Public Health, B.S.
Contact
Bethany Fortier
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Health Promotion Studies
bfortier@une.edu
Mission
The mission of UNE’s Bachelor of Science with a major in Public Health is to prepare graduates to address the complex public health problems that global populations face through the generation of new knowledge, use of scientific evidence and collaborations with diverse stakeholders.
Major Description
Public health is defined as "all organized measures to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole. Its activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy and focus on entire populations, not on individual patients" (World Health Organization, 2016). Therefore, the field of public health focuses on the promotion of health and prevention of disease at a population level. As a student in UNE’s Public Health program, you will develop the skills necessary to assess and understand the complexity of health issues that affect diverse populations, and identify potential solutions to address them. Benefiting from small class sizes, hands-on experiences, and one- on-one engagement with experienced faculty, you will learn how to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders and to communicate complex health concepts to diverse audiences. The coursework you complete through our program will expand on the five core areas of public health:
- Health Policy: Developing laws and regulations to promote and protect health (e.g. seatbelt laws).
- Environmental Health: Assessing how the environment affects health (e.g. air and water quality).
- Social and Behavioral Health: Studying how people make health decisions and how to encourage healthier decision-making (e.g. how marketing influences health behavior decisions).
- Epidemiology: Studying how and why diseases are distributed in a population (e.g. tracing outbreaks of infectious diseases).
- Biostatistics: Analyzing population-level data to identify trends (e.g. using data to associate tobacco exposure with lung cancer).
UNE’s Public Health program offers you the flexibility to pursue a minor in Climate Change Studies, Environmental Studies, Geographic Information Systems, Nutrition, Political Science, or Health, Law and Policy.
Transfer Credit
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Admissions
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Financial Information
Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more tuition and fee information, please consult this catalog’s Financial Information section.
Curricular Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Nor'easter Core Requirements | ||
| Nor'easter Core Requirements 1 | 40 | |
| Program Required Courses | ||
| BIO 104 & 104L | General Biology and General Biology Lab | 4 |
| BIO 445 | One Health | 3 |
| CMM 225 | Topics in Digital Storytelling | 3 |
| ENV 104 | Sustainability for a Healthy Planet | 3 |
| ENV 208 | Climate Change: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions | 3 |
| EXS 120 | Personal Health And Wellness | 3 |
| GIS 161 | GIS I: Fundamentals of Geospatial Science and Technology | 3 |
| IHS 150 | Health Promotion Studies Seminar | 1 |
| IHS 310 | Ethics for Interprofessional Practice | 3 |
| MAT 120 | Statistics | 3 |
| or MAT 150 | Statistics for Life Sciences | |
| OS 200 | Medical Terminology and Health Literacy | 3 |
| OS 424 | Health Edu: Theory to Practice | 4 |
| OS 434 | Substance Misuse & Prevention | 3 |
| PSC 325 | Politics of Public Health | 3 |
| PSY 105 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 250 | Lifespan Dev in Context | 3 |
| PUB 200 | Foundations in Public Health | 3 |
| PUB 205 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| PUB 212 | Social Determinants of Health | 3 |
| PUB 300 | Global Health | 3 |
| PUB 305 | Research Methods in Public Health | 3 |
| or OS 316 | Research Methods | |
| PUB 315 | Health Communication and Social Marketing in Public Health | 3 |
| PUB 400 | PH Planning & Evaluation | 3 |
| PUB 405 | Health Care Organization and Policy | 3 |
| PUB 410 | Internship/Practicum | 1 |
| PUB 420 | Community Health Assessment | 3 |
| SOC 150 | Intro to Sociology | 3 |
| SOC 355 | Medical Sociology | 3 |
| SSW 330 | Advocacy in Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SSW 460 | Groups and Communities | 3 |
| WRT 317 | Proposal and Grant Writing | 3 |
| Open Elective Courses (Students complete open elective credits as necessary to meet the University’s 120-credit minimum for graduation. The total number of elective credits required will depend on the student’s completed program, core, and other degree requirements.) | ||
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Some courses fulfill both core and program requirements, the credits earned do not count twice towards the minimum total required credits for the degree.
Academic and Technical Standards
Students in the Bachelor of Science with a major in Public Health are subject to University undergraduate academic standards and requirements set forth by the Westbrook College of Health Professions.
In keeping with the guidelines of the University of New England, all undergraduate students must achieve a minimum semester-end grade point average as found on the Academic Policy and Regulations catalog page.
In keeping with the guidelines for the Westbrook College of Health Professions, students must achieve a minimum grade of a C- in the following courses: MAT 120 Statistics/MAT 150 Statistics for Life Sciences and BIO 104 General Biology. Failure to achieve a C- will result in program-level probation, and may affect academic progression.
Students need to achieve a grade of C or better in all Public Health courses with the PUB prefix and OS 424 Health Edu: Theory to Practice.
Students who fail to achieve the minimum grades detailed above may re- take the course only once. Failure to earn a grade of a C- or C in the courses as described above on the second attempt will result in dismissal from the Public Health major.
Competencies
At the conclusion of the Bachelor of Science with a major in Public Health program, the graduate will be able to:
- Communicate public health information, in both oral and written forms, through a variety of media, to diverse audiences.
- Locate, use, evaluate, and synthesize public health information.
- Apply an understanding of how the determinants of health interact and shape health outcomes.
- Engage in collaborative and culturally relevant approaches to improve local, regional and global public health.
- Demonstrate the ability to create and support public health systems and policies that uphold the dignity and well-being of all individuals.