Public Health, BA

Introduction

The mission of the public health program is to develop emerging public health leaders through an interdisciplinary education rooted in the liberal arts and connected with contemporary public health practice. The curriculum challenges students to understand the intellectual meaning and practical implications of the broad array of influences on population health, emphasizing the social foundations of health.

The study of public health is dedicated to understanding and improving the health and well-being of all people. The public health major is designed to develop students’ abilities to understand, analyze, problem-solve and communicate effectively in a complicated, international and rapidly changing world. Pacific’s public health program integrates health science, social science and humanistic approaches to addressing global health challenges.

Public health students study core courses within public health, such as introductory public health, epidemiology, social foundations of population health, environmental health, and global health. But we know that public health workers need a broad set of skills and abilities to be effective in promoting health and well-being, so our students complete their public health majors with courses in statistics and biology, plus a choice of courses from anthropology, biology, chemistry, economics, environmental sciences, ethics, history, media arts, politics, psychology, sociology, social work and the humanities.

Admissions  

Program Length

Four years for a complete BA degree.  Two years for students transferring in with an AAOT degree.  Program length may vary depending upon the student’s course load and academic progress.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Describe interconnected relationships among physical, social, and environmental aspects of health and disease.
• Appreciate the role of multiple determinants of health across diverse populations and health issues.
• Identify social injustices and propose strategies for change.
• Understand and communicate using public health terminology, including epidemiological measures.
• Interpret quantitative and qualitative information about population health.
• Synthesize information from a variety of sources to understand and act upon population health problems.

Students studying public health are often interested in pursuing careers in the public sector, working with health departments, policymakers or organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Others are interested in working with nonprofit organizations or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that promote better health both domestically and abroad. Still other public health graduates will pursue private-sector employment within the insurance or healthcare industries. Public health graduates are prepared for careers in health departments, hospitals, nonprofit organizations, universities, family violence prevention organizations, disaster relief organizations, and state and federal agencies. Many students choose to combine undergraduate public health education with graduate school in public health or the health professions.

Students may earn a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science, or minor in Public Health. Only a grade of C- or above may be used to satisfy major and minor requirements. Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average in the major or minor.