The BS in Environmental Public Health is a "minimum requirements" major, which means that all students who meet the minimum requirements listed below, and who can complete the degree within the UW's maximum time frame, are admitted. Students can request to declare the major at any time by submitting an online declaration form.
On-demand Information Session
Application Dates
We review applications as they are submitted, and students should hear back from us within 10 business days. The application deadline for entry to the following quarter is the Friday of finals week. The upcoming application windows for entry to the follow quarters are:
- Spring 2025: CLOSED
- Summer 2025: March 24 - June 13 Application Open
- Autumn 2025: June 16 - Aug 22
- Winter 2026: Aug 25 - Dec 12
Minimum Admission Requirements
Students with 30-90 credits, and/or fewer than 6 quarters completed at the time of application will apply under early admission. Students with more than 90 credits and/or 6 quarters or more completed will apply under upper division requirements. Applicants must have a 2.0 in each of the prerequisites courses. Early admission applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Upper division applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5.
Math Preparation: Students do not have to complete the math graduation requirement before applying to the major. However, we recommend that students complete a math course before they register for the other supporting science courses. The recommended preparation for PHYS 114 is a previous algebra course covering concepts such as trigonometry and exponential functions. The recommended preparation for CHEM 142 is a good working knowledge of algebra.
Students may have prerequisites courses in progress at the time of application. Students who have questions about the major or the admission process are encouraged to meet with an adviser.
Early Admission Prerequisites
30-90 credits / fewer than 6 quarters completed at time of application
CHEM 142, 152 Chemistry series
ENGL 131 or equivalent English composition
Cumulative GPA of 3.0
Upper Division Admission Prerequisites
90 or more credits / 6 or more quarters completed at time of application
complete all early admission prerequisites above plus:
BIOL 180, 200, 220 (15) Introductory Biology with labs
(choose one chemistry sequence)
CHEM 142, 152, CHEM 220 OR
CHEM 142, 152, CHEM 223, 224, 241 OR
CHEM 142, 152, 162, CHEM 237, 238, 241 General and Organic Chemistry
Cumulative GPA of 2.5
Transfer Student Information
As a transfer student, you can declare the Bachelors of Science in Environmental Public Health major after you are admitted to the UW. Please consult the Environmental Public Health Transfer page for more information.
How to Declare the Major
The application consists of three components which you should prepare before you access the online application form
1. Personal statement: Your statement should be approximately 500 words, and should address the following questions:
- Why do you want to be an Environmental Public Health major?
- How will completing this degree help you to achieve your professional and academic goals?
2. Unofficial UW transcript: Current students may access unofficial transcripts through the Grades and Transcripts section found on the Academics block on MyUW. Select the Academics block at the bottom of the page. Next, select Unofficial Transcript under the Grades and Transcripts section. Select Printer-Friendly Version on the Unofficial Transcript page. It will create a PDF file of your unofficial transcript, which you can save and then upload into the application form.
3. Prerequisites and satisfactory progress: In the application you will be asked whether you are applying for early or upper division admission, and you will need to list out the prerequisites that you've already completed. You will also need to indicate how many quarters and credits you have completed. If you have any questions about early versus upper division admission, or prerequisites, please contact an advisor.
Notification: Applications are reviewed as they are submitted. Applicants who meet the minimum prerequisites and can complete the degree within the UW's maximum time frame will be notified within 10 business days and asked to come in for an advising appointment to formally declare the major.