Southern's bachelor's degree in public health, one of the first in the country, prepares students to assume positions in a broad array of public health careers, increasing their potential for job placement and allowing them to make a meaningful and enduring difference in the world. Students will gain a strong general background in areas of knowledge basic to public health, experience applying public health knowledge through independent research, a field-placement experience under qualified supervision, and specialized coursework in health promotion.
You can also minor in public health, in one of three areas:
- Public Health -- Focuses on the nature and role of the public health model as it affects health and disease
- Wellness -- Addresses personal behaviors and environmental conditions that impact the quality of personal and public health
- Nutrition -- Intended to provide the student with a background in nutrition for personal and community application
In the Public Health major, students graduate knowing how to promote, maintain and enhance the public's health. In today's complex world, the field of public health is becoming an increasingly vital part of our daily lives. It's a field in which professionals can make a difference, whether they're researching and tracking the spread of disease, running awareness campaigns in community agencies, advising corporations on health programs, or maintaining a safe environment.
In the undergraduate program students study an array of public health topics with emphases on health promotion. The program at Southern is intensively hands- on, with many class activities centering on community-service and a culminating internship where students get real world experience working with a public health or community agency.
Southern's public health graduates are leaders in Connecticut’s state and local health department, as well as community-based agencies, hospitals, insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and nonprofit agencies. Our graduates work to eliminate health inequities, organize community responses to health problems, address the AIDS epidemic; promote a healthy environment, design public health policies and interventions, and lead international health relief efforts.
With a minor in Nutrition, students complete 18 credits of introductory nutrition courses, including: meal management, community nutrition, and food hygiene. This minor provides students a foundation for applying good nutrition principles in professional settings and personal choices.
With a minor in Public Health, students complete 18 credits of core public health courses, including: epidemiology, health policy, social and behavioral sciences, and introduction to public health. This minor could lead students towards furthering their education in public health (ie. BS or MPH in public health) and will give them a foundation of knowing how to promote, maintain and enhance the public’s health.
With a minor in Wellness, students complete 18 credits in courses that focus on personal wellbeing and enrichment, such as: stress management, women’s/men’s health, and health across the life span. Students acquire skills and knowledge in how to live their healthiest and become their best selves through healthy behaviors and lifestyles.