Public Health - Community Health (PHCH) - BS Major

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75-77 S.H. (no minor required)

2.5 GPA required.

Letter grade required in all major courses unless otherwise noted.

Public Health - Community Health Major Map

Public Health

A Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health provides students with a thorough grounding in the science and art of maintaining and promoting the health of communities and populations. The degree will prepare students for a broad spectrum of careers in public health including health promotion, community development, health care administration, epidemiology, public health research, public health program planning and management.

Public Health Core

The Public Health core is based on the recommendations of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) for under-graduate programs in Public Health. The core includes courses that introduce the concepts and practice of public health as well a series of courses that explore the different ways in which the public’s health is promoted through preventing and controlling disease and managing health services. Many of the courses contain opportunities for service learning and community engagement to ensure that students have practical experience of working as public health professionals by the time they graduate.

Students majoring in Public Health take courses from the core and elect one of three emphases - Community Health Specialist, Epidemiology, or Health Administration. Each emphasis contains a sequence of courses designed to teach students skills and provide them with the entry-level knowledge and experience they will need to become effective professionals in their chosen field within public health.

Community Health Specialist Emphasis

The Community Health Specialist focus emphasis (PHCH) is designed to provide students with the experience and background they need to be eligible for entry-level jobs as health educators and health promoters in district and county health departments, governmental agencies non-governmental organizations and health-based not-for-profit organizations. The emphasis also provides a good foundation for post-graduate study and is particularly useful for Master’s degree programs in public health and community health education. Students in the community health specialist emphasis take core courses in public health. In addition, they take a series of courses that focus on community health promotion and health education.

Public Health Core (58-60 S.H.)

Health, Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences (44-46 S.H.)

✽ HERS 204 - Personal & Community Health (3 S.H.)
HERS 288 - Health Perspectives (3 S.H.)
△ HERS 316 - Introduction to Public Health (3 S.H.)
HERS 317 - Introduction to Environmental Health (3 S.H.)
◎ HERS 318 - Global Health (3 S.H.)
HERS 319 - Health Administration and Management (3 S.H.)
◎ HERS 328 - Behavioral Interventions (3 S.H.)
△✪ HERS 350 - Program Planning in Health Promotion (3 S.H.)
HERS 395 - Practicum in Public Health (1-3 S.H.)
◆ HERS 403 - Epidemiology (3 S.H.)
HERS 415 - Grant Writing (3 S.H.)
HERS 433 - Senior Health Seminar (1 S.H.)
HERS 496 - Internship in Public Health (10-12 S.H.)

Biology/Chemistry (8 S.H.)

Choose one course grouping:

Community Health Emphasis (17 S.H.)

Health, Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences (8 S.H.)

HERS 312 - School & Community Health (3 S.H.)
HERS 315 - Health Promotion Skills (3 S.H.)
HERS 326 - Educational Topics/Issues (2 S.H.)

Political Science (3 S.H.)

POLS 341 - Health Care Politics & Policy (3 S.H.)

Statistics (3 S.H.)

STAT 110 - Fundamentals of Statistics (3 S.H.)

Choose one (3 S.H.)

◎ CMST 385 - Health Communication (3 S.H.)
✽ HERS 205 - Nutrition for Lifetime Wellness (3 S.H.)
POLS 340 - Environmental Policy (3 S.H.)
PSY 327 - Health Psychology (3 S.H.)
SOC 250 - Introduction to Gerontology (3 S.H.)

Legend

◎ = Oral Intensive

◆ = Math/Critical Analysis Intensive

△ = Writing Intensive

✽ = Physical Development and Wellness Graduation Requirement

✪ = Civic Engagement and Service Learning