What will I learn?

The Public Health program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington is one of the first four standalone baccalaureate programs in the United States to be accredited by the Council for Education in Public Health. Students graduating from the program work with communities and individuals to protect, maintain and enhance, health and quality of life. Students complete the public-health core courses that provide a strong foundation in the Public Health Domains, the U.S. Public Health System, global health issues, factors impacting human health and disease, epidemiology, population-based and individual approaches to health enhancement, public health data sources, health policy, health law, health communication, and much more. Then, students must select one of four concentrations:

  1. Community Health Education – prepares students to assess, plan, implement and evaluate programs that are designed to enhance individual and community health and wellbeing;
  2. Pre-Clinical Health – prepares students with a strong science background for continuing study in medicine, dentistry, physician assistant, physical therapy, nutrition, nursing, etc.;
  3. Global Health – prepares students for careers working in developing low- and middle-income countries to improve health and quality of life; or
  4. Gerontology - prepares students for public health careers working with an older adult population.

Public Health professionals work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, non-profit organizations, government agencies, doctors’ offices, business & industry, and colleges/universities.

Upon graduation, those with concentrations in Community Health Education and Global Health are eligible to take a national exam to become Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES®). Those in the Global Health concentration may also opt to obtain a Pre-Peace Corps Prep Certificate. Those in the Gerontology concentration and meeting the minimum admissions requirements can apply to complete one additional year of study and receive a MS degree in Gerontology.

Majors

  • Community Health Education
  • Global Health
  • Pre-Clinical

Which department am I in?

College of Health and Human Services

Study options

Full Time (120 Hours)

Tuition fees
$21,318.00 (17,98,684) per year

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution

Start date

Expected January 2026

Venue

College of Health and Human Services

601 South College Road,

WILMINGTON,

North Carolina,

28403, United States

Entry requirements

For international students

Applicants must have an official transcript directly from all the high schools.

English Proficiency

TOEFL: minimum of 71.

IELTS: minimum of 6.0

Duolingo English Test (DET) - minimum score of 105

Pearson PTE - minimum score 54

iTEP Academic - minimum score of 3.7. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis once they become complete: Fall - April 1; Spring - October 1.

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.

ADD TO MY FAVOURITES

About University of North Carolina - Wilmington

A renowned coastal university, that places emphasis on applied learning to offer students hands on experience within their field of study.

  • UNCW is located in a beachside town on the U.S. east coast
  • 93% of students are employed within two years of graduation
  • UNCW offers a variety of scholarships
  • Only U.S. degree program focused on coastal engineering