Undergraduate Minors

Minor fields of study have been established within the University to provide opportunities for formal inter/intra-school study. Students must be enrolled in a degree program and must be in good standing to be eligible to take a Minor Field of Study in another school. Upon successful completion of all requirements, the Minor Field of Study and the courses taken in support of the Minor are entered on the student’s transcript.

GWSPH has four minor fields of study:

Bioinformatics
Exercise Science
Nutrition
Public Health

Admissions

To apply for the Public Health minor, students must have a 2.75 GPA or above.

Note: There is no longer a waitlist for the Minor in Public Health.

To apply for the Exercise Science and Nutrition minors, students must have a 2.5 GPA or above.

The minor in Bioinformatics requires students to have a 2.8 GPA or above.

The program guides linked to each program tab that follows include the application forms for each minor program.

Contact Undergraduate Advising page for more information.

To declare a minor in the Milken Institute School of Public Health, please submit this form.

Please note that we do not accept applications to enroll in our the SPH minors within three weeks of the start of registration each semester.

The Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics offers a Minor in Bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary minor offering focused training that integrates concepts in health, biology, statistics, and computer science. The program develops and integrates skills across the core competency areas in bioinformatics, including computation, biology, statistics/mathematics, and foundational knowledge in bioinformatics.

Students interested in Bioinformatics may wish to explore the BS/MS HDS program. Students in this dual degree program may take MS in Health Data Science courses and have them apply towards the Minor in Bioinformatics requirements.

Program Director: Keith Crandall

Admissions

Applicants must have a minimum 2.8 cumulative grade-point average (GPA). The application can be submitted electronically here.

Curriculum

Minor consists of at least 18 credits (12 credits of required foundational courses and 6 credits of bioinformatics-related elective courses).

Foundational Courses: 12 credits
PUBH 3201 | Introduction to Bioinformatics (3 credits)
PUBH 3202 | Introduction to Genomics (3 credits)
PUBH 4201 | Practical Computing (3 credits)
PUBH 4202 | Bioinformatics Algorithms and Data Structures (3 credits)

Elective Courses: 6 credits
Students may fulfill the elective requirement by taking any of the approved Bioinformatics elective course list. All other courses must have the written approval of the program director in advance. The program guide contains the most up-to-date Bioinformatics elective course list.

Program Guides

Current: Program Guide, 2025-2026

Past Program Guides

Current students in the Minor in Bioinformatics program should refer to the guide from the year in which they matriculated into the program.

A Minor in Exercise Science is offered through the Department of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences. Students completing the minor in exercise science gain proficiency in exercise science, human anatomy, exercise physiology, and more. Furthermore, students will fulfill the academic prerequisites for entry to the Milken Institute School of Public Health Master of Science program in Exercise Science. The minor provides a strong foundation in exercise science in preparation for enrollment in professional schools including: medical school, physical therapy school, nursing school, physician assistant school, public health, and other graduate study.

Admissions

A 2.5 grade-point average (GPA) or above is required for admittance. Students in the Exercise Science Major cannot declare an Exercise Science Minor.

Curriculum

To earn the Minor in Exercise Science, students are required to maintain a GPA of 2.5 or above and earn a C- or above in all minor courses.

The Minor in Exercise Science consists of a minimum of 18 credits (13 credits of required foundational courses and a minimum of 5 credits of selective courses).

Foundational Courses: 13 credits
EXNS 1103 | Professional Foundations for Exercise Science (1 credit)
EXNS 2210 | Applied Anatomy & Physiology I (4 credits)
EXNS 2211 | Applied Anatomy & Physiology II (4 credits)
EXNS 3311 | Exercise Physiology (4 credits)

Selective Courses: 5 credits minimum
Students may fulfill the selective requirement by taking any of the below courses.
EXNS 2110 | Injury Prevention & Control (3 credits)
EXNS 2216 | Exercise & Health Psychology (3 credits)
EXNS 2118 | Sport & Nutrition (3 credits)
EXNS 2119 | Introduction to Nutrition Science (3 credits)
EXNS 3110 | Field Experience in Exercise & Nutrition Sciences (1-3 credits)
EXNS 3312 | Exercise Physiology II (4 credits)
EXNS 3313 | Kinesiology (4 credits)

Program Guide

Current Program Guide:
Minor Exercise Science Program Guide 2025-26

Past Program Guides:
Students should follow the program guide of the year in which they matriculated.

Program Director: Matthew Barberio

GWSPH offers a Minor in Nutrition through the Department of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences. Students completing the minor in nutrition gain knowledge and skills in nutrient function and metabolism, dietary sources of nutrients, and the role of nutrients throughout the lifecycle. The Minor in Nutrition consists of at least 18 credit hours.

Program Director: Gabby Headrick

Admissions

Nutrition majors cannot declare a minor in Nutrition.

Applicants for the minor must have a 2.5 GPA or above to apply. The application can be submitted electronically here.

Curriculum

Students must earn a C- or higher in all courses required for the minor (core and elective) to graduate with a Nutrition Minor.

The Minor in Nutrition requires a minimum of 18 credit hours.

Required Courses (9 credits)

EXNS 2119 | Introduction to Nutrition Science (3 credits)
EXNS 2124 | Lifecycle Nutrition (3 credits)
and one of the following:
EXNS 2122 | Food Systems in Public Health (3 credits)
EXNS 2126W | International Nutrition (3 credits)
EXNS 4199 | Metabolism in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences (3 credits)

Selective Courses (9 credits)
Choose 9 credits from the below courses. The same course cannot count as both a required course and a selective course.

EXNS 1114 | Community Nutrition (3 credits)
EXNS 2118 | Sport and Nutrition (3 credits)
EXNS 2120 | Assessment of Nutritional Status (3 credits)
EXNS 2122 | Food Systems in Public Health (3 credits)
EXNS 2123 | Nutrition and Chronic Disease (3 credits)
EXNS 2126W | International Nutrition (3 credits)
EXNS 2127 | Introduction to Food Policy (3 credits)
EXNS 3111W | Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Research Methods (3 credits)
EXNS 3114W | Cultivating Food Justice in Urban Food Systems (3 credits)
EXNS 3120 | Experiences in Community Nutrition (3 credits)
EXNS 4199 | Metabolism in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences (3 credits)
GEOG 2133 | People, Land, and Food (3 credits)

Program Guides

Current Program Guide

Program Guide, 2025-26

Past Program Guides

Current students in the Minor in Nutrition program should refer to the guide from the year in which they matriculated into the program.

Please reach out to your current advisor for any questions.

GWSPH offers a Minor in Public Health. Through this minor, students are introduced to a wide range of public health topics, such as epidemiology, health management and policy, global health, health behavior, and environmental and occupational health. The Public Health Minor consists of 18 credits. The minor provides a strong foundation in public health in preparation for careers in public health and continuing education in professional schools including: law school, medical school, physician assistant programs, and public health programs.

Program Director: Elizabeth Gray

Admissions

Admissions Requirements: Cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above. The application can be submitted electronically here.

Curriculum

Students must earn a C- or higher in all courses required for the minor (core and elective) to graduate with a Public Health Minor.

Required Courses* (9 credits)

PUBH 1101 | Intro to Public Health and Health Services (3 credits)
PUBH 3131 | Epidemiology: Measuring Health and Disease (3 credits)
PUBH 3133 | Global Health and Development (3 credits)

A grade of C- or better must be achieved for each required course to earn the minor. Required courses must be taken at GWSPH. Courses toward the minor in Public Health are open to all undergraduate students based on availability in each course section.

Elective Courses (9 credits)

See Program Guide linked below for the most up-to-date list of approved electives.

Students may fulfill the elective requirement by taking any PUBH course or any course on the approved Public Health Elective Course List from the Bachelor of Science in Public Health. In addition, students may take up to 3 elective credits from the approved Study Abroad course list or the approved non-GW course list as long as they comply with all rules regarding courses taken outside of GW.

Non-Study Abroad courses taken outside of GW must meet the following requirements to be considered for approval:

They must be offered by an accredited school. They must be related to public health as determined by the Program Director. They may not be taught by graduate students. While courses may be taken on-line, they may be open access, on-line courses (e.g., MOOC or Coursera). The class must be graded.

Program Guides

Current Program Guide 2024-2025

Past Program Guides

Current students in the Minor in Public Health program should refer to the guide from the year in which they matriculated into the program.

NOTE: Please reach out to your current advisor for any questions.