Public Health Undergraduate Programs: An Overview

Public health is a dynamic and growing field focused on improving the health and well-being of communities and populations. Public health majors address critical issues such as disease outbreaks, health education, safety standards, and the consequences of unhealthy lifestyles. This article provides an overview of public health undergraduate programs, including coursework, career paths, and factors to consider when choosing a major.

What is a Public Health Major?

A public health major is a degree path designed to help students promote and support individual and community health. Students develop critical thinking and analytical skills to address issues like low vaccination rates, foodborne illnesses, and drug overdoses. The undergraduate degree program for a Bachelor of Science in Public Health provides students with the skills necessary to understand the complex factors that influence the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations and to take a public health approach to addressing these factors to improve health outcomes for both individuals and societies. Public health students learn how to help more people achieve and maintain good health in their communities and around the world. After graduation, they can work in roles where they respond to outbreaks or advance preparedness.

Public Health vs. Biology Major

While both public health and biology can be good choices for students planning to attend medical school, they are drastically different areas of study. Biology majors delve deeper into the science of life, studying zoology and botany, and taking biology lectures and labs.

Public health majors focus on human health education and outreach. They may study human anatomy and physiology but typically take classes addressing community health promotion strategies and health communication and literacy.

The right major depends on your post-graduation plans. A biology major is suitable for a research career, while a public health major is ideal for organizing vaccine clinics or providing community services.

Read also: Best Public Health Degrees

Common Coursework

Undergraduate public health majors should expect to take chemistry and statistics; some programs may require a semester of calculus. Core requirements may also include coursework in epidemiology and health policy, the public health system, and lifestyle factors that influence health. In some programs, students can choose electives or intermediate courses such as environmental health, economics, or sociology.

At Mizzou, Public Health students learn about the activities needed to promote and protect the health of people and the communities that they live in. A core curriculum of health education, epidemiology, environmental health, communication and culture help prepare students for a multitude of public health career paths.

Experiential Learning and Honors

Programs often require students to gain hands-on experience in the field through volunteering, interning, or conducting research to complete their degree. Undergraduates may be able to receive honors by completing independent research with a faculty member’s guidance, and they can look for undergraduate journals in which to publish their work.

Is Public Health the Right Fit?

If you want to expand health care access, improve education about substance use, or reduce the spread of communicable diseases, public health could be the right major. Many public health professionals have a master’s degree, so students should consider whether studying beyond a bachelor’s program is feasible. Some programs offer options to get a master’s degree while earning a bachelor’s degree or by spending a fifth year at the same institution.

With public health workers responsible for such lifesaving measures as clean water standards and vaccination programs, these majors can feel confident that their studies will prepare them to contribute to vital health initiatives.

Read also: Degree Programs Overview

At Appalachian State University, the public health major is not about treating illnesses; it’s about understanding why they occur and what proactive measures can be taken to prevent them. Through this program, students learn to challenge the traditional mindset of healthcare and medicine and shift toward one of prevention. What sets public health apart is its unwavering commitment to equity in all aspects and emphasis on teamwork. It’s not just about individual health but about ensuring that everyone has access to quality care and equitable opportunities for a healthy life.

Career Paths for Public Health Majors

The versatility of this major ensures that students have a wide range of career paths to choose from. Degree-holders in public health can contribute to research for nonprofits, consult on disease prevention, or develop health marketing campaigns.

It’s also common for public health majors to pursue further education and earn a master’s degree, which can lead to careers as biostatisticians, researchers, health educators, administrators, or even public health lawyers. If they complete premedical requirements, public health majors can attend medical school and become doctors.

For instance, someone that loves working with data may want to become a biostatistician or epidemiologist, whereas someone who loves to work closely with people and their communities may be better suited for health education roles. Public health opens your eyes to the healthcare field without working in a clinic or hospital.

Here are some potential career paths for public health majors, along with salary and growth information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Read also: Learn About Public Universities

Epidemiologist: Epidemiologists need at least a master’s degree. Average Annual Salary is $90,430 and the Projected Employment Growth Rate from 2022 to 2032 is 27%.
Occupational health and safety specialist: Average Annual Salary is $85,570 and the Projected Employment Growth Rate from 2022 to 2032 is 13%.
Health educator: Average Annual Salary is $69,790 and the Projected Employment Growth Rate from 2022 to 2032 is 7%.

While some public health careers require graduate education, others only need a bachelor’s degree.

Certifications and Licenses

For some jobs, it might be helpful or even mandatory to earn a certification or license. The Commission on Dietetic Registration issues the Registered Dietitian/Registered Dietitian Nutritionist credential, which some employers prefer dietitians to hold. Candidates for this credential must have a graduate degree from an accredited university and meet other requirements, such as completing an internship. Some states require dietitians to be licensed, though this varies by state.

Depending on their role, health educators may elect or be required to obtain credentials like the Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist designation from the Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education. Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) is the national credential for health educators. These specialists work in a variety of settings, including: universities, public schools, local and state health departments, non-profits, hospitals, corporations, and more.

Public Health at Various Universities

UNC-Chapel Hill: Undergraduates at UNC-Chapel Hill typically apply to the majors of their choice during the middle of their sophomore year and, if admitted, begin coursework in the major in fall of their junior year. Students must successfully complete certain prerequisites prior to starting each major. Students are encouraged to complete as many prerequisites as possible before applying, but applications will be accepted from students with prerequisites in progress in spring of their sophomore year. The public health undergraduate majors are intended for junior entry. First year students at UNC who are admitted to a Gillings undergraduate major are expected to complete the BSPH Core Courses in their first year in the major.
University of Missouri (Mizzou): Public Health at Mizzou is all about improving health at the community level. From vaccination campaigns and health education to policy development and disease prevention, public health focuses on creating solutions that make a lasting impact. The University of Missouri Public Health program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Mizzou’s Public Health degree prepares you for your future by offering customizable pathways that let you tailor your studies to match your career goals, whether in health promotion, global health, or community health.
Columbia University: The special program in public health is intended to be a secondary emphasis of study that complements the disciplinary specialization of a major. At the heart of the special program in public health are historical and contemporary issues in population health in the context of an increasingly connected, global, urban, aging, and inequitable world. Elective courses in the Special Program in Public Health will allow students to draw upon courses offered in a wide range of departments and centers across the University. Examples of departments with relevant elective courses include: African American Studies; Comparative Literature and Society; The Center for Ethnicity and Race; Earth and Environmental Sciences; Economics; Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology; History; Human Rights; History of South East Asia; Political Science; Psychology; Sociology; Statistics; Sustainable Development; Women’s Studies; Urban Studies.

Key Skills and Qualities for Public Health Majors

Successful public health majors tend to be compassionate and globally aware. They value equity and education, and they typically have a head for numbers. A major in public health is perfect for students who are passionate about promoting healthier communities and addressing pressing health challenges at a population level. Public health is ideal for those who thrive in collaboration, think critically, and seek innovative solutions to complex problems.

Considering Graduate School

Grad school is an additional factor to think about as you consider this major. For all grad school hopefuls, this element is especially important, and many public health majors seek a postgraduate education. Depending on your preferred career, you may want to specialize in a certain area. Common concentrations include health education, epidemiology, and biostatistics.

A primary goal of the Bachelor of Public Health degree program is to prepare students for advanced master’s training in public health and the health professions. The Public Health program is designed primarily for students who want to pursue advanced degree work in Public Health or a related field. It is also appropriate for those who want to acquire foundational Public Health knowledge before continuing to graduate or professional school or who will work in a healthcare setting after graduation.

Accreditation

The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), through the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) is responsible for accrediting public health programs. It’s the most widely-trusted accreditation council for this field, and attending a school within it will give your degree significant credibility.

The Importance of Public Health

Public health is integral to a civil society. Some of society’s most pressing problems-gun violence, the opioid epidemic, climate change, obesity, mass incarceration, health and healthcare inequalities across the globe-concern public health. These complex problems and the emergence of novel challenges in the future demand a nimble application of public health knowledge and principles, leveraging the foundations of a liberal arts education in order to achieve solutions. Viable solutions will require cross-sector collaborations and systems-level, policy, and environmental action that will affect the social, political, and economic determinants of health. Necessary for leaders to solve these types of societal problems is a broad set of fundamental set of skills.

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