BS Population Health
Understand what drives the health of communities and populations worldwide. Lehigh’s BS in Population Health combines data science, public health, and policy to help students analyze health outcomes and design solutions that advance health equity and well-being.
This program is one of only three undergraduate programs in population health nationwide.
Lehigh’s Population Health Major
The BS in Population Health helps students explore what shapes health and how data can be used to improve it. The program blends public health, data science, and hands-on research to prepare you to make a real difference in communities everywhere.
- Use data science tools to investigate the social and environmental factors that affect health.
- Learn how to design better ways to prevent disease and promote well-being.
- Build a foundation in biostatistics, epidemiology, social sciences, and quantitative research methods.
- Gain experience through research projects, internships, and community partnerships.
Benefit from close faculty mentorship and real-world opportunities at Lehigh, an R1 research university recognized for its emphasis on undergraduate research.
What is Population Health? Why is it Important?
Population health sits at the heart of today’s biggest challenges. Population health focuses on understanding and improving health outcomes across groups of people, rather than individual patients. Population Health students study how social determinants such as income, education, environment, and access to care influence health.
Studying population health means asking and answering big questions:
- How can we expand access to care?
- Why do some groups face worse outcomes?
- How can policy and innovation close these gaps?
Population Health vs. Public Health
While public health focuses on preventing disease and promoting health through organized efforts, population health takes a broader view, integrating data, policy, and systems thinking to understand why health outcomes differ across populations.
Lehigh’s program bridges population and public health, giving students the analytical and contextual foundation to address health challenges at local and global scales.
Our BA in Community & Global Health also touches on these fields, and our BS in Biostatistics & Health Data Science focuses heavily on the data side of health.
What Can You Do with a Population Health Major?
A bachelor’s degree in population health opens doors to impactful roles in research, health systems, and policy. Lehigh graduates are prepared to pursue careers like:
- Population health analyst or data scientist
- Health policy researcher or consultant
- Program evaluation specialist
- Healthcare operations or quality improvement analyst
- Epidemiology or health services research assistant
Many graduates also pursue graduate degrees in public health, data science, or health policy.
Admission Process & Affording College
Visit our Undergraduate Admission page to learn about next steps, application requirements, deadlines, and tips for submitting a strong application.
For details on tuition, scholarships, and financial aid, visit Lehigh’s Tuition and Financial Aid page to explore funding opportunities that make a Lehigh education accessible.
For information please email us at incohadv@lehigh.edu
Frequently Asked Questions about a Population Health Major
If you’re interested in health, science, and making an impact, population health offers a way to study all three. You’ll explore how data, environment, policy, and human behavior shape health outcomes and learn to use that knowledge to improve lives on a large scale.
Public health focuses on programs and policies to prevent disease and promote wellness, while population health looks more broadly at the data and systems that explain why health varies between groups, and how to close those gaps.
Yes. Population Health offers a strong foundation in health systems, epidemiology, data, and research, making it excellent prep for medical school, public health graduate programs, or careers in health policy and administration.
Population health graduates work in roles such as policy analyst, data scientist, consultant, or health researcher across hospitals, government agencies, nonprofits, and research institutions.
At the undergrad level, it’s rare to find a program in population health with an R1 distinction. As an R1 research university, Lehigh offers students hands-on opportunities to analyze real data, collaborate with faculty on health research, and explore how health, policy, and society intersect to drive better outcomes for communities worldwide.
Absolutely. Some students pair Population Health with fields like biostatistics, business, psychology, economics, or political science to expand their career options and deepen their understanding of how health connects to other systems. If you are interested in the business of health, with a stronger emphasis on business, you should consider our Integrated Business and Health (IBH) program as well.