Converse with mountains and text overlay with academic year and Undergraduate Catalog

Public Health Program Requirements

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Faculty

  • John Contreras
  • Han Kim
  • Colette McAfee (Director)
  • Rachel Myrer

Public Health Courses

Program Goals

  • Apply critical thinking skills to recognize the public health problems of vulnerable populations on a social and community scale.
  • Describe multidisciplinary and ecological public health issues and concerns.
  • Describe the biological basis of health and disease from a population viewpoint.
  • Understand the role of health promotion and health prevention in public health.
  • Recognize the role of quantitative methods in addressing public health issues.
  • Utilize health policy and health administration to positively influence public health.
  • Understand the role of the environment on health.
  • Apply cultural competencies and ethical considerations to public health problems.
  • Utilize knowledge in global health issues and global consciousness to address health issues worldwide.

Objectives

The Public Health program at Westminster University prepares those interested in a career in public health or health sciences with the proper tools necessary to promote health and prevent illness in Utah, the Intermountain West, the United States, and the world. The program is grounded in the belief that effective public health practitioners are properly trained in the core competencies of public health: critical analysis and assessment, policy development and program planning, communication, cultural and global competency, community dimensions of practice, basic public health science, and leadership and systems thinking. We accomplish this while embracing the core values of Westminster University: impassioned teaching and active learning, respect for diverse people and perspectives, collaboration and teamwork, personal and social responsibility, university-wide excellence and high ethical standards.

This educational endeavor allows us to prepare public health and health science workers who are truly ready to meet the health challenges of the 21st century and to meet the diverse needs of public health locally, nationally and globally.

Program Requirements

The undergraduate degree in public health can be completed in four years. Requirements include coursework in the humanities, life sciences, behavioral and physical sciences, world languages, and public health. Many of the courses are structured such that they are sequential.

The academic minor requires 22 credits to complete. Requirements include 14 credits of public health coursework and 8 credits of approved electives.

Additional information about university policies is provided in the Degree Requirements and Academic Policies and Procedures sections of the catalog.

Students must meet the university-wide graduation requirements in addition to the Public Health major:

  • 124 total hours
  • 30 upper division hours
  • WCore or Honors College requirements

Public Health Major

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. World Language Requirement 4  
Public Health majors must complete four (4) credit hours in a single world language.
II. Prerequisite Courses 14-15  
PHIL 216 Ethical Issues in Health and Healthcare 3  
Choose one of the following courses:    
CHEM 105/CHEM 105L Introductory Chemistry for Nursing & Lab 4 MATH 101 or above
CHEM 111 Principles of Chemistry I and Lab 4 co-requisites: CHEM 111R recommended/MATH 144 required
Choose one of the following courses:    
BIOL 103 Human Anatomy and Lab 4  
BIOL 104 Human Physiology and Lab 4 BIOL 103
BIOL 111 Clinical Microbiology and Lab 4  
Choose one of the following courses:    
PSYC 105 Bust That Psych Myth 4  
SOC 105 The Sociological Imagination 4  
III. Lower Division Courses 15  
PUBH 101 Introduction to Public Health 3  
PUBH 190 Public Health Seminar I 1  
PUBH 210 Infectious and Chronic Diseases 3  
PUBH 240 Applied Quantitative Methods in Public Health 4 PUBH 101
PUBH 250 Global Health 4  
IV. Upper Division Courses* 19  
PUBH 305 Epidemiology 4 PUBH 101, 210
PUBH 310 Social and Behavioral Factors in Public Health 4 PUBH 101, 210
PUBH 320 Environmental Health 4 PUBH 305 or PUBH 240 or DATA 220
PUBH 390 Public Health Seminar II 1 PUBH 190
Take two of the following courses:    
PUBH 330 Health Promotion and Education 3 PUBH 310
PUBH 340 Health Policy 3 PUBH 101
PUBH 350 Program Planning and Evaluation 3 PUBH 305, 310
V. Senior Capstone 8  
PUBH 480 Public Health Research Methods 4 PUBH 305, 310, 320
PUBH 490 Public Health Capstone Project 4 PUBH 480
VI. Electives 12  
Students choose 12 hours of Public Health or related coursework, listed below.
Total Hours for the Public Health Major 72-73  

* A total of 30 upper-division credits (300 or above) are required for graduation.

Suggested Elective Coursework

Electives must be approved by the student’s advisor. Because of the broad nature of public health, electives can be from a diverse number of departments and schools. Courses used as part of the major requirements cannot be used again as electives. The following are suggestions based on the student’s specific area of interest. Please note these courses may have prerequisites that will also need to be fulfilled:

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
Administration/Policy    
COMM 240 Media and Society 4  
COMM 340 Communication Theory and Persuasion 4 COMM 211
MGMT 430 The Nonprofit Organization 4  
MGMT 433 Organizational Behavior 4 MGMT 305
PLSC 327 Environmental Politics and Policy 4  
Life Sciences    
BIOL 103 Human Anatomy and Lab 4  
BIOL 104 Human Physiology and Lab 4 BIOL 103
BIOL 111 Clinical Microbiology and Lab 4  
BIOL 303 Microbiology and Lab 4 BIOL 204, 205, CHEM 112
BIOL 350 Biochemistry and Lab 4 BIOL 205, CHEM 304
BIOL 402 Immunology and Lab 4 BIOL 204, 205; CHEM 112, 303 BIOL 303 recommended
CHEM 111–112 Principles of Chemistry I and II and Lab 4–4 CHEM 111 co-requisites: CHEM 111R recommended/MATH 144 required/CHEM 111
CHEM 303–304 Organic Chemistry I and II and Lab 4–4 CHEM 111, 112
CHEM 350 Biochemistry and Lab 4 BIOL 205, CHEM 303
ENVI 101 Introduction to Environmental Studies 4  
Social Sciences    
PSYC 216 Social Psychology 4 PSYC 105
PSYC 363 Exploring Addictions 3 PSYC 252, 270
SOC 313 Social Theory 4 SOC 105
SOC 345 Sociology of Sexualities 4  
SOC 390 Social Research Methods 4  
WCSBS 109 Imagining (In)justice 4  
Statistics/Informatics    
CMPT 201 Introduction to Computer Science 4 MATH 101
CMPT 202 Introduction to Data Structures 4 CMPT 201
CMPT 307 Databases 4 CMPT 202
CMPT 335 Computer Security 4 CMPT 251
MATH 202 Calculus II 4 MATH 201 or placement test
MATH 203 Multivariate Calculus 4 MATH 202
MATH 210 Discrete Mathematics 4  
MATH 310 Probability and Statistics 4 MATH 202

Recommended Plan of Study for Public Health

Public Health Minor

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. Required Courses 18  
PUBH 101 Introduction to Public Health 3  
PUBH 210 Infectious and Chronic Diseases 3  
PUBH 240 Applied Quantitative Methods in Public Health 4  
PUBH 250 Global Health 4  
PUBH 305 Epidemiology 4 PUBH 101, 210
II. Electives 4  
Four (4) hours of Public Health or related coursework, 300-level or above
Total Hours for the Public Health Minor 22