Public Health, B.S.

Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 124

Minimum cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0

Minimum number of credits to complete the major: 80

School: School of Nursing and Health Sciences

Department: Health Sciences and Nutrition

Learn more about the program

Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of health lifestyles and research for injury and disease prevention. Public health work involves analyzing the effect of genetics, personal choice and the environment on health in order to develop programs that protect the health of families and communities. Many health challenges face our local and global communities, in the areas of emerging infectious disease, obesity and sedentary lifestyle, aging, health care policy and costs, environmental health, health promotion, and education.

The School of Nursing and Health Sciences offers a major in Public Health to support students interested in pursuing careers in public health as well as preparing them effectively for graduate education in health care professions as well as in other fields with public health implications (law, business, international affairs, etc.). The public health field is currently experiencing a workforce shortage at local, state and federal levels.

Major Requirements

The B.S. degree in Public Health is awarded to students who complete a minimum of twenty courses (80 credits) in the major. Courses required in this major include thirteen Health Science courses, three Public Health elective courses, and four affiliated content courses.

Health Science Required Courses

Complete the following thirteen required courses:

EXS 2250 - Research Methods Credits: 4
HSC 1000 - Careers in Health Sciences Credits: 4
HSC 1122 - Anatomy and Physiology I with Integrated Lab Credits: 4
HSC 1123 - Anatomy and Physiology II with Integrated Lab Credits: 4
HSC 1500 - Introduction to Public Health Credits: 4
HSC 2300 - Introduction to Nutritional Sciences Credits: 4
HSC 2500 - Health Behavior and Promotion Credits: 4
HSC 3000 - Health Science Internship Credits: 4
HSC 3103 - Global Public Health Credits: 4
HSC 3312 - Introduction to Epidemiology Credits: 4
HSC 3322 - Environmental Health Credits: 4
HSC 3332 - Foundations of Health Policy Credits: 4
HSC 3342 - Foundations of Healthcare Systems Credits: 4

Biology

Complete the following required course:

BIO 1025 - Introduction to Biological Science I Credits: 4 (Note: With laboratory.)

Chemistry

Complete the following required course:

CHM 1110 - General Chemistry I Credits: 4

Philosophy

Complete the following required course:

PHL 2060 - Biomedical Ethics Credits: 4

Mathematics

Complete the following required course:

MTH 1111 - Basic Statistics Credits: 4

Additional Public Health Elective Courses

Choose three courses from across the College chosen for their relevance to interdisciplinary aspects of public health. Any course offered in a related department such as Communication and Media, Political Science and Public Policy, Psychology, Sociology, or Gender, Diversity, and Social Justice, at the 2000 level or higher that is not already a major requirement.

Note

Students choosing any of the majors in the department who are interested in professional programs in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, physician assistant, etc., should be consulting with their advisor to be sure that they are meeting all necessary prerequisites. Students choosing this concentration who are interested in professional programs in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, etc., may be required to take CHM 2220 Organic Chemistry II , CHM 2220 Organic Chemistry II /L, and two semesters of physics with lab in their program to fulfill graduate program pre-requisites.