HERS - Public Health: Community Health (PHCH) and Public Health: Epidemiology (PHEP) - BS Major

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55-57 S.H.

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, epidemiology, public health research, and public health program planning. The program also aims to provide a background in public health for students who wish to attend graduate school in health-related fields such as medicine and dentistry.

A student majoring in Public Health chooses either the Community Health Specialist focus or the Epidemiology focus.
The Community Health Specialist focus 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 including Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, non-governmental organizations such as hospitals, businesses and health based not-for-profit organizations such as the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and the American Diabetic Society. The focus 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.

The Epidemiology focus is designed for students who are interested in attending graduate school as preparation for careers in health based research and epidemiology (the science of how disease spreads in populations). The HERS Department encourages its public health majors to become members of its academic club, Health Organization for Promotion and Education (HOPE).

Students majoring in Public Health must complete all requirements of the HERS Department and all the requirements for graduation specified in the Academic Policies section of this catalog.