Program Overview

Public Health Program

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health is a broad-based degree that prepares students to use specialized knowledge and skills for disease prevention, including epidemiology, environmental health, health disparities, health communications and social marketing, behavior science, and health program planning to promote individual, community, and public health.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of this program play a vital role in health promotion teams in public health agencies, industries, non-profit organizations, various clinical settings, and other health-related settings with specializations in obesity, and diabetes prevention, epidemiology, mental health, substance abuse prevention, public policy, environmental health, maternal, child, and adolescent health, and corporate wellness, among others.

Degree Requirements

Completion of this program may also lead to further education opportunities in community and public health, health promotion, allied health, dental, and medical graduate programs. Upon degree completion, students are eligible to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and the Certified Wellness Practitioner (CWP) exams, as well as Health Coach certification exams.

Major Declaration

To declare a major in Public Health, students must schedule an appointment with a College of Education Advisor. In this appointment, an Advisor can answer questions about the degree program, update the student's curriculum record in the student information system, and assist with degree planning based on the new declaration.

Minor Options

This degree program requires a Minor. The minors might be special considerations for Public Health students. A full list of minors is available in the Undergraduate Catalog.

Statements of Understanding

Students wanting to declare into this degree program will be required to review and sign the Statement of Understanding form. This form is intended to provide helpful degree planning information to students early in their program to pave the way for successful planning and degree progress.

Degree Planning and Sequencing

For the most updated information for each degree plan, students should refer to the appropriate Undergraduate Catalog and track their progress using a Degree Audit. Additionally, we encourage all students to meet on a semester basis with their Academic Advisor.

Transfer Planning

Students planning to earn college credit at another institution for eventual transfer to Texas State should refer to the Transfer Planning Guide for confirmation of which lower-level transfer coursework may be applied toward degree requirements in this specific program.

Optional Internship

Public Health Internship courses provide an opportunity to work with a health organization or agency while completing a semester-long project applying public health and exercise sports science concepts to a community health setting. Opportunities exist in public/community health, employee wellness, and community wellness.

Student Organizations

To explore student organizations specifically related to exercise science, health promotion, and recreation, visit the Department of Health and Human Performance website.

Summer Hub

More information about the Summer Hub program can be found on the Education Abroad page.

Course Substitutions

To request a substitution in the Public Health major, students must submit a request according to the specific guidelines for core curriculum, other public health courses, or minor courses.