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.
Your program of study Major courses
• One Elective course (2000-level or above) (4 credits)
• HLTH 2050: Foundations of Public Health (4credits) • HLTH 3150: Epidemiology (4 credits) • HLTH 3250: Global Health (4 credits) • HLTH 3350: Environmental Health (4 credits) • HLTH 4700: Practicum Preparation (2 credits) • HLTH 4754: Practicum (4 credits) • HLTH 4800W: Senior Seminar* (4 credits)
Refer to St. Catherine University Undergraduate Academic Catalog for details.
Supporting courses • INDI 2220: Medical Terminology or IPE 1030: Healthcare Teams Foundations and Medical Terminology (2 credits) • ECON 1080: Statistical Analysis for the Social Sciences (4 credits) or equivalent • MGMT 3850: Healthcare Policy (4 credits) or ECON 3250: Healthcare Economics (4 credits) Public Policy concentration courses • Two courses (2000-level or above) on social and behavioral impacts on health and health disparities (8 credits) • Two courses from COMM 1020, COMM 1030 or 2000level or above courses on the legal, economic or communication dimensions of healthcare and public policy (8 credits) • One course (1000-level or above) on the science of human health and the biological impacts on human health (4 credits) • One additional course (2000-level or above) with advisor approval (4 credits) Refer to the St. Catherine University Undergraduate Academic Catalog for details.
Core liberal arts courses • CORE 1000W: The Reflective Woman: The Reflective Practitioner (4 credits) • CORE 3990W: Global Search for Justice (4 credits) • Behavioral and Social Sciences: choose one from communication studies, economics, political science, psychology or sociology (except ECON 1080, 1090, or PSYC 1090) • Mathematics or Logical Reasoning: choose one from ECON 1080, ECON 1090, HLTH 1090, PSYC 1090, PHIL 2150, STAT 1089, STAT 1090, or any four-credit MATH course numbered 1000 or higher, except MATH 2500 and MATH 2510 • Natural Sciences: choose one course with a laboratory and/or field component in biology, chemistry, or physics • Arts and Humanities: choose two courses from different disciplines: philosophy (except PHIL 2150), literature, history, foreign language, studio art, art history, creative writing, classics. • Theology: choose one 1000 or any 2000-level theology course (except 2994 Topics) Electives Additional courses, as needed, to accumulate a minimum of 120 semester credits required for your bachelor’s degree.
Community Health Worker concentration courses
CORE course exemptions
• BIOL 1120: Biology of Women (4 credits) • HLTH 1964: CHW Role, Advocacy, Outreach and Resources (3 credits) • HLTH 1966: Health Communication and Cultural Competence, Teaching and Capacity Building (3 cr) • HLTH 1968: Documentation, Legal and Ethical Issues in Community Health Work (3 credits) • HLTH 1970: Health Promotion Competencies I (3 cr) • HLTH 1972: Health Promotion Competencies II (2 cr)
Students seeking a B.A., B.S. or B.S.N. degree who have completed a previous bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution prior to enrollment at St. Catherine University are exempt from the LIFE core curriculum requirement
Henrietta Schmoll School of Health Sciences
All information is subject to change
Public Health is a major in the University’s Henrietta Schmoll School of Health Sciences, offering certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs through St. Kate’s College for Adults, College for Women, and Graduate College.
The information in this document applies to students entering the College for Adults in Fall 2023 or later. Provisions of this document are subject to change at any time. Consult the St. Catherine University Undergraduate Academic Catalog for official requirements.
Students seeking a B.A., B.S. or B.S.N. degree who have completed an A.A. degree from a regionally accredited institution or the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum can satisfy the LIFE core curriculum requirement by taking CORE 3990.
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Contact your admission counselor Ask for a free transfer evaluation
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Apply to start in Fall, Spring or Summer
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10-01-23
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