Pre-Public Health

A group of Master of Public Health pins

Students who aspire to become professionals in public health through advanced education are considered to be on the “pre-public health”, or “pre-PH” track. Pre-Public Health is not an academic major; every pre-PH student must declare and work towards a degree as they fulfill the admission requirements for their preferred graduate programs.

Students need to be aware that the prerequisite science coursework for the pre-health professions tracks is only offered on Mercer’s Macon campus. Students must therefore be enrolled in one of Mercer’s colleges or schools on the Macon campus to complete any of the pre-health professions tracks.

Students should also note that the prerequisite for all introductory science courses (chemistry, biology, and physics) is “calculus-readiness” (competency in mathematics at or above the precalculus level). Students planning on following a pre-health professions track are therefore advised to take mathematics in high school at least through the precalculus level.

Pre-PH Track Advising Resources

Because there are so many different degree types and potential specializations in Public Health, there is no set of core admission prerequisites or recommended majors. You will need to look at the requirements for programs/degrees you are interested in. If you are interested in the ASCP for an MPH at Mercer, you will need to major in Public Health. More information on the ASCP can be found here.

Many programs will require applicants to have a background in math and science. Therefore, some coursework in biology and chemistry is recommended (at least CHM 111 & 112, BIO 171 & 172). STA 126 and an upper level statistics course, such as STA 227, is also recommended. ECN 353, ECN 438, BIO 421, and MAT 320 may also be suitable courses depending on your program and specialization interests.

Programs often prefer applicants with coursework in the social sciences/humanities.

Given the above, many majors are more than suitable for those interested in pursuing a graduate degree in Public Health.

Current Mercer Students

Students enrolled at Mercer who are following one of the pre-health professions tracks should enroll in the “GPS” (pre-Graduate & Professional School) advising course on Canvas.