Curriculum: Bachelor of Science in Public Health

Next Term Application Deadline

March 15, 2022

Total Credits

120

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Curriculum at a Glance

The Public Health 100% online program at the University of Cincinnati is designed to prepare graduates for a variety of career opportunities within the public health field.

Public Health professionals work to improve the health of individuals and communities. Their role can vary greatly, depending on their work setting and job responsibilities. For example, some public heath professionals work in health departments and are concerned with the health of the community they serve and work to develop programs to impact people living in the community. While other public health professionals work to analyze health statistics within a certain population to find the cause of a disease.

The 10 Essential Public Health Services provide a framework for public health to protect and promote the health of all people in all communities. To achieve equity, the Essential Public Health Services actively promote policies, systems, and overall community conditions that enable optimal health for all and seek to remove systemic and structural barriers that have resulted in health inequities.

Assess and monitor population health status, factors that influence health, and community needs and assets.
Investigate, diagnose, and address health problems and hazards affecting the population.
Communicate effectively to inform and educate people about health, factors that influence it, and how to improve it.
Strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships to improve health.
Create, champion, and implement policies, plans, and laws that impact health.
Utilize legal and regulatory actions designed to improve and protect the public’s health.
Assure an effective system that enables equitable access to the individual services and care needed to be healthy.
Build and support a diverse and skilled public health workforce.
Improve and innovate public health functions through ongoing evaluation, research, and continuous quality improvement.
Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health.

Bachelor of Science Public Health Online Curriculum

BSPH Core & General Education Requirements listed below: 67 credits
Public Health Electives: 50 credits
Culminating Experience (Senior Year Internship): 3 credits

Total: 120 credits

*Bachelor’s degree-seeking students at the University of Cincinnati are required to complete a minimum of 120 semester credit hours for graduation. Up to 90 semester credit hours of prior college coursework taken at an accredited institution can be transferred in and applied to the program.

CURRICULUM AT A GLANCE

Community Health and Minorities: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow Introduction to Public/Community Health Introduction to Epidemiology Communicating About Health, Environment and Science Health Politics & Policy in the U.S.Program Planning, Implementation and Evaluation Health Issues of Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations Global Health Research Methods in Health Sciences Social and Behavioral Foundations of Public Health Evidence-Based Public Health Internship: Health Education

AFST3052

3 Semester Credits

Community Health and Minorities: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

This course is designed to provide students with theoretical foundations, methods, and skills essential to professional community health education practice in minority populations. Through field observations, students determine the ways in which health providers, community leaders, and community residents view health problems in underserved communities, and compare these views with more objective data as a means to develop health intervention strategies.

HPE1002

3 Semester Credits

Introduction to Public/Community Health

This course will examine the public health system in the United States. Emphasis will be placed on how public health data is collected; the various roles and responsibilities of public health departments; principles of population health; evidence based public health practice; current public health issues and trends; preventing disease, disability and death; and public health across the lifespan. Topics will address elements of society and culture and how they impact the population health approach. Students should gain an appreciation for public health and develop an understanding of various public health career options.

HPE1004

3 Semester Credits

Introduction to Epidemiology

This course is an introduction to epidemiological concepts and methods used to evaluate the distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations. Intended topics include measures of disease occurrence, common sources and types of data, important study designs and sources of error in epidemiological studies, and epidemiological methods.

COMM2004

3 Semester Credits

Communicating About Health, Environment and Science

This course surveys theoretical and applied dimensions of communication issues pertaining to environmental, health, and science issues facing contemporary society. Students will learn about the symbolic and material dimensions of environment and health issues, ways in which risk is evaluated and communicated in a variety of contexts, and about the parameters of scientific argument in various technical and political arenas.

POL3023

3 Semester Credits

Health Politics & Policy in the U.S.

This course will give a provide an overview of domestic health policy in the United States and the politics that contribute the development of health policy outcomes. As such, it will combine public policy and political science approaches. The course will begin with a review of the institutions involved crafting health policy (e.g., Congress, state government, the courts, and the bureaucracy) and their roles in the policymaking process. Case studies such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act will be discussed. In addition to understanding the institutions and policy process, the course will also engage public opinion, elections, and interest group activity. Students investigate the formation of health care policy preferences, exploring data from national surveys, as well as assess efforts to mobilize health politics in national and state contexts.

HPE3071

3 Semester Credits

Program Planning, Implementation and Evaluation

This course provides students with the skills to plan, implement and evaluate evidenced-based public health programs in order to address the most important health issues affecting communities. Students will be provided with the skills to conduct needs assessments, develop goals and SMART objectives, administer programs and conduct evaluation.

NBSN3087

3 Semester Credits

Health Issues of Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations

This course uses a competency based conceptual framework to provide students with the opportunity to examine the interplay between vulnerability, health status, and health care access and quality. Physical, psychological, demographic, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural issues influencing the health status of and health care delivery to vulnerable populations are examined. Students will develop essential skills needed to work effectively as members of interprofessional teams and explore ways to improve the quality of health care delivery and health outcomes for vulnerable and marginalized groups.

NBSN3090

3 Semester Credits

Global Health

This course is an introduction to global health and global health systems. The student will examine the impact of cultural, economic and political factors on health and health care in other countries. The focus on health disparities, the global burden of disease, access to care, social justice, and health as a human right will be explored. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals will guide the students learning about a variety of global health issues.

HLTH3098

3 Semester Credits

Research Methods in Health Sciences

In this course, students will learn skills that are the foundation of evidence-based practice. These skills include identifying major study design approaches, formulating research questions that align with specific study designs, and interpreting the most common statistical methods used in clinical and population health research. Students will also learn about ethical research conduct and about community engagement to build trust with research participants and strengthen research equity and impact. Through interprofessional collaboration, students will learn how to locate peer-reviewed research articles, how to navigate through the different sections of a research article, summarize its key elements, and critically appraise its strengths and weaknesses. Students will also learn how evidence-based practice guidelines are derived from systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

MEDS4053

3 Semester Credits

Evidence-Based Public Health

This course will include an orientation to the US public health system, current concepts and issues,and major contemporary public health problems. A second content theme will include a brief overview of the development of the quality improvement movement in medicine, resulting in the evidence-based public health movement. These two segments will be integrated as students learn to apply the principles of an evidence-based approach to current public health problems in the greater Cincinnati area. A seminar style of teaching, employing small-group discussion of cases will be employed.

HPE5091

3-12 Semester Credits

Internship: Health Education

This course is to provide students the opportunity to place into practice the theory and skills obtained through their professional health promotion and education studies.

FAQs

How has COVID-19 impacted the public health field?

There is no time like the present to enter the public health field! The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the nation’s need for adequate and complete data in the establishment of public health policy. This requires professionals who understand how to collect reliable public health data and how to correctly analyze and interpret the data. More than ever, public health professionals are needed in government, public, private, academia and non-profit settings.

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What type of jobs are in Public Health?
The growing and evolving field of public health features a variety of professional opportunities impacting communities in a positive way. Some examples of public health jobs are:
- Epidemiology
- Biostatistics
- Environmental and occupational health
- Health education and behavioral science
- Infectious disease
- Public policy
- Global health
- Nutrition
- Maternal and child health
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Is there a public health specialty that can have the most impact on communities right now?

There is no time like the present to enter the public health field! With the repercussions of COVID, experts say we are going to need more public health specialists in both developed and developing societies. The public health specialty that is particularly in high demand now is epidemiology. Epidemiologist make informed predictions and recommendations about prevalent illnesses from studying disease patterns and health trends within a particular population.

The BS in Public Health degree at The University of Cincinnati Online will set you up for success regardless of what career you choose in the Public Health Industry.

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The University of Cincinnati is one of the first institutions to offer online courses. Innovation in education is at the forefront of what we do. We have expanded the convenience and quality of our online learning to online degree programs. Today, we offer nearly 100 degrees from undergraduate to doctoral programs.

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