Health Sciences & Social Work

Public Health                                

Bachelor of Science program in Public Health prepares students to work in  Public Health and Community Health settings. Students in this major develop competence in the public health core disciplines of behavioral health, health education, epidemiology, biostatistics, health services administration and environmental health. Students can choose an emphasis in either community health education or environmental and occupational safety . Students also take courses in other public health disciplines such as women's health, multicultural health and public health preparedness.

All majors in the BS in Public Health complete a "capstone" internship during the final semester before graduation. Additional information about careers in public health and a Public Health Overview can be found at ExploreHEALTHCareers.org.

 

Community Health Education

Emphasis: Community health educators are professionally prepared in the disciplines of community and public health education. They demonstrate This is Public Health logo competence in planning, implementation, and evaluation of health promoting and health enhancing programs for individuals, groups, and communities. For additional information on careers in health education, please review information available from then American Association for Health Education or Occupational Outlook Handbook  at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

Environmental and Occupational Safety

Emphasis: Environmental and occupational safety professionals are concerned with the relationships between the characteristics of the natural environmental (air, water, soil, chemicals, etc.) and mental and physical health. This information is used to establish limits on pollutants that the environment can absorb without detrimental effects, to develop control technology, and to implement controls as necessary for the benefit of human and animal populations.
 Please review the Careers in Environmental Health brochure available from the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs for additional information.

 

Possible Public Health Career Paths (Click  here  for a more complete listing of potential public health careers)
Adapted from 101 Careers in Public Health by Beth Seltzer)

  • Community Health Education
  • Epidemiologist
  • Public Health Advisor
  • Public Health Specialist                                              
  • Health Promotion Program Coordinator
  • Injury Prevention Specialist
  • Community Health Worker
  • Biostatistician
  • Hazardous Waste Inspector
  • Health Physicist
  • Emergency Preparedness Specialist
  • Program Evaluator
  • Local Health Department Administrator
  • Area Agency on Aging Administrator
  • International Programs Manager

 

Please review the Undergraduate Catalog for our program requirements.

For more information about the undergraduate program, email the undergraduate advisor, Stacy Dorsett at SE-Dorsett@wiu.edu