B.S. in Public Health
View B.S. in Public Health information.
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health will provide students with a strong foundation in population health, social and environmental determinants of health and strategies related to disease prevention and health promotion—all critical to addressing health threats and strengthening the public health workforce. Public health’s interprofessional nature is ideally suited within an undergraduate curriculum, giving students an opportunity to apply core concepts to myriad fields, including public health, clinical practice, research, mental health or a non-health profession, such as business or engineering.
The B.S. in Public Health curriculum will expose students to the essential principles of public health and the biomedical sciences concurrently (for students pursuing the health professions) and will provide ample opportunities to immerse students in community-based public health experiences and research. The academic rigor, emphasis on science and core public health foundation will fully prepare students for a career in public health or medicine. The instructional delivery method of the B.S. in Public Health program will be an on-site model, with opportunities to participate in global, domestic and local medical outreach initiatives. Traditional classroom instruction will be augmented with innovative, community-based experiential learning and the use of contemporary information technology.
The first three years of the B.S. in Public Health curriculum include traditional liberal arts courses, core public health courses and medical school prerequisites (for students interested in pursuing a medical degree). Courses will be taught by faculty members from the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Department of Public Health, Department of Nutrition and Department of Family Therapy, as well as by faculty members from the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences.
The fourth year of the program comprises major elective courses in the public health concentration and intensive community-based learning opportunities, with coursework ranging in focus from public health planning to public health issues in disasters so as to fully prepare the student for myriad career choices in public health. Students pursuing the dual admissions B.S. in Public Health-D.O. 3 + 4 option will pursue a concurrent course of study in their fourth year comprising courses in the medical concentration that fulfill the requirements for the B.S. in Public Health degree alongside the first year D.O. curriculum.
View a sample 4-year plan
General Education Requirements (30)
Students are required to complete 30 hours as part of the General Education Program
Public Health Major
Public Health Major Requirements (57 credits)
Public Health Major Electives (18 credits required)
BPH 2010 Human Genomics (3 credits)
HONR 2020E Grant Writing for Human Subjects Research (3 credits)
BPH 2060 Introduction to School Health (3 credits)
BPH 2070 Public Health Research Methods (3 credits)
BPH 2080 Dimensions of Wellness (3 credits)
BPH 3040 Public Health Issues in Disasters (3 credits)
BPH 3970 Disparities and Health (3 credits)
BPH 3990 Understanding Mental Health as Public Health (3 credits)
BPH 3990 Inside Out: Exploring Mental Health and Well-Being (3 credits, Honors course)
BPH 4900 Global Outreach and Applied Learning (3 credits)
BPH 4901 Domestic Outreach and Applied Learning (3 credits)
BPH 4901B Local Outreach and Applied Learning (3 credits)
BPH 4920 Population Health Outcomes and Analysis (3 credits)
BPH 4980 Ethical Issues in Population Health (3 credits)
BPH 4990 Independent Study in Public Health (1, 2, 3 credits; varies based on student project)
Students are permitted to take 9 of the required 18 major elective credits from the BSHN (Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition) or HAWC (Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness Coaching).
View degree curriculum sheet
Public Health Minor
KPCOM’s Public Health Minor provides curriculum in areas relevant to public health, social and behavioral health sciences, and community health. The interprofessional experiences of KPCOM faculty offer students a realistic look into the benefits, rewards, and challenges of public health.
Public Health Minor Requirements (9)
BPH 1010 Foundations of Public Health (3 credits) BPH 1020 Principles of Health Behavior (3 credits) BPH 2050 Community Health (3 credits)
BPH Open Major Elective BPH Open Major Elective BPH Open Major Elective
Students may select up to 9 credits with the HAWC (Health and Wellness Coaching) or BSNH (Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition)
The BSPH addresses the following Foundational Domains (Council on Education for Public Health):
The BSPH also addresses the following Foundational Competencies (Council on Education for Public Health):
The Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine places a strong emphasis on experiential learning and practice-based education. The experiential learning approach “learning by doing” is a vital aspect of these courses. The public health local, domestic and global outreach courses are practice-based field experiences that expose students to public health issues both domestically and globally. All outreach trips involve participating with underserved populations in a public health capacity. Trips have included India, New Orleans, Mississippi and Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico Outreach Trip
New Orleans and India OUTREACH TRIP