Program Overview

Public Health, BAS

The Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Health degree prepares students for careers in public health in areas such as public health research, health advocacy, and community health education. Courses in this program utilize an interdisciplinary approach. Course content builds on lower division coursework, encouraging group and independent research and advanced writing, reading, and comprehension skills. Students bridge theory into application and develop work-ready, practitioner skills. Additionally, program students use appropriate software, case studies, active learning, group work, and capstone projects to apply their knowledge to curriculum requirements. These activities mirror real-world scenarios to ready students for employment. Graduates may find employment in non-profit agencies, research institutions, governmental agencies, and private or public businesses.

Program Outcomes

Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Health graduates will:

• apply the fundamental principles of public health to individual, community, and population health issues to study disease incidence and prevalence
• explain the etiology and prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases and how it relates to prevention, management, and treatment strategies
• explain the impact of health disparities as related to health behavior and outcomes, intervention strategies, public health policy, and healthcare access and quality
• investigate concepts in public health ethics and healthcare leadership and management, including the right to health care, public health research/bioethics, social justice, economic impacts, conflict between autonomy and health promotion strategies, and public health theory and practice
• consider cultural and behavioral factors that influence health status in individuals and populations
• investigate the role that the environment and chemical exposure has on health
• apply statistical and other quantitative analysis tools and techniques to issues in public health
• develop culturally-tailored health programs and interventions through community assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation
• demonstrate effective communication and critical-thinking skills required for success within the field of public health
• evaluate and analyze data as it relates to health outcomes and prevention, management, and treatment strategies
• demonstrate communication, critical thinking, cultural humility, information literacy, and teamwork skills
• meet Humanities, Natural Science, Quantitative Reasoning, Social Science, and Written Communication general education distribution area outcomes

Prerequisites

• Minimum cumulative GPA across all college coursework of 2.0.
• Completion of requirements for an earned Applied Associate Degree or equivalent from an accredited institution.
• Completion of at least 25 credits of College-level Academic Core courses with a minimum of a 2.0 GPA in each class as follows:
  • ENGL& 101 English Composition I (or equivalent) - 5 credits
  • Humanities, choose from the following: ENGL& 102, ENGL& 111, ENGL& 236, CMST& 210, CMST& 220, or CMST& 230 (or equivalent) - 5 credits
  • Introduction to Statistics (MATH& 146 or equivalent) - 5 credits
  • Social Science - 5 credits
  • Natural/Physical Sciences - BIOL& 175 or BIOL& 242 - 5-6 credits

General Education Requirements

The following courses from the Program Requirements and Pre-Requisites listed meet the General Education requirements for this program.

• ENGL& 101 English Composition I (or equivalent) - 5 credits
• Humanities - choose from the following: ENGL& 102, ENGL& 111, ENGL& 236, CMST& 210, CMST& 220, or CMST& 230 (or equivalent) - 5 credits
• Introduction to Statistics (MATH& 146 or equivalent) - 5 credits
• Social Science - 5 credits
• Natural/Physical Sciences - BIOL& 175 or BIOL& 242 - 5-6 credits
• BIOL 311 Infectious and Chronic Diseases of Public Health Importance - 5 credits
• MATH 351 Biostatistics - 5 credits
• ENGL& 235 Technical Writing - 5 credits
• CMST 402 Principles of Public Health Communication - 5 credits
• ENVS 321 Environmental and Occupational Health - 5 credits

Core Courses

• PUBH 301 Public Health and Global Health Fundamentals - 5 credits
• PUBH 303 Public Health Management and Budgets - 5 credits
• PUBH 305 Determinants of Health - 5 credits
• PUBH 315 Public Health Data Management and Analysis - 5 credits
• PUBH 320 Principles of Applied Epidemiology - 5 credits
• PUBH 330 Public Health Leadership and Systems Thinking - 5 credits
• PUBH 410 Public Health Research Methods and Design - 5 credits
• PUBH 420 Program Needs Assessment, Planning, and Implementation - 5 credits
• PUBH 425 Community Health Education and Advocacy - 5 credits
• PUBH 430 Health Policy, Equity, and Justice - 5 credits
• PUBH 435 Program Evaluation and Health Survey Research - 5 credits
• PUBH 445 Professional Development and Capstone Preparation - 5 credits
• PUBH 455 Public Health Capstone - 5 credits

Courses from Prior College Coursework

Credits required from prior associate’s degree or college coursework to reach 180 total credits.

• Any 100-level or above courses not already taken within the BAS Public Health requirements
• General education pre-requisites do not count towards these credits

Recommended Course Sequence

The courses listed below are a suggested sequence; as long as prerequisites are met, courses may be taken in a different order.

• Quarter One
  • PUBH 301 Public Health and Global Health Fundamentals - 5 credits
  • PUBH 305 Determinants of Health - 5 credits
  • ENGL& 235 Technical Writing - 5 credits
• Quarter Two
  • BIOL 311 Infectious and Chronic Diseases of Public Health Importance - 5 credits
  • PUBH 320 Principles of Applied Epidemiology - 5 credits
  • CMST 402 Principles of Public Health Communication - 5 credits
• Quarter Three
  • PUBH 410 Public Health Research Methods and Design - 5 credits
  • MATH 351 Biostatistics - 5 credits
  • PUBH 303 Public Health Management and Budgets - 5 credits
• Quarter Four
  • PUBH 420 Program Needs Assessment, Planning, and Implementation - 5 credits
  • PUBH 425 Community Health Education and Advocacy - 5 credits
  • PUBH 330 Public Health Leadership and Systems Thinking - 5 credits
• Quarter Five
  • PUBH 315 Public Health Data Management and Analysis - 5 credits
  • PUBH 445 Professional Development and Capstone Preparation - 5 credits
  • PUBH 435 Program Evaluation and Health Survey Research - 5 credits
• Quarter Six
  • PUBH 430 Health Policy, Equity, and Justice - 5 credits
  • PUBH 455 Public Health Capstone - 5 credits
  • ENVS 321 Environmental and Occupational Health - 5 credits

Diversity and Social Justice Requirement

Within the degree requirements, students must complete a 3-5 credit course that meets the college’s Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) requirement. DSJ courses are designated in the college schedule and are designed to meet other general education or technical requirements simultaneous to meeting the DSJ requirement.

Total Program Credits

Total credits includes the 90 credits listed above and a minimum of 90 credits completed at the associate degree level. Total Program Credits: 180.