Academically, a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science degree are equally valued.
While both degrees will remain interdisciplinary in nature, the key differences between the B.A. and B.S. degree will be as follows:
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Degree
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Courses required
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Differences
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Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
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17 courses/68 units
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● Emphasizes heavier focus on the medical social sciences and humanities.
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Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
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24 courses/96 units
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● Emphasizes heavier focus on natural science with the addition of courses that are part of the pre-health requirements for medical, pharmacy and nursing schools.
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Both majors can lead you to similar career outcomes, however the BS incorporates some of the pre-reqs students may need to complete for pre-med or pre-health programs. Both are still good options for pre-health and pre-med students. Students with a B.A. degree can still apply for medical school as well. See details under the pre-med tab below for additional coursework required to apply for medical school.
For additional FAQ's, visit the Global Health FAQ page.
Your degree audit, and major requirements are complete when all sections show a green box to the left. Any sections with a blue box mean that the requirement is in progress. Any sections with red mean that there is a deficiency.
If a course is not showing on your degree audit, review the next section on submitting petitions. To fulfill the Field Experience requirement, you must submit a letter of verification.
For more on reading your degree audit, visit the Global Health Blog Page.
Prior to taking the course, obtain course pre-approval (recommended):
- Submit a pre-approval petition to obtain permission to take a course not listed on the approved course list.
You will be notified via the Virtual Advising Center once your request has been reviewed (please allow 2 weeks before contacting advisor).
If you have already completed the course:
(Wait until the course has posted to your academic history.)
For courses accepted by petition (*) or courses that have already been pre-approved:
Courses that are accepted “by petition”, indicated with an asterisk (*) will not automatically show up on your degree audit.
- Send a message through the VAC requesting the following:
- "Please accept _____________, a Global Health Pre-Approved Course, towards _______________ requirements for my Global Health ___________ (Major/Minor)."
The following AP courses will be accepted for the Global Health major:
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Course
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Score
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Units
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Major Requirement
|
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AP Biology
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4 or 5
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8 units
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BILD 1, 2, and 3 fulfill BS requirements
BILD 3 accepted for biological science elective for BA
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AP Calculus AB
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3
4 or 5
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4 units
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MATH 10A fulfills BS requirement
MATH 20A fulfills BS requirement
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AP Calculus BC
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3
4 or 5
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8 units
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MATH 20A or MATH 10A, 10B fulfill BS requirements
MATH 20A, 20B or 10A, 10B fulfill BS requirements
|
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AP Chemistry
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5
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8 units
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CHEM 6A, 6B, 6C fulfill BS requirements
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AP Statistics
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3, 4, or 5
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4 units
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Statistics requirement (BA & BS)
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Transfer Coursework: The Global Health Program will accept UC transferable transfer coursework toward major requirements. Please note, that all courses taken at community college are articulated as lower division courses.
Please see assist.org to see which courses are transferrable.
UC Online Courses: Students wishing to take UC online courses, please see details here.
The sample four year plans do not include college GE courses, they only account for global health major requirements.
Also see: College and Major Four Year Planner to create your own plan.
BA Degree (17 courses/68 units)
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Fall
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Winter
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Spring
|
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Year 1
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Lower Division Core (4)
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STATS (4)
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Year 2
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Lower Division Core (4)
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|
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Year 3
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UD Core Requirement (4)
UD Core Requirement (4)
GH Elective (4)
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UD Core Requirement (4)
GH Elective (4)
|
UD Core Requirement (4)
GH Elective (4)
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|
Year 4
|
GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
Field experience must be complete by the end of Fall quarter.
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GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
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GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
|
BS Degree (24 courses/96 units)
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|
Fall
|
Winter
|
Spring
|
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Year 1
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BILD 1 (4)
MATH 10A (4)
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BILD 2 (4)
MATH 10B (4)
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BILD 3 (4)
STATS (MATH 11 or PSYC 60) (4)
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Year 2
|
CHEM 6A (4)
Lower Division Core (4)
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CHEM 6B (4)
Lower Division Core (4)
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CHEM 6C (4)
CHEM 7L (4)
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Year 3
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UD Core Requirement (4)
Policy Analysis Course (4)
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UD Core Requirement (4)
GH Elective (4)
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UD Core Requirement (4)
GH Elective (4)
|
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Year 4
|
GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
|
GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
|
GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
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This plan includes global health courses only. This is only a suggested plan. Students should try to complete core courses early on. Student must enroll in 12 units to remain full time.
Lower division courses are course number 1-99, upper division courses are 100-199 and require students to have 90.0 units to enroll, otherwise you must request pre-authorization at easy.ucsd.edu.
Also see: College and Major Four Year Planner
B.A. Sample Plan (17 courses/68 units)
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Fall
|
Winter
|
Spring
|
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Year 1
|
GH LD CORE (4)
GH UD CORE (4)
GH ELECTIVE (4)
|
GH LD CORE (4)
GH UD CORE (4)
GH ELECTIVE (4)
|
GH LD CORE (4)
GH UD CORE (4)
GH ELECTIVE (4)
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Year 2
|
GH UD CORE (4)
GH ELECTIVE (4)
GH ELECTIVE (4)
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ELECTIVE OR GLBH 150A (4)
GH ELECTIVE (4)
GH ELECTIVE (4)
|
ELECTIVE OR GLBH 150B (4)
GH ELECTIVE (4)
General Elective (4)
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B.S. Sample Plan (24 courses/96 units)
This plan includes global health courses only and does not include college or GE courses needed.
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Fall
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Winter
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Spring
|
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Year 1
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BILD 1 (4)
MATH 10A (4)
Lower Division Core (4)
UD Core Requirement (4)
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BILD 2 (4)
MATH 10B (4)
Lower Division Core (4)
UD Core Requirement (4)
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BILD 3 (4)
STATS (MATH 11 or PSYC 60) (4)
UD Core Requirement (4)
UD Core Requirement (4)
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Year 2
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CHEM 6A (4)
GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
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CHEM 6B (4)
GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
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CHEM 6C (4)
CHEM 7L (4)
GH Elective (4)
GH Elective (4)
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- For information on Maximum Unit Limitations and Quarter Limits, please contact your college for advising. More info can be found on the Undergraduate Degree Requirements of the UC San Diego Website.
Limit on transfer units:
Transfer students will be granted up to 70 semester / 105 quarter units of credit for lower-division coursework completed at any institution (or combination of institutions).
To apply for a double major, please read the information here. Students should meet with an advisor from each major to plan out coursework. Meet with your current major first to map out your remaning courses.
Notes on Double Majors:
- You can count lower-division courses toward both majors.
- Each major must have 10 unique upper-division courses. You may overlap any upper-division coursework after 10 unique courses.
- The Global Health BA major has 12-14 possible upper-division courses depending on how many upper-division biological science electives you take so you can typically overlap anywhere from 2-4 upper-division courses.
- The Global Health BS has 12 possible upper division courses so you can typically overlap up to 2 upper division courses.
- Most majors have two upper-division overlaps.
Once you complete the form.
- Email your petition and quarter-by-quarter plan to the academic advisor for each major and obtain their signatures.
- Submit the petition, quarter-by-quarter plan, and statement of purpose to your college academic advising office.
- For more information visit: How to Declare a Double Major
Sample Global Health BA Double Major Plan (Global Health side filled out):
*only list out the title of a course for the elective categories if you have already completed the course, otherwise, keep it generic and for example, write "biological science"
Effective FA16, students may overlap up to two upper division courses between their major and minor requirements.
Double Minors:
- You may overlap up to two upper division electives between your major and each minor.
- You may not overlap upper division courses between double minors.
Your degree audit automatically overlaps two upper division courses on your degree audit that are compatible between your major and minor. If you would like to change or reject those courses then you will need to email your minor department in the VAC to request the changes.
Some college requirements allow you to overlap with you major and minor requirements (such as the DEI), please check your college requirements to see which courses are eligible.
The Global Health Program's unique research, writing, and field experience opportunities make the BA, BS, and Minor excellent preparation for advanced training in health professions including; medicine, psychiatry, dentistry, nursing, public health, and pharmacy, as well as graduate training toward the Ph.D. and research or teaching careers in health sciences, medical social sciences, health policy and health law, environmental studies, or medical humanities.
Global Health students pursuing a career in the medical field should include appropriate pre-med coursework into their schedule. Students should meet with Career Services early on to ensure they are on track.
What does it mean to be pre-med? “Pre-med” is a term for students who are completing prerequisite requirements to gain admission to medical school with the goal of becoming a doctor.
What if I am interested in applying to a health professional school or program other than medical school? This would be considered "pre-health" and you will want to review the courses required as pre-requisites for the programs you're interested in (see common pre-reqs for other health professions).
Resources:
Visit the Global Health Careers page for additional information on careers in global health.
Medical School Admissions Preparation
Medical school admission requirements vary from school to school. In general, most medical schools will expect applicants to have taken the Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®), and to have completed the following types of courses (note: these are general guidelines and can vary from institution to institution so it is important to check with the schools you're interested in applying to):
| Requirement |
UC San Diego Course Equivalent (course pre-reqs are listed in parentheses) |
| One year of general chemistry with lab |
- CHEM 6A. General Chemistry I (MATH 10A/20A - may be taken concurrently) &
- CHEM 6B. General Chemistry II (CHEM 6A) &
- CHEM 6C. General Chemistry III (CHEM 6B) &
- CHEM 7L. General Chemistry Laboratory (CHEM 6B)
|
| One year of organic chemistry with lab |
|
| One year of physics, including labs |
- PHYS 1A. Mechanics (MATH 10A/20A - may be taken concurrently) & PHYS 1AL. Mechanics Lab &
- PHYS 1B. Electricity and Magnetism (PHYS 1A/2A & MATH 10B/20B) & PHYS 1BL. Electricity and Magnetism Lab &
- PHYS 1C. Waves, Optics, and Modern Physics (PHYS 1B/2B & MATH 10A/20A/11) & PHYS 1CL. Waves, Optics, and Modern Physics Lab
or
- PHYS 2A. Physics-Mechanics (MATH 20A) &
- PHYS 2B. Physics-Electricity and Magnetism (PHYS 2A & MATH 20A-B) & PHYS 2BL. Physics Laboratory - Mechanics &
- PHYS 2C. Physics-Fluids, Waves, Thermodynamics, and Optics (PHYS 2A & MATH 20A, 20B, 20C) & PHYS 2CL. Physics Laboratory - Electricity and Magnetism
*Only two labs are required for physics (4.0 units)
|
| One year of general biology with lab |
- BILD 1. The Cell &
- BILD 2. Multicellular Life (BILD 1) &
- BILD 3. Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
- or upper-division Bio courses
and
|
| One year of college mathematics |
- MATH 10A. Calculus I &
- MATH 10B. Calculus II &
- MATH 10C. Calculus III or MATH 11. Calculus-Based Introductory Probability and Statistics
or
- MATH 20A. Calculus for Science and Engineering &
- MATH 20B. Calculus for Science and Engineering &
- MATH 20C. Calculus and Analytic Geometry for Science and Engineering or MATH 11. Calculus-Based Introductory Probability and Statistics
*Must have qualifying Math Placement Exam score or qualifying AP Calculus Exam score (see prereqs here)
|
| One course in statistics |
MATH 11. Calculus-Based Introductory Probability and Statistics (MATH 10B/20B)
or PSYC 60. Introduction to Statistics
|
| One year of English composition or writing |
Typically fulfilled with college writing courses
*Exception: Muir: only requires two writing courses, one additional writing course is needed
|
|
One course in Biochemistry
(most schools + important for the MCAT)
|
BIBC 102. Metabolic Biochemistry (CHEM 40A +B) preferred
|
|
Helpful for MCAT Prep (not required):
One course in psychology and sociology
|
e.g. PSYC 1. Psychology and SOCI 70. Sociology for Pre-Meds |
Additional coursework may include:
- Recommended (prereqs listed in parentheses):
- Microbiology (e.g BIMM 120. Microbiology (BILD 1 + BIBC 100 or BIBC 102))
- Genetics (e.g BICD 100. Genetics (BILD 1))
- Physiology (e.g BIPN 100. Human Physiology I (BILD 1 + BILD 2) or BIPN 102. Human Physiology II (BIPN 100))
- Immunology (e.g BICD 140. Immunology (BICD 100, BIMM 100, BIBC 100 recommended))
- Cell Biology (e.g BICD 110. Cell Biology (BIBC 100 or BIBC 102))
- Foreign Language
For non-medical school/pre-health applicants:
- Anatomy & Physiology: UC San Diego does not offer equivalent courses. Recommended: Complete anatomy + lab and human physiology + lab at a university extension (UCSD, SDSU, CSU San Marcos, etc.), community college, or a college near your home during a gap year or over the summer
Some medical schools DO NOT ACCEPT AP credit. Additional upper-division coursework may be needed to meet the prerequisites for certain schools. Please plan accordingly. If you have concerns, please meet with a Healthbeat advisor.
When to take the MCAT:
- The MCAT exam is offered multiple times from January and March through September and needs to be completed before you begin applying.
- If you're applying during your senior year = January of junior year (the ideal time to take the exam)
- The latest recommended date to take the exam is April of the year that you apply (so that you can get your scores back in time to choose schools in your range).
- A gap year may benefit some students to prepare for the MCAT and complete their application.
- We recommend taking the MCAT when you are ready – this usually means after all of the prerequisites (biology, chemistry, o-chem, physics, statistics) are taken as well as biochemistry, SOCI 70, and general psychology.
Sample Three & Four Year Global Health Pre-Med Plans
GLOBAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS (17 courses):
- LD CORE: HILD 30/GLBH 20, Sociology options (SOCI 30, 40, 70, GLBH 20 or PHIL 26) & STATS
- UD CORE: GLBH 181, MGT 173, GLBH 148, Policy Analysis, GLBH 150A+ B (senior year)
- EIGHT ELECTIVES (some can overlap with prereqs)
Sample Three & Four Year Global Health Pre-Med Plans
B.S. in GLOBAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS (24 courses):
- LD INTRO (Choose 2): GLBH 20, HILD 30, SOCI 30, 40, 70, PHIL 26, PSYC 1
- ONE YEAR OF BIOL: BILD 1, BILD 2, BIL3
- ONE YEAR OF CHEM: CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
- ONE YEAR OF CALC & STATS: MATH 10A/20A, MATH 10/20B, (PSYC 60 or MATH 11
- UD CORE: GLBH 181, MGT 173, GLBH 148, Policy Analysis course
- EIGHT ELECTIVES (some can overlap with pre-reqs)
Preparation
| Year |
What to Do |
| Freshman |
- Focus on grades and pre-requisite course work
- Start researching healthcare and volunteer opportunities
- Get to know your professors (i.e. office hours, coffee with a prof)
- Go to drop-in advising and workshops
|
| Sophomore |
- Continue taking pre-requisites
- Continue getting to know your professors (find a mentor!)
- Get involved! Healthcare, service, and leadership experience
- Attend pre-health-related workshops
- Consider research
|
| Junior |
- Prepare for standardized test
- Continue building professional relationships
- Continue getting healthcare, service, leadership, research experience
- Schedule an appointment with an advisor
- Learn more about the benefits of taking a GAP year
|
| Senior |
- Application year! Identify mentors to write your letters of evaluation
- Take standardized test
- Work on personal essay
- Meet with an advisor to evaluate the strength of your application
|
| Tips |
- Meet with an advisor at least once/year to make sure you are on track
- Use your summers to accrue healthcare, service, research, or leadership hours
- Start building professional relationships early! Finding mentors takes time, but you will need them to write you a strong Letter of Evaluation
|
FAQ with Healthbeat:
Can I complete my pre-med prerequisites at community college?
Medical schools prefer that students complete their prerequisites at a 4-year university if they are already enrolled there, however, they accept transfer student's Community College (CC) credits more readily.
Some students have extenuating circumstances (e.g. financial) that may require them to take some of their courses at a CC. Under these circumstances, the schools can be lenient.
The takeaway is they prefer rigorous courses from four-year universities, when possible, but It won’t be a deal breaker if you are remarkable in other ways and/or have had significant difficulties to overcome.
Do Pre-Med Pre-Reqs need to be taken for a letter grade?
It is recommended all prereqs be taken for a letter grade.
For more questions, contact Healthbeat.
