Bielefeld School of Public Health

Our new German-language Bachelor's degree programme in Public Health provides you with a sound initial scientific education in the health sciences and their application in the field of public health. You will have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the various theories and methods of the health sciences and to individually design your personal scientific profile.

The aim of public health is to protect and promote the health of all population groups - through improved living conditions, prevention, health promotion and health policy measures. This goal forms the framework for dealing with pressing socially relevant issues relating to health and illness, e.g. reducing health inequalities by reducing social differences in resources and risk factors.

During your studies, you will gain insights into the following subject areas:

• Health counselling and health education
• health management
• Organisational consulting and health system design
• Health reporting and epidemiology
• Demographic foundations of health and social security
• Environmental and planetary health
• Health services research and nursing

During your degree programme, you will have the opportunity to develop an individual skills profile and deepen it within the framework of a profile of your choice. You will be prepared for your professional career through a high proportion of practical work and the integration of career orientation programmes into the course of your studies.

At the end of your degree programme, you will be able to contribute to the increasingly rapid transfer of knowledge from the professional sector to the target group, solve problems on a health science basis and thus help shape change in the healthcare sector. After graduating, you can start your appointment directly or use your Bachelor's degree as a basis for our advanced Master's course in Public Health.

All regulations and provisions important for the degree programme (e.g. NC regulations), the list of modules and general information on the degree programme are expected to be published in spring 2026 after the final establishment of the degree programme.

Head of degree programme: Prof. Dr Doreen Reifegerste

Academic advisor: Ms Lena Schumann

On the Bachelor's degree programme in Public Health, you will be able to specialise in one of three areas:

• The Health Communication profile will focus on knowledge and research into the importance of communication and (digital) media for health and illness. This includes topics such as strategic health communication, health-related counselling and health-related science and risk communication. You will be able to use theories and models to analyse, critically reflect on, appropriately design and implement communication in different health contexts in a target- and addressee-oriented manner.
• The Health Behaviour and Health Conditions profile focuses on individual, social, economic, political and ecological factors influencing health. You will learn to identify, analyse and critically reflect on these factors and derive and implement options for action on this basis. This profile focuses on prevention and health promotion, social and health inequality as well as health reporting and monitoring.
• In the Health Care and Health System profile, the focus is on problem definition, goal and strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation of health care measures and health care concepts. You will be able to critically reflect on the challenges facing healthcare systems and derive solutions on the basis of the content-related and methodological knowledge acquired. The overarching topics of this profile are financing, control and management in healthcare systems, access, distribution and quality in healthcare and social and technical innovations in the healthcare system.

With a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Public Health, you will be qualified for a wide range of future career opportunities. Our planned profiles allow you to specialise in your future appointment and explore the full range of career opportunities in the health sector. To give you a first impression, we have summarised some examples of future career fields:

• Health communication: In this field, graduates can work as communication specialists in media companies, for example, where they develop health campaigns that are disseminated through various channels. As consultants in health organisations, you will support the development of communication strategies aimed at informing your target groups. You can also offer those seeking advice competent and customised help desks and advice with a focus on health science. You can also work in science communication, where you can present complex health research findings in an understandable and engaging way to raise awareness and understanding of important health issues.
• Health behaviour and health conditions: Graduates* of this profile can work in a variety of roles aimed at improving living conditions for different target groups. In government organisations, you will develop health promotion policies and programmes that focus on reducing health inequalities. In NGOs, you may lead projects ending dates that focus on disease prevention through education and promotion of healthy lifestyles. In the public health sector, you will be responsible for preparing health reports and implementing surveillance measures to analyse health trends in the population and recommend measures based on this.
• Healthcare and healthcare system: This profile qualifies graduates for various positions in which they can make healthcare more efficient and of higher quality. In hospitals, for example, you can work to increase operational efficiency and optimise patient care. In insurance companies, you will analyse data to develop cost-effective healthcare plans that meet both the needs of the insured and the demands of the market. In government health agencies, you will be responsible for developing and overseeing the implementation of innovative care concepts to improve access to healthcare and drive social and technical innovation in the healthcare system.

You are also welcome to take a look at interviews with former students (page under construction) of our faculty.

Individual counselling
Contact our academic advisor and find out more about our Bachelor's degree programme in Health Communication.

Infoweeks
Every summer semester, the faculty presents the Health Communication degree programme as part of the Info Weeks. You can find all the information about enrolment here.

Taster course
As part of the taster course, you can take part in various events on our Public Health degree programme and get a first impression. Here you will find all the information about enrolment and our current programme.

(Dual) orientation internship
The (dual) orientation internship offers you the opportunity to familiarise yourself with study and professional life in the field of health sciences.

Counselling and information services for professionally qualified (person) and "Studying without (German) 'Abitur'"
We are happy to advise you on how you can make the transition from your appointment or professional life to studying. Please contact Doris Mahlke to check your individual admission and approval requirements. For individual subject-specific advice, please contact our academic advisor.

Career guidance programmes at your school
We would be happy to come to your school and present our Bachelor's degree programme in Public Health as well as initial insights into the Master's degree programme in Public Health! We would be happy to take part in a career orientation fair at your school or present our degree programmes in an interactive lecture. Please feel free to contact us!

Discover the university! -Visit days for schools
As part of the "Discover the University!" programme, Bielefeld University offers whole year groups the opportunity to visit us. Your year group can benefit from various programmes.

(Dual) orientation internship
The (dual) orientation internship offers pupils the opportunity to familiarise themselves with study and professional life in the field of health sciences.

Our new German-language Bachelor's degree programme in Public Health offers you a sound initial scientific education and is the ideal preparation for the subsequent Master's course in Public Health if you would like to expand your scientific knowledge and analytical and methodological skills in the broad spectrum of public health.