa Clinic Student Volunteer (1) 

Conference- 1 hour; Clinical Activity- 6 hours. Prerequisite(s): Consent of Instructor; applications will be available for students; selection of students will be made by selection committee of medical students, coordinators, and the instructor on record. Attend clinic every third Sunday performing duties of receptionist, intake, translation, monitor. Students attend a meeting immediately after end of clinic. There is a mandatory Monday meeting with Clinic co-directors. Students are expected to participate on various committees.  (P/NP grading only.) 2 units max to be used for minor.

PSY 192. Willow Clinic (1)

Clinical Activity- 2-6 hours; seminar 1-2 hours; lecture 1-2 hours. Prerequisite(s): Consent of Instructor. UC Davis enrollment; upper division standing. Student run clinic for upper division students interested in learning about and meeting the unique health care needs for homeless population. May be repeated for credit. (P/NP grading only.) 2 units max to be used for minor.