Q & A for new Public Health Program
A new program in Public Health will launch September 2025. It will focus on providing students with foundational knowledge in public health and its application in health systems, health policy, and research methods as they are currently practiced in Canada. It represents a collaboration with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
For Health Studies Students in their FINAL Year of the Health Studies Program (Graduating in 2025)
Do my Health Studies major requirements change? No. Your Health Studies Major has not changed in any way. You will see that your requirements on Degree Explorer have not been affected by the new program, nor will they. You are a Health Studies major in perpetuity for your undergraduate journey.
Can I graduate with a major in Public Health instead? No. If you are entering your final year you do NOT have the option to switch to the Public Health program. It is a new curriculum, with new requirements. The first cohort of students eligible to graduate with a major in Public Health will not be until Spring 2026.
HST253H1, HST373H1, JHU473H1 - These are new program courses available this year - can I take them towards my Health Studies program requirements even if they are not listed in my Degree Explorer? Yes. Though none of them can be substituted for required program courses, they can be used as course credit toward Requirements 9, 10, 11, or 12 of the Health Studies Major. Please use this online form to make your request to apply one of these courses toward your program requirement.
What do I put on my CV/resume - Health Studies or Public Health? If your major is in Health Studies, and your program is Health Studies...your CV/resume will always denote Health Studies. Similarly, if your major/program is Public Health it will always be so. These majors follow two different curriculums and are not interchangeable.
For Health Studies Students who will NOT be Graduating Before June 2026
Do my Health Studies major requirements change? No. Your Health Studies Major has not changed in any way. You will see that your requirements on Degree Explorer have not been affected by the new program, nor will they. You are a Health Studies major in perpetuity for your undergraduate journey.
Can I graduate with a major in Public Health instead? The first cohort of students eligible to graduate with a major in Public Health will not be until Spring 2026. If you are not graduating before that then the answer is YES. In March 2025 you can request to switch to the new Public Health major - but this is not just a formality - if you switch to Public Health, you will have to graduate with the Public Health requirements - that is a different curriculum than your current Health Studies one. This means you will need to take the new required courses such as: PHS101H1* or PHS103H1*, HST253H1H1, HST410, and HST480H1. Please carefully review what courses you will need to take to fulfill the Public Health requirements before you request a switch. Essentially you need to decide if you can fulfill all your degree requirements, including the requirements for the Public Health Major, in the timeline you wish to finish your undergraduate journey.
* Note on PHS103H1 for current Health Studies students planning on applying to switch to the new Public Health major. If you have not already taken PHS100H1, you can enroll in PHS103H1 for the 2025-26 year. It can be taken concurrently with your other HST courses. PHS100H1 was retired as of 2023-24.
More information on how to apply for this switch at a later date.
For FIRST YEAR Students (incoming Sept 2024, choosing programs for Sept 2025) Who are Considering a Major in Public Health
Will the Health Studies major be available for me to enroll in for September 2025? No. The Health Studies Major will NOT be an option to new students as of September 2025.
Why a Public Health major instead? Our program will continue to explore how health is shaped by the circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work, and age, and how these in turn connect to a wider set of environmental, social, cultural, economic, and political forces. The changes to our program stem from an increased focus on the current state of public health and a new collaboration with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
What do I need to apply to Public Health? see the "Public Health Major (Arts Program) - ASMAJ2086" details in the University College Programs list.
Note on PHS100H1 and PHS103H1: if you are looking at the ASMAJ2086 details for Year 1, please note that neither PHS100H1 nor PHS103H1 are offered for the 2024-25 year. PHS103H1 will be offered in 2025-26. Non-program students, such as first year students, will be able to enroll in it. Moreover, it will not be a prerequisite for second year Public Health courses so it can be taken concurrently with other Public Health courses once you are enrolled in the program.
I Have More Questions - Who Do I Ask?
Questions about program-specific courses and requirements? health.studies@utoronto.ca
Questions about graduating timeline and switching from Health Studies to Public Health? health.studies@utoronto.ca OR your Registrar (or both)
Anything else? health.studies@utoronto.ca - if it can't be answered here, we will point you in the best direction.