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2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Bachelor of Science in Public Health

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree provides a professionally focused understanding of public health in America and abroad including the science, psychology, and sociology associated with public health issues. You will study public law, policy, and administration associated with the administration of public health along with its management, finances, and structure.

This online degree program is intended for professionals interested in the public health fields such as a community health worker or educator, dietitian, nutritionist, health services manager, or occupational health and safety technician.

Degree Program Objectives

In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:

  • Apply organizational design principles to the unique healthcare organization construct.
  • Perform macro- and microeconomic analyses of healthcare production and costs.
  • Critically analyze the healthcare system in the United States.
  • Create a plan for efficient healthcare system management.
  • Develop an ethical system to analyze moral issues in public health services delivery.
  • Discuss epidemiological issues in society.
  • Appraise the U.S. medical care system, its problems, and potential for reform.
  • Analyze international and comparative public health concepts, approaches, and systems.

Degree at a Glance

Degree Program Requirements

General Education (30 semester hours)

Major Required (37 semester hours)

Students must choose a concentration for this degree program and may select from a General Concentration, Concentration in Emergency and Disaster Management, Concentration in Nutrition and Wellness, or Concentration in Public Health Informatics.

General Concentration (21 semester hours)

Concentration Requirements (21 semester hours)

Concentration in Emergency and Disaster Management (21 semester hours)

Focuses on the theoretical, historical, and contemporary issues associated with quarantine as a public health and safety measure. Public health consequences of nuclear, biological, and chemical incidents, emergency planning and response measures in place among U.S. agencies, and emerging detection and management technologies will be explored. Psychological and physiological human response to natural and man-made disasters and media management will be discussed.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

  • Evaluate theoretical, historical, and contemporary issues associated with quarantine as a public health and safety measure.
  • Analyze specialized issues associated with emergency medical services in mass casualty, biological, chemical and radiological incidents.
  • Define and discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Incident Command System used in crises, disasters, and emergency management response systems.
  • Identify the historical development and use of chemical and biological weapons and their impacts.
  • Examine media management during local/national disasters and the levels of governmental response.
  • Examine normal and abnormal physiological and psychological reactions to natural and man-made disasters, and discuss the recovery process and principles of mental health care for victims of mass disasters.
Concentration Requirements (21 semester hours)

Concentration in Nutrition and Wellness (21 semester hours)

Focuses on nutrition and health, and analyzes human food choices from an ecological, political, and sociological perspective. Looks at the psychological effects of exercise and discusses issues related to personality factors and exercise motivation. Provides instruction on psychological skills training program development, which incorporates theories of anxiety reduction, imagery training, and effective goal setting.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

  • Evaluate the role of nutrition on individual health. Describe issues related to the personality factors in exercise and the psychological effects of exercise.
  • Discuss challenges related to motivation and the fundamentals of achievement motivation to guide practice and performance.
  • Explain concepts related to social, environmental. and occupational factors in health and illness.
  • Analyze human food choices from an ecological, political, and sociological perspective.
Concentration Requirements (21 semester hours)

Concentration in Public Health Informatics (21 semester hours)

Focuses on healthcare information management and its historical development, along with theoretical and practical applications of the health care delivery systems. Examines the emerging technology of electronic health records, and offers fundamental knowledge of the concepts of health informatics applications. Presents key skills and techniques that can be applied immediately to the management and governance of healthcare data.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

  • Define and use specialized medical vocabulary and accepted medical abbreviations and symbols needed in health information management.
  • Describe characteristics of health care delivery and settings in the United States.
  • Evaluate the type and content of the health record and interpret health records standards, policies and procedures.
  • Evaluate initial and ongoing training programs for healthcare organizations.
  • Utilize technology for data collection, storage, analysis, interpreting, and reporting of healthcare information.
  • Identify, evaluate, and analyze health information needs across the healthcare continuum.
Concentration Requirements (21 semester hours)

Final Program Requirement (3 semester hours)

Elective Requirements (29 semester hours)

  1. All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101-Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110-Making Writing Relevant.

  2. All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101-Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110-Making Writing Relevant.

  3. Prerequisite: Senior Standing and completion of all major courses prior to enrollment. Must be taken as the last course before graduation.

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