Public Health Bachelor of Science | COLLEGE FOR ADULTS About the program Do you want to increase quality of life, health, and safety for communities large and small? When you earn your public health bachelor's from St. Kate's College for Adults, you will gain the skills and experience to influence health and safety policies, improve the health of populations and work for social justice.
What can I do with a degree in Public Health? Depending on your goals, and on where you are in your professional and educational journey, the program can: • Prepare you to begin a career in public health: epidemiologist, healthcare administrator, food safety inspector, emergency preparedness specialist, and more. • If you’re already a healthcare professional, offer you a “bachelor’s-completion” option to strengthen your knowledge and skills in public health practice areas. • Give you a strong foundation for pursuing graduate study in public health or related areas. Demand for health educators and community health workers is expected to grow by 16% between 2016 and 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In 2018, according to the BLS, the median annual earnings for health educators was $54,220.
What will I study? Core courses provide a strong foundation, according to standards set forth by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, in: • Global health • Epidemiology • Healthcare teams • Biological impacts on human health • Public health foundations • Ethics
Choose your concentration In addition to core Public Health courses, to complete your major you’ll select one of two concentrations: Public Policy or Community Health Worker. Choose the Public Policy concentration to focus on health policy, social sciences and population health,
and underlying social and political conditions impacting public health and health disparities. Some students in this concentration, through the 3+3 PreOT option, are preparing to advance into the Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy (MAOT) degree program. Choose the Community Health Worker concentration if you have linguistic and cultural competency in a community, want to earn a credential that will qualify you to serve as an advocate for community members in health systems. In addition to the Public Health bachelor’s option, a 17-credit Community Health Worker Certificate is available.
Graduate study: Master’s options A bachelor’s degree with a Public Health major is an excellent way to prepare for one of St. Kate’s graduate degrees, such as the Master of Public Health (MPH) in Global Health or the Entry-Level Occupational Therapy program (MAOT or OTD). Note: A special “dual-degree” option is available to pursue the Master in Public Health — qualifying students enter the master’s program in their senior undergraduate year and complete their bachelor’s degree while pursuing the graduate degree.
Class scheduling / time to completion Most courses for the Public Health major meet in an online, asynchronous format; please note that the Community Health Worker courses meet synchronously online. The Public Health major may be completed in 24 or more months. You may take longer to complete liberal arts and elective courses.