Kinesiology

Bachelor of Science in Public Health

Bachelor of Science program in Public Health prepares students to work in Public Health and Community Health settings. Students in this major develop competence in the public health core disciplines of behavioral health, health education, epidemiology, biostatistics, health services administration and environmental health. Students can choose an emphasis in either community health education or environmental and occupational safety . Students also take courses in other public health disciplines such as women's health, multicultural health and public health preparedness.

All majors in the BS in Public Health complete a "capstone" internship during the final semester before graduation.

Community Health Education

Community health educators are professionally prepared in the disciplines of community and public health education. They demonstrate competence in planning, implementation, and evaluation of health promoting and health enhancing programs for individuals, groups, and communities.

Environmental and Occupational Safety

Environmental and occupational safety professionals are concerned with the relationships between the characteristics of the natural environmental (air, water, soil, chemicals, etc.) and mental and physical health. This information is used to establish limits on pollutants that the environment can absorb without detrimental effects, to develop control technology, and to implement controls as necessary for the benefit of human and animal populations.

Possible Public Health Career Paths:

  • Infectious Disease careers include Community Health Education Specialist, Epidemiologist, Public Health Advisor, Disease Ecologist, Public Health Specialist, and others;
  • Chronic Disease and Cancer careers include Community Health Education Specialist, Health Promotion Program Coordinator, Tobacco Quitline Advisor, Behavioral Scientist, and others;
  • Public Safety careers include Injury Prevention Specialist, Director of Emergency Medical Services, Specialist in Poison Information, Forensic Pathologist, and others;
  • Maternal and Child Health careers include Deputy Director for Family Health Services, Home Visit Nurse, Community Health Worker, WIC Nutritionist, and others;
  • Pharmaceuticals and Drug Safety careers include Medical Officer/Drug Evaluation and Safety, Biostatistician, Regulatory Affairs Specialist, and others;
  • Environmental Health and Water Safety careers include Toxicologist, Poisoning Prevention Coordinator, Environmental Engineer, Hazardous Waste Inspector, Hydrologist, Health Physicist, and others; 
  • Occupational Health and Safety careers include Occupational Medicine, Employee Health Nurse, Industrial Hygienist, Corporate Medical Director, and others;
  • Food Safety and Nutrition careers include Nutrition consultant, Food Service Sanitarian, Food Inspector/Department of Agriculture, Consumer Safety Officer/FDA, and others;
  • Disaster Preparedness and Response careers include Emergency Preparedness Specialist, Environmental Health Emergency Response Specialists, Disaster Preparedness Researcher, Bioterrorism Researcher, and others;
  • Evaluation, Safety and Quality careers include Program Evaluator, Quality Improvement Specialist, Outcomes Researchers, Informatics Specialist, Patient Safety Specialist, and others;
  • Public Health Administration and Leadership careers include Health Commissioner, Public Health Laboratory Director, Local Health Department Administrator, and others;
  • Health Disparities, Vulnerable Groups, and At-Risk Populations careers include Director of Office of Minority Health, Disease Prevention Activist, Area Agency on Aging Administrator, and others;
  • Global Health careers include Technical Advisor/Logistics, International Programs Manager, NGO Administrator, and others.