Major in Public Health (BA/BS)
The BA/BS in Public Health prepares students for entry-level jobs as public health professionals. Public health professionals promote and protect the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work, and play. There is an emphasis on learning about prevention, how to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place. Public health professionals also promote wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors. Successful completion of the program can prepare graduates for jobs in public health. The primary career settings in which most students are placed include government health agencies, health care facilities (e.g., hospitals, clinics, skilled nursing or long-term care facilities,), health insurance agencies (e.g., HMO/managed care), nonprofit health organizations and business/industry worksites.
A minor is recommended for this program. Minors often selected include workplace wellness, Spanish, interpersonal relations, counseling, communication studies, and management.
In addition to the coursework required in this major, students must also complete a semester-long internship. In order to gain admission to the internship program, students must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 in HSC 200, 210, 301, 302, 310, 344, 382, 383, 388, 487 and 494. As a senior capstone, the internship course (HSC 479) should be the last course taken and students should not plan to take other courses although one elective is permitted during the internship, provided the intern preceptor is in agreement.
Graduates of the Public Health Program are eligible to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam. The CHES designation signifies an individual who has met required academic preparation qualification, has successfully passed a competency-based examination, and satisfies the continuing education requirement to maintain the national credential.
Major courses comprise 75 credits.
75-77 credits
Required Courses, 66-68 credits
| ANAT 201 | Fundamentals of Human Anatomy | 3 |
| HSC 160 | Fundamentals of Human Health | 3 |
| HSC 180 | Principles of Public Health | 3 |
| HSC 200 | Introduction to the Public Health Profession | 3 |
| HSC 210 | Health Behavior Theories | 3 |
| HSC 220 | Population, Race, and Culture in Public Health | 3 |
| HSC 301 | Program Planning in Public Health 1 | 3 |
| HSC 302 | Program Planning in Public Health 2 | 3 |
| HSC 310 | Healthcare Systems | 3 |
| HSC 330 | Legislative Policy, Advocacy, & Intervention Strategies in Public Health | 3 |
| HSC 344 | Disease Prevention and Management in Public Health | 3 |
| HSC 382 | Fundamentals of Biostatistics | 3 |
| HSC 383 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| HSC 388 | Organization and Administration in Public Health | 3 |
| HSC 479 | Internship | 6 |
| HSC 482 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| HSC 487 | Applied Research, Writing, and Evaluation in Public Health | 3 |
| HSC 494 | Health Communication | 3 |
| HSC 495 | Professional Preparation in Public Health | 3 |
| | |
| NUTR 275 | Personal Nutrition | 3 |
| or | |
| NUTR 340 | Principles of Human Nutrition | 3 |
| | |
| PHYS 205 | Fundamentals of Human Physiology | 3 |
| or | |
| PHYS 215 | Human Physiology | 5 |
Directed Electives, 9 credits from
Total Credit Hours: 75-77