Program Director
Dr. Nicolette Powe
(330) 941-1895
nwpowe@ysu.edu
Overview
Public Health
The public health program offers the Bachelor of Science in Applied Science (BSAS) degree and can be completed in eight semesters if students average 16 hours per semester. The program has two tracks:
- Health Education/Health Promotion
- Environmental Health and Safety
The program offers a minor in public health and community health planning and evaluation. The program offers minors in:
- public health
- community health planning and evaluation
- environmental health and safety
The program contributes to the University’s general education requirements by offering PHLT 1500 Introduction to Online Learning in Health Professions, PHLT 1513 Introduction to Environmental Health and Safety, PHLT 1531 Fundamentals of Public Health, and PHLT 1568 Healthy Lifestyles, which meet the general education requirements for First Year Experience, Social and Personal Awareness, Social Sciences/Social and Personal Awareness and Social and Personal Awareness, respectively. To be admitted to the public health program, a student must have a minimum GPA of 2.0. To continue enrollment in the major, students must maintain a 2.0 GPA. If a student falls below a 2.0 GPA, he or she can only reapply to the major after a minimum GPA of 2.0 has been achieved.
There are five standard areas in public health training that enable students to perform the essential services of public health. These are :
- epidemiology
- biostatistics
- health services administration
- environmental health
- behavioral science/health education
The curriculum for the YSU bachelor’s degree in public health addresses each of the five core areas through multiple courses. This curriculum enables mastery at the bachelor’s level of the nationally recognized Public Health Core Competencies, and requires an internship tailored to the area of public health interests of each student. All of the major courses for the degree can be completed through online distance learning options.
The BSAS in public health can also prepare the student to become a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). CHES assess:
- individual and community health needs
- the ability to plan and implement effective health education and health promotion programs
- the ability to coordinate and manage the provision of health education and promotion services
- the ability to effectively communicate health and health education needs, concerns, and resources
- the ability to conduct program evaluation
Public health professionals work in multiple settings: public health agencies, non-profit organizations, academic, private, and other health care settings.
For more information, visit the Public Health Program.
During the freshman and sophomore years, students are expected to take the courses that meet the requirements for general education. In addition to the English, mathematics, and communication requirement, specific general education courses for the BSAS public health degree include:
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST YEAR REQUIREMENT -STUDENT SUCCESS | ||
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar | 1-2 |
| or SS 1500 | Strong Start Success Seminar | |
| or HONR 1500 | Intro to Honors | |
| General Education Requirements | ||
| PHLT 1500 | Introduction to Online Learning in Health Professions | 3 |
| ENGL 1550 | Writing 1 | 3-4 |
| or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 with Support | |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| MATH 2623 | Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| PHIL 1560 | Introduction to Philosophy (fulfills major requirement) | 3 |
| or PHIL 2625 | Introduction to Professional Ethics | |
| Arts and Humanities (1 course) | 3 | |
| BIOL 1545 & 1545L | Allied Health Anatomy and Physiology and Allied Health Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory (fulfills major requirement) | 5 |
| Natural Sciences (1 course) | 3 | |
| SOC 1500 | Introduction to Sociology (fulfills major requirement) | 3 |
| Social Science (1 course) | 3 | |
| PHLT 1531 | Fundamentals of Public Health (fulfills major requirement) | 3 |
| PHLT 1568 | Healthy Lifestyles (fulfills major requirement) | 3 |
| Major Requirements | ||
| FNUT 1551 | Normal Nutrition | 3 |
| PHLT 1513 | Introduction to Environmental Health and Safety | 3 |
| PHLT 2607 | Ethical Issues in Public Health | 3 |
| PHLT 2692 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PHLT 3702 | Health Education Theory and Methods | 3 |
| PHLT 3709 | Elements of Urban Environmental Health Practices | 3 |
| PHLT 3725 | Topics in Public Health | 3 |
| PHLT 3731 | Drug Use and Abuse | 3 |
| PHLT 3757 | Health and Disease | 4 |
| PHLT 3791 | Community Health | 3 |
| PHLT 4826 | Community Health Planning and Promotion | 4 |
| PHLT 4827 | Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs | 3 |
| PHLT 4828 | Grant Writing | 3 |
| PHLT 4891 | Public Health Internship | 8 |
| PHLT 4899 | Public Health Senior Seminar | 3 |
| PHLT 5804 | Multicultural Health | 3 |
| PHLT 5810 | Agents of Mass Casualty | 3 |
| PHLT 5812 | Crisis Management in Public Health | 3 |
| Allied Health Courses | ||
| AHLT 3708 | Preventive Public Health Care (Allied Health Courses) | 3 |
| AHLT 3740 | Pathology of Infectious Diseases | 3 |
| AHLT 4806 | Research Methods | 3 |
| AHLT 4808 | Environmental Health Concerns | 3 |
| AHLT 4810 | Management Skills for Health Professionals | 3 |
| AHLT 5807 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 121-123 | |
A total of 121-123 semester hours are required for the BSAS in public health. No minor is required for this professional BSAS degree.
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | S.H. | |
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar or Intro to Honors or Strong Start Success Seminar | 1-2 |
| PHLT 1531 | Fundamentals of Public Health | 3 |
| PHLT 1568 | Healthy Lifestyles | 3 |
| ENGL 1550 or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 or Writing 1 with Support | 3-4 |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| PHLT 1500 | Introduction to Online Learning in Health Professions | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 16-18 | |
| Spring | ||
| AHLT 3708 | Preventive Public Health Care | 3 |
| MATH 2623 | Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| PHIL 1560 or PHIL 2625 | Introduction to Philosophy or Introduction to Professional Ethics | 3 |
| PHLT 1513 | Introduction to Environmental Health and Safety | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHLT 2692 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PHLT 3702 | Health Education Theory and Methods | 3 |
| PHLT 3709 | Elements of Urban Environmental Health Practices | 3 |
| PHLT 3725 | Topics in Public Health | 3 |
| BIOL 1545 & 1545L | Allied Health Anatomy and Physiology and Allied Health Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory | 5 |
| Semester Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHLT 3757 | Health and Disease | 4 |
| PHLT 3791 | Community Health | 3 |
| PHLT 5812 | Crisis Management in Public Health | 3 |
| AHLT 5807 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| FNUT 1551 | Normal Nutrition | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHLT 3731 | Drug Use and Abuse | 3 |
| PHLT 4826 | Community Health Planning and Promotion | 4 |
| AHLT 4806 | Research Methods | 3 |
| Natural Science (1 course) | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities (1 course) | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHLT 4827 | Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs | 3 |
| PHLT 4828 | Grant Writing | 3 |
| AHLT 3740 | Pathology of Infectious Diseases | 3 |
| AHLT 4808 | Environmental Health Concerns | 3 |
| SOC 1500 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHLT 5810 | Agents of Mass Casualty | 3 |
| PHLT 2607 | Ethical Issues in Public Health | 3 |
| AHLT 4810 | Management Skills for Health Professionals | 3 |
| Social Science (1 courses) | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHLT 4891 | Public Health Internship | 8 |
| PHLT 4899 | Public Health Senior Seminar | 3 |
| PHLT 5804 | Multicultural Health | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 14 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 121-123 | |
- The following development courses do not count toward degree requirements:
Course List COURSE TITLE S.H. ENGL 1539 Fundamentals of College Writing 4 ENGL 1540 Introduction to College Writing 3 RSS 1510A Advanced College Success Skills 3 RSS 1510B Basic College Success Skills 3 MATH 1505 Intermediate Algebra with Applications 5 MATH 1507 Intermediate Algebra 3 - No minor is required for this major.
- To continue enrollment in the major, a GPA of 2.0 must be maintained.
- Courses in the major require a grade of “C” or better.
- Courses taken under the Credit(CR)/No Credit (NC) option may not be counted toward the major. You must confer with Dr. Robinson prior to electing this option. (Refer to the Undergraduate Bulletin for more information.)
Learning Outcomes
The student learning outcomes for public health are as follows:
- The public health student will demonstrate skill in competence in core Public Health content including program planning and evaluation, program implementation, coordination of effective communication, use of resources, environmental health and safety, and cultural competence by achieving a score of at least 85% on a program comprehensive exam taken as part of PHLT 4898 Environmental Health and Safety Senior Seminar or PHLT 4899 Public Health Senior Seminar courses.
- The public health student will demonstrate mastery of entry-level Public Health competency by receiving an internship score of at least 85% by his/her public health/environmental health internship supervisor.