Public Health Major

Barbra J. Beck	Department Chair and Associate Professor of Public Health
Patrick Grayshaw	Assistant Professor of Public Health
Maren Hawkins	Assistant Professor of Public Health

The mission of public health is to fulfill society’s interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy. Public health carries out its mission through organized, interdisciplinary efforts that address the physical, mental, and environmental health concerns of communities and populations at risk for disease and injury. Its mission is achieved through the application of health promotion and disease prevention technologies and interventions designed to improve and enhance quality of life. The core areas of public health include health services administration, biostatistics, epidemiology, behavioral sciences/health education and environmental health sciences.

Students in the Public Health major will also become eligible to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist exam offered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC). NCHEC’s voluntary professional certification program establishes a national standard for individual health education practitioners. Health educators are professionals who design, conduct and evaluate activities that help improve the health of all people. These activities can take place in a variety of settings that include schools, communities, health care facilities, businesses, colleges and government agencies. Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) are those who have met the standards of competence established by NCHEC and have successfully passed the CHES examination. The CHES designation after a health educator’s name is an indication of professional competency and commitment to continued professional development.

Learning Outcomes for the Public Health Program

Public health students will be able to:

1. Explore the science of human health and disease including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the life course;

2. Articulate the historical and physiological foundations of public health as well as its core values, concepts and functions across the globe and society;

3. Use the basic concepts, methods, and tools of public health data collection in order to apply evidence-based approaches to public health problems;

4. Identify the major health related needs and concerns of the population and address these through the planning, implementation, and evaluation of interventions;

5. Identify socio-economic, behavioral, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities;

6. Identify the fundamental characteristic and organizational structures of the U.S. health system as well as differences in the systems of other countries;

7. Address the basic legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of public health and the policies, roles and responsibilities of different agencies and branches of government; and

8. Demonstrate public health-specific communication, including technical and professional writing, the use of mass media, and electronic technology.

These learning outcomes are delivered through a focused curriculum in disease prevention, quantitative skills, health service organization and delivery, and community dimensions of practice.

Suggested Minors

1. Health Care Administration
2. Spanish
3. Environmental Science

Progression Standards for the Public Health Program

As soon as a student makes the decision to pursue Public Health as a major, they complete the major form through the registrar’s office and are then assigned to and advised by a program faculty member. Formal admission to the major requires 1) completion of all public health courses through PBH 210, 2) a cumulative 2.5 GPA or higher in public health courses, 3) a minimum grade of “C” or a Satisfactory (S) in all public health courses; and 4) completion of a public health major formal application.

The formal application is submitted to the student’s faculty advisor along with an unofficial transcript and brief personal statement. Applications will be reviewed by public health program faculty, and the student will be notified of the faculties’ decision.

Grade Requirements:

1. A minimum grade of “C” or a Satisfactory (S) is required in all public health courses.
2. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher in all Public Health major course requirements per the major listing in the catalog. 
3. Student compliance with Public Health Academic Progression Standards is reviewed at completion of each semester by the Health Sciences Progression Review Committee. Following committee review, students not meeting Standards are advised of their status through the Office of the Registrar.

Caregiver Background and Criminal History Check

The student must complete a caregiver background and criminal history check prior to community placements. Certain convictions may prevent or significantly limit the ability of the university to place a student in the field experience and internship courses resulting in the student being unable to meet the university’s graduation requirements.