Public Health – Major/Minor
For information, contact Dr. Dianne Babbitt, dianne.babbitt@cedarcrest.edu, 610-606-4666, ext. 3609.
Program Description – Public Health Major (B.S.)
The Public Health major is multidisciplinary, drawing from course work particularly from the Departments of Biological Science; Business, Management, and Economics; Communication; Political Science, Psychology; Nursing; Nutrition; and Social Work.
The four Health Sciences majors (Public Health, Health Science, Health Promotion and Wellness, and Exercise Science) share a common core of classes that includes Health Professions, Introduction to Psychology, Lifespan Development, Biostatistics or Probability and Statistics, Principles of Nutrition, Introduction to Health Care Systems, and Health Sciences Capstone.
The two Public Health major concentrations share requirements of Public Health, Epidemiology, and Global Health. The Public Health program provides opportunities for students to explore different core public health disciplines, including: epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health education and behavioral science, and health services administration. The Community Health concentration draws from well-developed coursework in the Biological, Chemical and Physical Sciences and from Social Work to help students address issues of educating a community on health-related issues, preventive measures, and community engagement. The Health Communications concentration teaches theory and skills/practice of communication as it exists within health communications contexts as well as other related areas.
Program Mission Statement – Public Health Major
The mission of the Public Health major is to help students interested in disease prevention and treatment, health of the general population, and data-driven approaches to solving public health issues. The program includes the core courses of Public Health, Epidemiology, and Global Health, as recommended by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health for undergraduate Public Health curricula. With the Community Health concentration, students focus on biological and social approaches to human health in populations. With the Health Communications concentration, students focus on communication skills and technological literacy to be used for areas of technical and professional writing, mass media and electronic/social media communications regarding issues of Public Health. It is the goal that students will go directly into jobs in the public health sector, work for non-profit organizations, pursue further training in the fields of public health, or find other meaningful work to benefit the general health of society.
Program Requirements for the Public Health Major
A minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.000 and a minimum average in the major of 2.000 are required for the major in Public Health. A grade of C- or better is needed for all courses that fulfill the departmental requirements. Courses transferred in for all majors must be taken less than ten years ago. Students must earn a grade of C- or better in prerequisite courses before proceeding to subsequent courses.
Total number of credits required by program: 56 – 59 credits
Course Requirements for the Public Health Major
Health Sciences Core (required of all Health Sciences majors, with the exception of Genetics and Counseling Psychology):
BUA 211 Introduction to Health Care Systems 3 credits
HLT 101 Introduction to the Health Professions 1 credit
HLT 201 Health Professions II 1 credit
HLT 301 Health Professions III 1 credit
HLT 302 Health Sciences Capstone 3 credits
MAT 110 Probability and Statistics 3 credits
OR BIO 248 Biostatistics 3 credits
NTR 210 Principles of Nutrition 3 credits
PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology 3 credits
PSY 210 Lifespan Development 3 credits
21 total Health Sciences core credits
Required Courses for both concentrations of Public Health:
BIO 129 Outbreak Investigations: Case Studies in Epidemiology 3 credits
COM 100 Introduction to Communication 3 credits
OR another approved COM course 3 credits
HLT 102 Introduction to Public Health 3 credits
HLT 103 Introduction to Global Health 3 credits
12 total Public Health credits
Required Courses for only the Community Health Concentration
BIO 117 Anatomy & Physiology I 4 credits
BIO 118 Anatomy & Physiology II 4 credits
PSC 210 American Public Policy 3 credits
SWK 300 Community Organizing 3 credits
SWK 313 Minorities and Human Relations 3 credits
17 total Community Health Concentration credits
Required Courses for only the Health Communications Concentration
COM xxx Approved courses in the COM Department 15 credits
SPA 101 Introduction to Spanish 3 credits
OR other SPA course 3 credits
18 total Health Communications Concentration credits
Electives 6-8 credits:
Community Health Concentration Electives
Choose two (2) electives that support the community health concentration of public health from the areas of BIO, CHE, ENS, HLT, NTR, PSC, PSY, SPA, OR SWK. Courses can be from the same area or different areas.
Health Communications Concentration Electives
Choose two (2) electives that support the health communications concentration of public health from the areas of BUA, COM, HLT, NTR, PSC, PSY, SPA, OR SWK. Courses can be from the same area or different areas.
Required and elective courses must reach 120 credits to complete a degree.
Public Health Major Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the Public Health major, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate, through recall, recognition, and application, understanding of core concepts and methods of epidemiology and surveillance used to safeguard the population’s health.
- List risk factors and modes of transmission for infectious and chronic diseases, and explain how these diseases affect both personal and population health.
- List and describe the leading causes of mortality, morbidity, and health disparities among local, regional, and global populations.
Fulfillment of the LAC Requirements
Students fulfill Technology, Oral Presentation, and Information Literacy requirements through successful completion of the following required courses: HLT 101, 201, 301, and HLT 302.
It is a general Cedar Crest College policy that a student must complete a minimum of 18 credits of major requirements through Cedar Crest College course work. This major is open to any student who is matriculated at the College.
Public Health Minor Course Requirements (18 credits)
Required courses (9 credits):
BIO 129 Outbreak Investigations: Case Studies in Epidemiology 3 credits
HLT 102 Introduction to Public Health 3 credits
HLT 103 Introduction to Global Health 3 credits
Elective courses (9 credits):
Students should select three (3) courses that support Public Health from the areas of BIO, BUA, CHE, COM, ENS, HLT, NTR, PSY, PSC, SPA, or SWK. Courses can be from the same area or different areas.
