The Public and Community Health major prepares you to protect and improve human health on a broader scale. Students develop the knowledge and skills needed to prevent disease and injury, mitigate public health hazards, and promote wellness locally, nationally, and globally. While clinical professionals care for individual patients one at a time, public health professionals work to transform the health of entire populations and communities.
Our students choose this major because they are committed to tackling deep-rooted structural factors that affect the health of individuals, populations, and our planet through research and policy to attain social justice. Through advocacy, education, and research you will gain the knowledge and skills to make a real impact locally, nationally, and globally. The American Public Health Association's video "What is Public Health?" offers you a glimpse of the broad field of public health.
Three Pillars of Our Curriculum
Our curriculum is organized around three core pillars to turn your commitment to health equity into effective systemic change:
- Equity and Access: Investigate disparities, representation gaps, and socioeconomic barriers to help create equitable and accessible healthcare systems.
- Prevention and Policy: Create upstream public policy solutions, health literacy campaigns, and community interventions to prevent health issues before they occur.
- Research and Epidemiology: Apply data analysis and population-level evidence to inform public health strategies and decisions.
Making an Impact
Public health professionals address critical issues such as healthcare access, food security, and risk factors for chronic disease. They advance disease prevention through research, vaccination programs, and health communication campaigns, while also playing essential roles in emergency preparedness and disaster response. Approaches such as One Health, which recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, create new opportunities to improve health outcomes on a broader scale.
Flexibility and Career Preparation
Our flexible curriculum gives you room to focus your studies on areas of interest. You can pursue a minor aligned with your personal interests or choose one that complements the major. Several of our students use this flexibility to double major in public health and environmental science, while still being able to graduate on time.
Our curriculum provides a strong foundation for those who want to pursue graduate programs in nursing, law, administration, or medicine. Many of our students enter Master of Public Health (MPH) programs to further their education and goals.
Public health is a field that provides many rewarding career opportunities. You can enter the workforce upon graduation or pursue further specialized study in graduate school.
Check out an interview with one of our undergraduate public health students Mullen Quaye!
