4.0 Admissions

Admissions criteria for the public health major

Current Ohio State students

Current Ohio State students wanting to switch to the public health major or pre-major can schedule an appointment with an academic advisor in the college by calling 614-292-8350. Students interested in declaring the public health major must have a minimum cumulative 2.5 Ohio State University GPA, have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours earned from The Ohio State University and must successfully complete a prerequisite course with a minimum grade of C. For students who entered the university during autumn semester 2022 or later, the prerequisites for the major are:

• Environmental public health specialization: Math 1148/1149 or 1150
• Public health sociology specialization: Sociology 1101 or 1102

New first-year students

Students admitted to Ohio State who meet Undergraduate Admissions criteria will be directly admitted to the BSPH major. Students will select a specialization during their first semester at Ohio State.

Transfer students

Students interested in transferring to Ohio State have two ways to apply for the public health major: 

1. Students can declare the major through a meeting with a public health academic advisor. To declare the major, students must meet the following requirements: A minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA from previously attended college or university, a minimum of 15 credits (or equivalent) and completion of the program prerequisite.
2. Students interested in transferring to The Ohio State University to pursue the Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) major must first contact undergraduate admissions and apply to the university. A minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA from previously attended college or university and a minimum of 30 credits (or equivalent) is required to be directly enrolled as a pre-public health major. 

Transfer students that do not meet the application requirements at time of admission will be enrolled in another Ohio State University undergraduate unit, according to the guidelines for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Any student transferring to The Ohio State University not directly enrolled in the College of Public Health must first complete 12 credit hours and obtain a 2.5 GPA or higher at Ohio State before they can switch to the BSPH pre-major.

Students attending regional campuses

Any Ohio State University student currently enrolled at a regional campus who is interested in switching to the Columbus campus into public health can schedule an appointment with a College of Public Health academic advisor by calling 614-292-8350. If after meeting with a College of Public Health undergraduate academic advisor, the student decides to switch to the Columbus campus to complete the public health major and they meet the requirements to switch to the Columbus campus (2.5 cumulative Ohio State University GPA or higher and completion of at least 30 Ohio State University credit hours) the student will need to work with their regional campus advisor to start the campus change process.

Degree completion time limitation

Students will have five years from admission to the major to complete their degree requirements. Students not graduating within five years must meet with an academic advisor and complete a petition to request to return to the program which should include a course plan for finishing their degree. The petition will be reviewed by the associate dean of undergraduate studies. If a student is on academic action (warning, probation) when they complete the petition, they must clearly identify actions they have taken or will take to assure their academic preparedness to return to the program. If approved, the student will remain on academic action with the corresponding conditions enforced.