Program Overview

Public Health (BS) Program

The Public Health (BS) program at Loyola University Chicago is designed to prepare students for positions in fields such as health education, epidemiology, and environmental health, across nonprofit, industry, and government sectors. The program is grounded in the basic sciences with an emphasis on population health.

Overview

The B.S. in Public Health (BSPH) degree is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). The program requires 71 credit hours towards the minimum 120 credits needed for graduation. In addition to the 71 major credits, students complete 34 credits in the University Core, and may use the remaining 15 general elective credits towards pursuing minors or other courses of interest.

Curriculum

The BSPH program draws on courses in ethics, environmental sciences, biology, mathematics, healthcare administration, social sciences, and the humanities alongside epidemiology, biostatistics, health behavior and promotion, health communication, policy, and global health. The program includes the following courses:

• BIOL 101: General Biology I
• BIOL 102: General Biology II
• BIOL 111: General Biology I Lab
• BIOL 112: General Biology II Lab
• MATH 131: Applied Calculus I
• MATH 132: Applied Calculus II
• STAT 335: Introduction to Biostatistics
• STAT 303: SAS Programming & Applied Statistics
• PSYC 101: General Psychology
• ANTH 280: Evolution of Human Disease
• PHIL 284/PHIL 287: Health Care Ethics
• ENVS 380: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
• HSM 110: Healthcare in America
• HSM 230: Fundamentals of Health Equity
• HSM 310: Healthcare Project Management
• PUBH 300: Introduction to Public Health
• PUBH 301: Health and the Environment
• PUBH 303: Fundamentals of Epidemiology
• PUBH 304: Health Behavior and Health Promotion
• PUBH 306: Critical Thinking in Public Health
• PUBH 307: Foundations of Public Health Policy
• PUBH 314/HSM 210: Global Public Health
• PUBH 399: Public Health Capstone Experience

Learning Outcomes

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

• Discuss the history, characteristics, roles, functions, structures, and core concepts of public health and the U.S. health system
• Debate the socioeconomic, behavioral, biological, and environmental factors that influence human health and disease and perpetuate health disparities
• Describe the legal, regulatory, ethical, and economic dimensions shaping public health policy and practice
• Locate, use, evaluate, and synthesize public health information
• Use basic statistics and perform statistical analysis in SAS, a widely-used statistical software program, to identify and describe populations' health concerns
• Communicate public health information, in both oral and written forms, through a variety of media and to diverse audiences
• Identify the basic tools for project management as well as population health assessment, planning, and evaluation
• Advocate for health equity, especially on behalf of vulnerable and marginalized populations
• Take a stand on a controversial public health issue and support it with evidence
• Craft evidence-based solutions that take account of the community dynamics and cultural contexts in which public health practitioners work
• Engage in sound ethical practice while exhibiting a high degree of professionalism

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The suggested sequence of courses is as follows:

First Year

• Fall:
  • BIOL 101: General Biology I
  • BIOL 111: General Biology I Lab
  • MATH 131: Applied Calculus I
  • UCLR 100: Interpreting Literature
  • UCWR 110: Writing Responsibly
  • UNIV 101: First Year Seminar
• Spring:
  • BIOL 102: General Biology II
  • BIOL 112: General Biology II Lab
  • MATH 132: Applied Calculus II
  • PHIL 181: Ethics
  • HIST CORE: Historical Knowledge

Second Year

• Fall:
  • THEO CORE: Theological Knowledge
  • HSM 110: Healthcare in America
  • PSYC 101: General Psychology
  • PUBH 300: Introduction to Public Health
  • PUBH 301: Health and the Environment
• Spring:
  • ANTH 280: Evolution of Human Disease
  • HIST CORE: Historical Knowledge
  • PHIL 130: Philosophy & Persons
  • General Elective

Third Year

• Fall:
  • General Elective
  • PUBH 304: Health Behavior and Health Promotion
  • PUBH 306: Critical Thinking in Public Health
  • STAT 335: Introduction to Biostatistics
  • THEO CORE: Theological Knowledge
• Spring:
  • General Elective
  • HSM 230: Fundamentals of Health Equity
  • PHIL 284/PHIL 287: Health Care Ethics
  • LIT CORE: Literary Knowledge
  • Public Health Elective

Fourth Year

• Fall:
  • General Elective
  • PUBH 303: Fundamentals of Epidemiology
  • PUBH 307: Foundations of Public Health Policy
  • PUBH 314/HSM 210: Global Public Health
  • STAT 303: SAS Programming & Applied Statistics
• Spring:
  • ENVS 380: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
  • General Elective
  • HSM 310: Healthcare Project Management
  • PUBH 399: Public Health Capstone Experience
  • Public Health Elective

Additional Undergraduate Graduation Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the University Core, at least one Engaged Learning course, and UNIV 101. SCPS students are not required to take UNIV 101. Nursing students in the Accelerated BSN program are not required to take core or UNIV 101.