Public health is all around us: in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the foods we eat. Many questions of our era involve public health. Are we living healthy lives? How does climate change affect health? Are children getting the nutrition they need to grow? And among the most pressing issues is whether communities have access to affordable, quality healthcare.

People in the United States live an average of 30 years longer than they did in 1900. 25 years of this gain can be attributed to innovations in public health.

The CDC: Top 10 Public Health Achievements of the Past Century

1. Vaccinations
2. Safer workplaces
3. Motor-vehicle safety
4. Control of infectious diseases
5. Decline in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke
6. Recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard
7. Fluoridation of drinking water
8. Healthier mothers and babies
9. Safer and healthier foods
10. Family planning

Some resources to explore the field of public health:

• Discover Public Health
• Study Public Health
• What Is Public Health
• American Public Health Association: What Is Public Health?
• CDC Foundation: What Is Public Health?

Tucson

The College of Public Health is based in Tucson, Arizona in the Arizona Health Sciences Center, which is just north of the main University of Arizona campus. The Health Sciences Center has a fully staffed library, small bookstore, coffee shops, and a cafeteria. The Health Sciences Center is also home to the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy, as well as biomedical research space and various centers our faculty and students contribute to, such as the Cancer Center and the Respiratory Center.

Phoenix

We also have a Phoenix Campus, which is located in downtown Phoenix at 7th St. Van Buren. Sharing space with the UA College of Medicine Phoenix, the College of Pharmacy, and the College of Nursing, this campus offers many opportunities for practice-based learning in a large, urban environment. The three degree programs offered in Phoenix are the MPH in Public Health Practice, the MPH in Health Services Administration, and the dual MD/MPH programs, which are partial distance-learning programs.

Arizona's first and only accredited college of public health, the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health is uniquely situated in the culturally rich and diverse Southwest.

Distinguished for our outstanding community-based research and for our focus on eliminating health disparities, we offer outstanding opportunities to students for education, research, and community involvement. The College's interdisciplinary activities are enhanced by being part of the Health Sciences Center with campuses in Tucson and Phoenix.

Training students for the real world with rigorous, discussion-based classes and strong faculty mentoring.

World class research by faculty who focus on communities living in the Southwest, along the US/Mexico border, and globally.

Connected with communities with expertise in health disparities and community-based participatory research, particularly among Latinx and American Indian communities.

Diversity  The College of Public Health consistently ranks among the top 5 of the accredited schools of public health for American Indian and Hispanic students, and is home to a large cohort of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Outstanding service learning opportunities offer students the chance to gain hands on experience in the application of public health principles in border health, rural health, urban health, sun safety, and more.

Active student groups including the Public Health Student Alliance, the Global Health Alliance, the Student Environmental Health Sciences Association, and the Social Justice Symposium Committee.

State of the Art Facilities  Drachman Hall features high-tech, comfortable classroom and meeting space.

Tucson and Phoenix have 350 days of sun each year and outstanding opportunities for hiking, cycling, and other outdoor activities.

Students interested in adding the public health major and/or meeting with a public health Academic Advisor should follow the instructions on the public health major page.

You can learn more about your Academic Advisor and about how undergraduate advising works in our college on the undergraduate advising page. 

Students can also visit The Hub for up-to-date information on course registration, email and communication tips, and other advising resources.

You can learn more about your Academic Advisor and about how undergraduate advising works in our college on the undergraduate advising page.

Students can also visit The Hub for up-to-date information on course registration, email and communication tips, and other advising resources.