Health and Society Major (BS)

Description

The 30-credit Health & Society program within the Department of Public Health and Health Education provides students with foundational knowledge of community health. Students in the program learn about the many factors that shape the health of communities and explore evidence-based strategies to reduce health disparities. The online nature of the program provides flexibility for students who are working, or who want to pursue additional academic areas of interest such as a second major or a minor. The Health and Society program can complement a related second major, such as Psychology, Recreation and Leisure Studies, or Women and Gender Studies.

The program consists of Required core courses and content electives focused on various dimensions of health. Students interested in becoming a public health educator or sitting for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) Exam should speak with an advisor about our professional program in Public Health Education.

Program Requirements

Undergraduate students in this program pursue a Bachelor of Science degree and must complete its requirements.

Students must achieve a grade of “C” or better in each course applied to the major.

General Education Requirements (31-37 credits)

Major Department Requirements (30 credits)

Required Core Courses (15 credits)

• PBH 235 Zip Codes, Community and Health
• PBH 302 Foundations of Health Education
• PBH 317 Introduction to Public Health
• PBH 488 Biostatistics and Epidemiology
• PBH 495 Health Research
  • PBH 488 and PBH 317 are prerequisites for PBH 495

Health-Related Content Courses (15 credits)

Candidates must complete 15 credits of content courses from the following list:

• PBH 230 Public Health Strategies on College Campuses*
• PBH 303 Environmental Health
• PBH 306 Contemporary Issues in Health*
• PBH 311 Nutrition
• PBH 312 Mental Health
• PBH 313 Introduction to Safety
• PBH 314 Family Life
• PBH 402 Women’s Health*
• HCS 409 Introduction to Alcohol and Other Drugs
• PBH 419 Human Sexuality*
• PBH 426 HIV/AIDS: Issues and Implications*
• PBH 450 Global Health*
  • PBH 488 is a prerequisite for PBH 450
• PBH 471 Childhood and Adolescent Stress
• PBH 489 Epidemiology
• PBH 490 Selected Topics in Health

*denotes courses that meet both major and general education requirements

Electives (52–56 credits)

Total credits (120 credits)

Student Learning Outcomes

The Health and Society program is aligned with four of the eight Areas of Responsibility as defined by the National Commission on Health Education Credentialing.

Public Health Major

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Assess community needs for health education/promotion interventions
2. Administer health education strategies, interventions, and programs
3. Conduct evaluation and research related to health education
4. Communicate, promote, and advocate for health, health education/promotion