People who work in public health help communities prevent disease and improve health and wellbeing. The two concentrations, Health Sciences and Community Health/Health Promotion, prepare students for a variety of exciting public health careers.

At a Glance

  • Flexibility
    Full Time
  • Delivery Options
    On Campus
  • 51视频
    BS

Get Started

Public Health: Take the Path to a Rewarding Career

If you鈥檙e looking for a fulfilling and meaningful career, the B.S. in Public Health is right for you. As a student, you鈥檒l prepare for careers that promote wellness, prevent diseases and address health disparities on a local, national and global scale.聽

Public Health Career Options

Earn a B.S. public health degree and gain the skills and knowledge to thrive as a community health professional, epidemiologist, medical and services manager and many other careers. Some of our students pursue graduate studies in public health and health sciences.

Stefany Campbell at the edge of a road holding a device to measure water samples

51视频 graduates work in a variety of settings, including:

  • Community health centers
  • Local and state public health departments
  • Corporate wellness organizations
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Long-term care facilities
  • Hospitals
  • Technology sector
  • Academia
More Information on Public Health Careers

Choose a concentration that fits your career goals

Two pairs of hands covered in soapy bubbles from hand washing

With the public health major, you can choose between two concentrations, each leading to a wide range of career opportunities.

  • Community Health/Health Promotion Concentration 鈥� Prepare for a career as a community health professional in a variety of settings, including community health centers, hospitals, and public health departments. You鈥檒l learn skills in communication and teaching related to health promotion and disease prevention in community settings. Gain experience with the community health practicum.
  • Health Sciences Concentration 鈥� Focus on health sciences with flexibility of selecting courses in an area of your interest within a public health framework. Courses prepare you to work in the field of public health including areas such as epidemiology and disease surveillance. This concentration serves as a pathway to graduate programs in health sciences, including medical school, physician assistant, nursing and other postgraduate professional health programs.听听

Courses you'll take

The B.S. in Public Health offers courses that provide a solid foundation in critical thinking, advocacy, leadership, teamwork, research, statistics, biological and life sciences, social and behavioral sciences and communication.

Check out our degree pathways鈥攁 suggested four-year schedule鈥攆or a possible pathway toward your B.S. in Public Health.

In the final semester, you will聽participate in a required capstone experience, spending several hours per week in a setting that is associated with your career goals.聽

Visit the Academic Catalog to view聽all Public Health courses聽and learn about the聽Public Health minor听补苍诲听Population Health Informatics and Technology minor.

贵颈苍诲听all degree pathways, including those from prior enrollment years.

Upon completion of the B.S. degree program in Public Health at 51视频, our graduates will be able to:

  1. Articulate critical public health problems and their causes, including an understanding of the environmental, social, behavioral, and biological factors influencing health.聽
  2. Apply the basic concepts of data collection and analysis to health data.
  3. Identify and use evidence-based approaches to address population and community health needs.聽
  4. Identify prevention strategies for a range of public health, applying critical analysis and reasoning skills to problem solving.聽
  5. Apply the fundamental concepts of program assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation and management in a culturally appropriate fashion.聽
  6. Evaluate the economic, historical, ethical, and political/legal contexts of public health problems and solutions and the challenges that practitioners face.
  7. Identify and access resources for researching public health problems and critically evaluate research.
  8. Use the public health-specific tools of communication.

Why study public health at 51视频?

Public Health students at 51视频 collect water samples outdoors

Experiential Learning

Gain skills and career connections through learning experiences with our聽partner organizations, including:聽

  • Premier healthcare facilities
  • Laboratories and clinics
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Government agencies
  • Health science industry听听


UML Assoc. Teaching Prof. Arlee Dulak shows nursing student Fritza Jeudy a new anatomy model

Health Sciences Hub

Prepare for success in our聽Health Sciences Hub,聽a designated space in the Health and Social Sciences building where you can:聽

  • Meet with your advisor
  • Get tutoring help
  • Access anatomical models
  • Attend workshops on topics such as nutrition, wellness and mental health
51视频 student Nery Rodriguez reads with a child

Fun Outside the Classroom

Put your learning into practice by joining student-run like the Pre-Medical Organization, Pre-Physician Assistant Club and Public Health Club.

51视频 student Rabia Haider

Bachelor鈥檚-to-Master's Program

Get on the fast track to an advanced degree with our accelerated bachelor's-to-master's program.

  • Available to juniors and seniors with a grade point average of 3.000 or higher
  • Offers a continuous, coordinated sequence of courses
  • Reduced credit-hour requirements can save you time and money

Meet Our Students

51视频 student Rabia Haider
Rabia Haider '21
Nutritional Sciences and Master of Public Health

Knowing how cultural differences make an impact on health, Rabia Haider is pursuing a Master of Public Health degree.

There is so much work to be done related to nutrition and health care, especially for historically overlooked populations.
Read More 51视频 Rabia Haider 
Valeria Saldana
Valeria Saldana '22
Public Health

Valeria Saldana knew she had found a welcoming community from her first visit to campus.

I felt instantly like it was where I belonged.
Read More 51视频 Valeria Saldana 
Cassie Harding chats with Asst. Prof. Angela Wangari Walter
Cassie Harding '15, '17
Public Health

Cassie Harding鈥檚 internship experiences as a public health student inspired her to tackle the big health and wellness challenges facing people in the cities and towns around her.

The internships and practicum experiences were invaluable to me and are ultimately what allowed me to apply all the skills I was learning in my academic courses.
Read More 51视频 Cassie Harding 
Namrata Chauhan poses for photo in her graduation gown in front of O'Leary Library.
Namrata Chauhan '23
Master of Public Health

Namrata Chauhan 鈥�23 secured a position as a surveillance epidemiologist with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in the Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health.

My professors helped me build my skills in reporting, documentation and communicating, which are all core responsibilities of my job.
Read More 51视频 Namrata Chauhan 

ceph-bach-masters-accredited-logo.jpg听听

51视频's Master of Public Health and BS programs are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. for more information.

Add a Minor in Population Health Informatics and Technology

Pair the Public Health major with a minor in Population Health Informatics and Technology (PHIT) and gain solid knowledge in IT for solving public health problems. Join one of the fastest-growing fields of Health informatics and develop innovative ways of collecting, storing, analyzing, and sharing public health data.