Lehigh College of Health Programs: Shaping the Future of Healthcare

Lehigh University's College of Health offers a range of programs designed to advance careers and deepen impact on the future of health. As an R1 research university, Lehigh empowers graduate students to turn knowledge into immediate impact. The College of Health occupies a unique space within the Lehigh University ecosystem, enabling access to expertise from faculty in Lehigh’s four existing colleges. Alumni enter the world prepared to make an impact in the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and government institutions.

Lehigh blends entrepreneurial thinking, creative inquiry, and rigorous academic programs with a vibrant life in and outside the classroom, offering distinctive programs that support, guide, challenge, and inspire students. Lehigh also values the rich impact that service-learning opportunities have on students and their development as professionals and global citizens, and partners across the university to bring those offerings to College of Health students.

Graduate Health Programs

The College of Health offers a variety of graduate programs tailored to different professional interests and career paths:

Master of Public Health (MPH)

This program prepares students to lead community health initiatives, shape public policy, and address global health challenges. Lehigh’s MPH program emphasizes hands-on experience and data-driven approaches to improving population health outcomes.

PhD in Population Health

This program trains scholars to advance research at the intersection of health, data, and policy, developing and applying innovative methods to improve health equity and systems worldwide.

Read also: Lehigh Grads and Employment

4+1 Accelerated Master of Public Health Program

Current Lehigh undergraduates can earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in just five years, saving time and tuition while building advanced expertise in public health. Senior Julie Wright ’25, G’26 is already taking advantage of this program.

Master of Engineering in Health Systems Engineering

This program integrates systems thinking, analytics, and engineering to improve healthcare delivery. Designed for engineers and health professionals, it prepares graduates to lead process improvement and innovation across healthcare organizations.

Flex MBA with Public Health Concentration

Offered in collaboration with Lehigh’s College of Business, this flexible MBA program allows students to gain core business leadership skills while focusing on the growing field of public health management.

Graduate Certificates

The College of Health also offers graduate certificates for those seeking specialized knowledge to complement their career or current studies:

Graduate Certificate in Population Health

This certificate strengthens understanding of health determinants, policy, and data analysis.

Interdisciplinary Policy Certificate

This certificate develops an understanding of health policy, systems, and leadership to drive meaningful change in the real world.

Undergraduate Health Majors

Lehigh’s College of Health strives for a world where everyone can reach their highest level of health. The college offers degree programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. Faculty conduct research, often with students, and address health comprehensively, accounting for the unique factors that impact, or determine, health, including race, gender, food security, policy, and physical environment. College of Health programs prepare students for a myriad of careers in health and healthcare. Students receive an applied education through a multi-disciplinary approach, emphasizing community partnership and the use of technology and data. The college offers BA and BS degrees as well as minor programs that integrate ethics, cultural understanding, and social justice. Regardless of the degree program, real-world experience is central to a College of Health degree- 25% of major course requirements are experiential. All students have the opportunity to engage in health-related research projects, field experiences, internships, and study abroad programs.

BS Biostatistics & Health Data: This major teaches students how to analyze health data to uncover insights that shape public health policy, improve patient care, and drive research. It blends statistics, technology, and healthcare applications. Junior Aaron Colon ’27 switched to this major because he wanted to have a reliable backup plan in case his interests changed.
BA Community & Global Health: This program focuses on the social, cultural, and policy factors that influence health outcomes around the world, preparing students to tackle pressing public health challenges locally and globally.
BA Health, Medicine, Society: This interdisciplinary program examines health through the lens of history, ethics, policy, and culture, exploring how medicine and healthcare systems intersect with society. Senior Natalie Werbel ’26 is a dual major in health, medicine and society, and community and global health.
BS Integrated Business & Health: Combining healthcare knowledge with business strategy, this program prepares students for leadership roles in hospitals, nonprofits, biotech, and beyond, emphasizing management, economics, and organizational health. First-year student Mara Fegley ’29 attended an open house on Lehigh’s campus for the BS in Integrated Business and Health.
BS Population Health: This major focuses on improving the health of different populations by studying health disparities, prevention strategies, and health system design. Senior Laxmi Thakkar ’26 appreciates the uniqueness of her major, as only three schools in the nation offer undergraduate degrees in population health.

The College of Health is home to three interdisciplinary institutes that focus on investigative research on specific topics and areas of expertise. Lehigh and its partners invest in research institutes that excel at focused and multidisciplinary studies, working together to solve problems both locally and globally.

Minor Programs

Lehigh’s College of Health offers several minor programs for students interested in complementing their major field of study with a focus on health-related topics:

Biostatistics Minor

The Biostatistics minor provides quantitatively oriented students with conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills in applied statistics and data science techniques commonly employed in the field of biostatistics. The curriculum seeks to prepare students to interpret and contribute to quantitative research in health-related fields, including community and population health. The minor serves to broaden student employment possibilities post-Lehigh while making them more competitive as applicants to health-related graduate programs that favor prior training in applied statistics. Total credits 17.

BSTA 101 & BSTA 102: Population Health Data Science I and Population Health Data Science I Algorithms Lab
BSTA 103 & BSTA 104: Population Health Data Science II and Population Health Data Science II Algorithms Lab
Electives (choose 3):
- BSTA 307 Applied Machine Learning for Health Sciences
- BSTA 308 Advanced R Programming
- BSTA 309 Outbreak Science & Public Health Forecasting
- BSTA 320 Independent Study or Research in Biostatistics

Community and Global Health Minor

The minor in Community and Global Health is for students not pursuing a major in community and population health. Students explore the multiple determinants of health and learn how to take a qualitative approach to investigate these determinants.

Core Courses:
- CGH 103 Biological & Environmental Determinants of Health
- POPH 003Justice, Equity, and Ethics in Population Health
- POPH 106 Global Environment and Human Welfare
Choose 1 Core elective at the 300-level:
- CGH 316Global Environmental Disasters & Policy
- EPI 308Spatial Epidemiology
- EPI 310Environmental Epidemiology & Exposure Science
- POPH 317Urban Greenspace and Health
Choose 1 Methods elective at the 300-level:
- BSTA 308Advanced R Programming
- BSTA 309Outbreak Science & Public Health Forecasting I
- CGH 306Mixed Methods in Health Research

Total credits:16. Core and Methods elective courses have pre-requisite requirements.

Epidemiology Minor

The Epidemiology minor fulfills the critical needs of a range of different types of students: (i) those pursuing health degrees who seek a broader quantitative skill set to measure the distribution and determinants of human health, (ii) students in environmental sciences, business, engineering, social or biological sciences who seek to learn how to impact health at the population level through public health methods, (iii) students interested in positions such as epidemiologist, food safety specialist, or community health workers in the public or private sector, and (iv) students wishing to pursue graduate studies in epidemiology, public or population health who are interested in applied research.

Environmental Health Minor

The Environmental Health minor equips students with theoretical understanding and practical skills necessary to identify, assess, and mitigate environmental health risks. This knowledge, deeply rooted in the interplay between the built and natural environment and its impact on human health, can be applied not only in students’ daily lives but also as a practical extension to their major field of study. These competencies are important in health-related fields, particularly in community and population health, and are increasingly crucial as societies navigate the challenges posed by climate change.

Health Policy & Politics Minor

The minor in Health Policy & Politics is intended for students interested in receiving more advanced training and experiences in healthcare policy-making processes and the political factors that influence this process. Courses introduce the theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding the different phases of the policy-making process; the important roles that politicians, bureaucrats, and civil society play in the design and implementation of policy; as well as the role of the international community, such as the World Health Organization (WHO). Total credits 18-22.

CGH 004 Introduction to Global Health
CGH 313 Health Policy and Politics
CGH 104 Sociocultural & Political Determinants of Health or CGH 105 Commercial Determinants of Health
Field or Research Experience
Two electives in consultation with the adviser.

LGBTQ+ Health Minor

The LGBTQ+ health minor introduces students to health disparities experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) populations across the lifespan, as well as to the factors that contribute to these disparities. Students learn how to provide LGBTQ+-inclusive sexuality education, conduct ethically and culturally appropriate LGBTQ+ health research, and implement evidence-based policies, programs, and services to improve the health of LGBTQ+ populations.

Required Courses:
- CGH 002Introduction to LGBTQ+ Health
- CGH 318Sexuality Education
- CGH 325LGBTQ+ Health Research, Policy, and Practice
Electives (minimum 2 courses):
- CGH 317Sex, Drugs, and Trauma
- CGH 320Independent Study or Research in Community and Global Health
- CGH 330Internship in Community and Global Health
- ENGL/WGSS 352Feminist and Queer Theory
- HIST/HMS/WGSS 125Does Sex have a History?

Maternal & Child Health Minor

The Maternal & Child Health minor provides students a deeper understanding of the lifecourse approach and the multiple determinants that shape the health and wellbeing of women, children, and families across the life course and intergenerationally. Students will apply these foundational concepts to evaluate maternal and child health research, programs, and policies in the US and globally.

Courses

The College of Health offers a range of courses across various disciplines, including Community & Global Health, Population Health, and Biostatistics.

Community & Global Health Courses

Seven Dimensions of Health & Wellness (CGH 007-010): This course delves into the seven dimensions of health and wellness, including physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, cultural, environmental, and community, and how they interact to create healthy people and communities.
Is that a fact? Evaluating Health News for Accuracy (CGH 096-011): This course introduces students to the tools necessary for analyzing health news for objectivity, bias, and mis- and disinformation.
Community Health (CGH 001-010): This course provides students with an overview of theoretical, methodological, and practical aspects of community health with a focus on working in diverse communities.
Introduction to Global Health (CGH 004-010): In this course, students will receive an introduction to global population health.
Culture and Health (CGH 021-010): This course will introduce students to the complex and dynamic relationship between culture and health in Western and non-Western populations, communities, and societies.
Global Perspectives on Health (CGH 022-010): This course is designed to introduce students to the inequalities and systems of stratification various industrialized and non-industrialized peoples and cultures around the world face when it comes to their health and wellness.
Sociocultural & Political Determinants of Health (CGH 104-010): This course will look at cultural, social, and political institutions, as well as other components of culture, society, and social structure, that affect health and the health outcomes at the individual and community-levels.
Commercial Determinants of Health (CGH 105-010): In this course, students will learn about the role that major soda and ultra-processed food industries play in affecting public health outcomes and policy-making processes.
Qualitative Methods in Health Research (CGH 106-010): This course is designed to give students a basic understanding of qualitative data collection and analysis methods used in community and global health research.
Introduction to Health Education (CGH 109-010): This course introduces the major theories and models of health education at multiple levels (individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy).
Coaching Towards Joy, Meaning, and Social Change (CGH 110-010): In this course you will learn and practice professional coaching techniques as one way to create meaning, increase your well-being, move towards what you want to achieve and who you want to be.
Mental Health Promotion and Peer Support (CGH 111-010): This course introduces students to the foundations of mental health promotion and peer support in community and global contexts.
Community & Global Health Field Experience II (CGH 302-010): In this course, students will implement their field experience, including deliverable and capstone report, proposed in CGH 301.

Population Health Courses

Representations of Disease & Disability in Popular Culture (POPH 108-010): This course critically assesses popular depictions of health, disease, and disability, asking how mass media and art affect our shared social imaginaries of these topics.

Biostatistics Courses

Statistical Literacy in Health (BSTA 005-010): This course is designed to introduce students with a fear of all things mathematical to the importance of statistics in health research.
Data Exploration in Python (BSTA 040-010): This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of programming in Python.
Population Health Data Science I (BSTA 101-010): This course provides an introduction to the use of statistics in health.
Population Health Data Science I - Algorithms Lab (BSTA 102-061): Students will use a statistical computing platform to apply concepts learned in BSTA 101 and attain autonomy in handling real-world data.
Population Health Data Science II (BSTA 103-010): This course is a continuation of BSTA 101.
Population Health Data Science II - Algorithms Lab (BSTA 104-061): Students will use a statistical computing platform to apply regression techniques learned in BSTA103 Population Health Data Science II to health datasets.
Health Data Science I: Inference (BSTA 132-010): This course provides an introduction to methods of statistical inference as applied to health data.
Health Data Science IV: Unsupervised Machine Learning in Health (BSTA 142-010): Unsupervised machine learning is used to discover hidden patterns and structures in high-dimensional unlabeled health data.
Outbreak Science & Public Health Forecasting I (BSTA 309-010): This course aims to introduce students to models that describe the spread of a pathogen through a population, and how models can support public health decisions.

Interdisciplinary Health, Medicine, and Society Major

The Health, Medicine, and Society major is jointly administered by the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Health. The Interdisciplinary Health, Medicine, and Society Major focuses on the social scientific, humanistic, and applied community-engaged dimensions of health and medical care to develop an understanding of how health, illness, and medical care impact individuals, families, culture, and societies. The joint major is intended to serve students who wish to be involved in some aspect of the healthcare industry, health policy, or public health and also students who are interested in communications, the pharmaceutical industry, law, business, agency work, and other careers where understanding health care is essential.

In addition to the 30-36 required credits, all HMS majors are required to have a second major. A minimum of 3 courses must be taken at the 300 level. No more than two courses for a maximum of 8 credits may be taken outside of Lehigh, including non-Lehigh study abroad.

Core Requirements:
- Health Humanities Core Course: HMS 170Medical & Health Humanities or HMS/PHIL/REL/ETH 116 Bioethics
- Behavior, Culture, & Society Core Course: HMS/PSYC 130Introduction to Health Psychology or HMS/SOC 160 Medicine and Society
- Public Health Core Course: POPH 001Introduction to Population and Public Health or CGH 001 Community Health or CGH 004 Introduction to Global Health
- Health Research Methods Core Course: POPH 002Population Health Research Methods & Application or BSTA 101/102 Population Health Data Science I or BSTA 005 Statistical Literacy in Health or CGH 106 Qualitative Methods in Health Research

Students must take a minimum of 3 courses outside of the core requirements in one of the following concentrations:

Health Humanities Concentration
Behavior, Culture, & Society Concentration

BS in Business and Health

The BS in Business and Health trains students to apply knowledge about the social determinants of health, and the ability to work with communities, to develop and implement solutions in the health industry. This interdisciplinary program provides students with knowledge and skills from the core curriculum in business and health economics offered by the College of Business and training in health policy and community health from the College of Health.

The program follows a cohort-based structure, which ensures that students progress through the curriculum together as a group. Consequently, transferring into the program from other programs at Lehigh or external institutions is not allowed. Students must indicate their intention to enroll in the IC program when they apply for admission to Lehigh.

Career Opportunities

Opportunities in health are varied and purpose-driven. Lehigh’s College of Health prepares students for diverse career paths, including health policy and administration, data science, business, and finance, in both public and private health sectors. Alumni have landed roles at leading companies such as Northwell Health, Becton Dickinson, Epic, Huron, Johnson & Johnson, Goldman Sachs, and Price Waterhouse Coopers. They have also pursued further studies in public health, law, epidemiology, and biostatistics at institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and Case Western Reserve, and have enrolled in medical school at institutions like George Washington University and the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.

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