Health Data Science - BS | Milken Institute School of Public Health

Health Data Science - BS

The Bachelor of Science (BS) program in Health Data Science is an innovative and interdisciplinary degree designed to provide a robust understanding of how data analytics, statistics, and machine learning can help address pressing public health challenges. In this program, students learn how to manage, analyze, and interpret complex health data and gain a strong foundation in public health principles, health policy, and population health. They study how to apply data science tools and methodologies to real-world public health issues such as epidemic tracking, health disparities, disease prevention, health promotion, and health services planning. This program combines epidemiology, biostatistics, health informatics, machine learning, and data ethics modules. Graduates are well-equipped to work in diverse settings such as public health departments, healthcare organizations, non-profit research institutions, and government agencies, where they can play pivotal roles in data-driven public health initiatives. The BS in Health Data Science program requires the completion of 120 credits. Coursework can generally be completed in 4 years as a full-time student, though we offer flexible pathways to degree completion.

The BS in Health Data Science students develop exceptional analytical skills to take full advantage of the rapidly increasing public health, biomedical, and environmental data, and through diverse data integration and analyses, they can make powerful predictions for public health and biomedical outcomes. With these skills, our BS in Health Data Science students are uniquely prepared for professional admissions in fields such as

Public Health
Biotechnology
Pharmaceutical industry
Allied Health
Government
Business
Health Education
Health Services Administration
Law
Medicine, Nursing, and other health professions
Graduate programs in health data science, bioinformatics, biostatistics, computational biology, genomics, etc.

Examples of potential job roles:

Healthcare Data Scientist, Clinical Research Analyst, Healthcare Quality Analyst, Health Informatics Specialist, Healthcare AI Researcher, and Genomic Data Analyst.

A few examples of questions students will be able to answer as BS in Health Data Science graduates:

What are the key factors influencing patient readmission rates?
How can we identify patterns in patient health records to predict disease progression?
How can we analyze population health data to identify disease trends and patterns?
What statistical methods can be used to assess the effectiveness of public health interventions?
Can we develop predictive models to anticipate the spread of infectious diseases?
How can we leverage data analytics to optimize resource allocation in healthcare organizations?
What strategies can be employed to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare
How can we develop algorithms for medical image analysis and disease detection?
Can we create interactive dashboards or visualizations to monitor population health trends?

Interested in earning a master's too? Please go to Dual Degrees for more information.

See the HDS Program Guide and Undergraduate Handbook for more information and program policies.

Program Director: Dr. Ali Rahnavard

Undergraduate Advising

Join T.E.A.M Milken! T.E.A.M. Milken is open to all GWSPH undergraduate majors. Our goal is to provide individualized support to students so you will thrive at GW and be prepared to launch your public health career.

Incoming freshman and external transfer students may apply directly to the major through GW admissions. Prospective GW students should review the undergraduate admissions page (https://undergraduate.admissions.gwu.edu/) for details about the process. Internal transfer students accepted into the program matriculate in the semester following admission. We will accept transfers from students with a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Students should use the internal transfer form found on the Registrar’s website.

The internal transfer application deadline is October 15th in the fall semester and February 15th in the spring semester. Students follow the prescribed curriculum effective in the year that they matriculate into the BS in Health Data Science program.

Per GW policy, undergraduate students may not take courses on-line during the fall or spring semesters.

There are four levels of requirements for this BS degree: University general education requirements, major core requirements, guided electives, and general electives. University general education requirements are taken by all University undergraduate students and form the liberal arts education component of the BS degree. Students with a declared concentration must meet the requirements for the concentration in addition to the four levels of requirements listed above. See Concentration tab and program guide for more information.

Course Descriptions

University General Education Requirements - all concentrations

University Writing
One of the following University Writing Courses (4 credits):
UW 1020 | University Writing

Writing in the Disciplines (WID)
Two WID courses, which may also be counted in another category (6 credits)

Humanities
One course in the Humanities (3 credits). Click here for eligible classes.

Mathematics & Statistics
One course in Mathematics or Statistics (3 credits).

Science
One natural or physical science course with laboratory (4 credits).

Social Science
Two courses in the social sciences (6 credits). One of these courses should have an approved oral communication component (see below).

Oral Communications
One course (3 credits) with an approved oral communications component. Students are encouraged to take one of the following:
AMST 2450 | History & Meaning of Higher Education in the United States (3 credits)
AMST 2620 | Human Mind & Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
ANTH 1004 | Language in Culture & Society (3 credits)
ANTH 3838 or ANTH 3838 | Theory & Practice in Archaeology (3 credits)
CHEM 2118W | Practicing Science Communications (3 credits)
COMM 1040 | Public Communication (3 credits)
COMM 1041 | Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)
EAP 1010 | Oral Academic Communication for International Students (3 credits)
ENGL 1365 | Literature & the Environment (3 credits)
GER 2109 or GER 2109W | Advanced Conversation & Composition (3 credits)
GTCH 2003 | Step 1 & 2 Hybrid: Inquiry Approaches to Teaching & Lesson Design (3 credits)
GTCH 3101 | Knowing & Learning in Mathematics & Science (3 credits)
HONR 1034 | Honors Seminar: Scientific Reasoning & Discovery (3 credits)
ORSC 2000 | Sophomore Colloquium: Diversity in Organizations (3 credits)
SLHS 1011 | The Art & Science of Effective Public Speaking (3 credits)
SOC 4195 or SOC 4195W | Senior Research Seminar (3 credits)
SPAN 3022 | Advanced Oral Proficiency: Environmental & Social Sustainability in Latin America (3 credits)
WLP 1020 | Writing, Literature, & Society (3 credits)

Some classes will double count towards University General Education (GenEd) requirements as well as Health Data Science Core requirements. Confirm with advisor that these courses count towards GenEd and Health Data Science core requirements.

GENERAL EDUCATION TOTAL: 24 CREDITS

See the University Bulletin for most up-to-date version of GenEd requirements and approved courses here.

Health Data Science Core Courses - all concentrations

PUBH 1010 | First Year Experience in Public Health (1 credit)
PUBH 1101 | Introduction to Public Health & Health Services (3 credits)
PUBH 1142 | Introduction to Health Data Science (3 credits)
PUBH 2110 | Public Health Biology (3 credits)
PUBH 2140 | Foundations of Research Methods (3 credits)
PUBH 2142 | Introductory Biostatistics (3 credits)
PUBH 2242 | Natural Language Processing for Healthcare (3 credits)
PUBH 3131 | Epidemiology (3 credits)
PUBH 3232 | Health Data Mining (3 credits)
PUBH 3242 | Health Data Visualization (3 credits)
PUBH 4201 | Practical Computing (3 credits)
PUBH 4202 | Bioinformatics Algorithms & Data Structures (3 credits)
STAT 2183 | Regression Analysis or Applied Statistical Methods (3 credits)
STAT 4157 | Introductory Probability (3 credits)

Students must earn a minimum of a C- in each Health Data Science core course, and earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the Health Data Science core to graduate.

HEALTH DATA SCIENCE CORE TOTAL: 40 CREDITS

Guided Electives - all concentrations

The courses provided on the Guided Electives list have been identified as highly relevant to the BS in Health Data Science. Each concentration indicates a minimum number of credits that must be selected from this approved list of 'guided elective' courses.

For the most up-to-date list of program courses and program requirements, please reference the program guide or the GW Bulletin.

Non-Academic Requirements

Professional Enhancement

Students in SPH programs must participate in eight hours of Professional Enhancement. These activities may be public health-related lectures, seminars, or symposia related to your field of study.

Professional Enhancement activities supplement the rigorous academic curriculum of the SPH degree programs and help prepare students to participate actively in the professional community. You can learn more about opportunities for Professional Enhancement via the Milken Institute School of Public Health Listserv, through departmental communications, or by speaking with your advisor.

Students submit a completed Professional Enhancement Form to the Office of Student Records which is required documentation to be cleared for graduation.

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Training

All students are required to complete the Basic CITI training module in Social and Behavioral Research. This online training module for Social and Behavioral Researchers will help new students demonstrate and maintain sufficient knowledge of the ethical principles and regulatory requirements for protecting human subjects - key for any public health research.

Academic Integrity Quiz

All Milken Institute School of Public Health students are required to review the University’s Code of Academic Integrity and complete the GW Academic Integrity Activity. This activity must be completed within 2 weeks of matriculation. Information on GWSPH Academic Integrity requirements can be found here.

Past Program Guides

Students in the BS in Health Data Science program should refer to the guide from the year in which they matriculated into the program. For the current program guide, click the "PROGRAM GUIDE" button at the top of the page.

Guided Electives are courses that have been identified as highly relevant to the BS in Health Data Science curricula. These preapproved courses can be found on the Guided Electives list on the program guide or the GW Bulletin.

General Electives are any undergraduate course at the university, except LSPA designated courses. Students are welcome to take additional courses from the Guided Electives list as General Electives.

For the most up-to-date list of program and concentration requirements, please reference the program guide.

Pre-Medical Professional

The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Health Data Science with Pre-Medical Professional Concentration offers students the chance to acquire knowledge and skills in data science, statistics, machine learning and public health.

BISC 1112 | Biology II (4 credits)
BISC 3261 or CHEM 3165 | Introduction to Biochemistry (3 credits)
CHEM 1111 | General Chemistry I (4 credits)
CHEM 1112 | General Chemistry II (4 credits)
CHEM 2151 & CHEM 2153 | Organic Chemistry I & Lab (4 credits)
CHEM 2152 & CHEM 2154 | Organic Chemistry II & Lab (4 credits)
and one of the following:
PHYS 1011 & PHYS 1012 | General Physics I & General Physics II (8 credits)
PHYS 1021 & PHYS 1022 | University Physics I & University Physics II (8 credits)
PHYS 1025 & PHYS 1026 | University Physics I with Biological Application & University Physics II with Biological Applications (8 credits)
and one of the following:
PSYC 1001 | General Psychology (3 credits)
SOC 1001 | Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)

HEALTH DATA SCIENCE CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 34 credits

HEALTH DATA SCIENCE, PRE-MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 120 CREDITS

Health Data Science - No Concentration

The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Health Data Science with no concentration offers students the chance to acquire knowledge and skills in the broader areas of health data science.

24 credits | General Education Requirements (GenEd) & WID Courses
40 credits | Core Health Data Science Requirements
15 credits | Guided Electives
41 credits | General Electives

HEALTH DATA SCIENCE, NO CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 120 CREDITS

Students are responsible for reviewing, understanding, and following the policies and requirements as outlined in the Undergraduate Student Handbook and the University’s Bulletin.

For more information, visit Undergraduate Advising.