IR, Global/Public Health

College Majors
1

<p>I'm currently a junior, and I'm thinking of majoring in International Relations (or studies if there's not much of a difference) when I go to college. However, I'm also interested in Public Health, especially in global health. From what I know (correct me if I'm wrong), public health is something you study more in graduate school, and it is more of a medicine-field. </p>

<p>Is it possible to study IR as an undergraduate then public health as a graduate? Is is a good idea? Would I need to take pre-med type courses in college?</p>

<p>Also, I've been thinking about liberal arts colleges. What are some good liberal arts colleges to major in international relations? I think it'll give me a better prep (I guess) for when I study public health in graduate school.
If not liberal arts, what are some good schools in these areas?</p>

<p>Thank You! :)</p>

2

<p>Public Health primarily is a graduate field. Though there are undergrad programs in public health, a grad degree can give you many more career options. Besides undergrad degrees in public health/community health, a number of schools offer undergrad majors, minors, and certificate programs in global health.</p>

<p>If you check out some of the grad programs it public health, you’ll see that there are many PH subspecialties. Not all of these require a background in medical field. I do think there are definite advantages to having a some background in biology or in one of the health professions, though. </p>

<p>Yes, you can study IR/IS as an undergrad, and then pursue graduate studies in public health. You would not need to do a pre-med program, unless you also wanted to go to medical school. Some IR/IS programs offer thematic tracks in various areas. Often, one of the options for a thematic track is focused on global health.</p>

<p>I’m not sure why you think a liberal arts college will give you a better preparation for graduate study in public health. Choose a liberal arts college if a smaller school or a school with a greater focus on undergrad teaching is a better personal and academic fit for you. Those are its potential advantages. On the other hand, for some people, a university is a better fit, e.g., more social niches, greater depth and breadth of course offering, more options for majors, more international programs, etc. You can study IR in either a liberal arts school or a university. See my post in this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/902677-political-science-vs-international-relations.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/902677-political-science-vs-international-relations.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>BTW, if you are interested in global health, there are options besides an IR/IS major. Besides the various bioscience and health majors (biology, ecology & evolution, microbiology, nutrition, nursing, etc.), you could major in anthropology (esp. medical anthropology, biological anthropology), history of science, area studies (e.g., African Studies, Latin American Studies), economics, environmental engineering, or environmental science/policy.</p>

<p>What schools you should consider depends on where you can gain admission and what you can afford. Some liberal arts colleges to consider: Macalester, Occidental, Middlebury. Universities to consider: Dartmouth, Brown, Harvard, Penn, Cornell, Yale, Princeton, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Indiana, Tulane, Duke, Tufts, BU, U Washington, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Georgia, Case Western, Pitt, Stanford, North Carolina.</p>

3

<p>The MPH is really the cornerstone to working in public health. A BS in Public health is great and can actually help you, but is far from necessarily. Actually, a IR bachelors with a MPH focused on International Health might make you a better practicioner of International Public health.</p>