Department of Public Health
The Department of Public Health promotes community health and wellness through community service, research/scholarship, and professional preparation in public health and community health education.
The mission of the department is to use an integrated approach to advance social justice in health and to promote individual, family, and community health through education, community service, and research.
The vision of the department is to enhance population health and reduce disparities in determinants of health and health outcomes. The department currently offers the Master of Public Health degree with a Specialization in Community Health Education.
Master of Public Health with a Specialization in Community Health Education
The primary goal of public health is the prevention of disease and injury through community-level programs and initiatives. The goal of community health education is to promote environments and lifestyles that support the health and wellness of communities.
The goals of the Master of Public Health program are to advance public health through instruction, service, and scholarship:
Instruction
- Educate highly qualified public health professionals through a relevant curriculum, effective teaching and mentoring, and access to high-quality practice experiences.
- Educate public health professionals who are able to engage in effective cross-cultural communication and who can create initiatives to reduce disparities in health and determinants of health.
Service
- Involve students and faculty in service experiences that improve health and wellness in local communities.
- Involve Master of Public Health students and faculty in public health organizations at the county, state, and national levels.
- Provide professional development activities that emphasize social justice.
Scholarship
- Participate in public and community health research, and share the outcomes of student practice experience with the university community and community stakeholders.
The curriculum includes specialized courses and practical experience that enable students to develop competency in community health education. A social justice perspective on public health issues is integrated throughout the curriculum. Students are required to complete a practicum experience and a capstone project in community health education in order to develop the knowledge and skills to work successfully in public health and community health education settings. The program offers students the opportunity to complete programmatic electives that support specific career objectives. Graduates of the program are prepared to work as community health educators in a variety of settings including health care facilities, corporate settings, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and colleges and universities.