Public Health Program Requirements
Sheryl Steadman, Dean, Colette McAfee, Director
Faculty: John Contreras, Han Kim, Colette McAfee
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 affect 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 workers as well as citizens 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: | ||
|
MATH 101 or above | |
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co-requisites: CHEM 111R recommended/MATH 144 required | |
| Choose one of the following courses: | ||
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|
BIOL 103 | |
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| Choose one of the following courses: | ||
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| 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 | |
| PUBH 390 Public Health Seminar II (1) | PUBH 190 | |
| Take two of the following courses: | ||
|
PUBH 310 | |
|
PUBH 101 | |
|
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) | ||
| VI. Electives | 12 | |
| Students choose 12 hours of Public Health or related coursework, listed on the following pages. | ||
| 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 | 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 201 Organic and Biochemistry (4) | CHEM 103 or 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 304 | |
| 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
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | |
| Year 1 | Learning Community WCore WCore Language |
PUBH 101 WCore WCore Language |
| Year 2 | BIOL prerequisite DATA PUBH 101 |
CHEM prerequisite PUBH 190 PUBH 210 PUBH 250 |
| Year 3 | PHIL 216 PUBH 305 PUBH 310 PUBH 390 |
PUBH 320 PUBH 330/340/350 PUBH 390 PUBH elective |
| Year 4 | PUBH 330/340/350 PUBH 480 PUBH elective |
PUBH 490 PUBH elective |
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 |