Sep 14, 2025  
2025-2026 Academic Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Academic Catalog

Public Health, B.S.


The Bachelors of Science in Public Health program will provide students with knowledge to become successful leaders in the field of health promotion. The degree leads to multiple options in the health professions, particularly in the area of public health. The curriculum will focus on the sociology and economics, as well as introduce students to health informatics, community-based prevention models, global health issues, and policy as it pertains to public health. The capstone project will embed students within a public health entity as interns, giving them workforce experience. The program will assist health educators or students wishing to enter other undergraduate or graduate programs, including Master’s in Occupational or Physical Therapy, a doctorate in Pharmacy, or a Master’s degree in Social Work, Public Health or Athletic Training. The 120-hour program could be completed in three years.

Graduates will be eligible to sit for the Health Educator exam. Twenty-five (25) semester credit hours of Public Health can be accepted for student to be eligible to sit for the Certification Exam and become a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).

The BS in Public Health course titles, descriptions and course objectives in the 33 semester hours were written to address the seven criteria for NCHEC:

Area I: Assess Needs, Assets and Capacity for Health Education
Area II: Plan Health Education
Area III: Implement Health Education
Area IV: Conduct Evaluation and Research Related to Health Education
Area V: Administer and Manage Health Education
Area VI: Serve as a health Education Resource Person
Area VII: Communicate and Advocate for Health and Health Education

The following requirements apply to all candidates for the BS in Public Health.

  1. Satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements for students entering college in Fall 1999 or after. See “Bachelor’s Degree Requirements .”
  2. Major Requirements:
    Other Lower level Requirements - (7 semester hours)
    PSYC Requirements - (9 semester hours)
    Public Health Requirements - (42 semester hours)
  3. Lower Division/Upper Division Free Electives - (18 semester hours) - To satisfy 120 s.h. degree requirement and 36 s.h. upper-division requirement. 

These requirements are summarized below.

Core Curriculum Requirements (44 Semester Hours)


  • Core 010 Communication - 6 s.h.
  • Core 020 Mathematics - 3 s.h.
  • Core 030 Life and Physical Science - 8 s.h. (2 Labs Required) (BIOL 2101 /BIOL 2301  and BIOL 2102 /BIOL 2302  preferred)
  • Core 040 Language, Philosophy and Culture - 3 s.h.
  • Core 050 Creative Arts - 3 s.h. 
  • Core 060 American History - 6 s.h.
  • Core 070 Government/Political Science - 6 s.h.
  • Core 080 Social and Behavioral Sciences - 3 s.h. (PSYC 2301  preferred; prerequisite for UD PSYC courses)
  • Core 090 Component Area Option: Speech - 3 s.h.
  • Core 090 Component Area Option: Computer Literacy - 3 s.h.

Major Requirements


Lower Division/Upper Division Free Electives (18 Semester Hours)


Minimum semester hours to complete degree - 120