Public and Community Health

Overview

Programs in public and community health prepare people to protect and promote the health of people and communities. This program is sometimes called public health, health promotion, or community health.

Public and community health programs include topics such as:

Health policy
Community health programs
Health law enforcement
Research methodology
Disease prevention
Management and administration

Concentrations

In community and public health programs, students may be able to specialize in:

Public health education and promotion
Community health
Preventative medicine
Maternal and child health
International public health

At some schools public and community health may be offered as an interdisciplinary program. Interdisciplinary programs combine courses from several college departments. For public and community health it may include courses in health sciences, health care management, or social work.

Schools

Many colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in public and community health. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study.

Some universities offer graduate degrees in public and community health. Some schools offer a Master of Public Health (MPH) or Doctor of Public Health (DPH) degree. A master's degree typically requires two years of study beyond a bachelor's degree. Doctoral degree programs usually require two or more years of study beyond the master's degree.

See schools that offer this program.

Related Educational Programs

Related Careers

Careers Directly Related to this Program of Study

Other Careers Related to this Program of Study

Program Admission

You can prepare for this program by taking courses in high school that prepare you for college. This typically includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.

Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:

Anatomy and Physiology
Biology
Chemistry
Chemistry in the Community
Child Development and Parenting
Community Health
Community Service
Economics
Environmental Science
Food and Nutrition
Health Education
Healthcare Sciences Work Experience
Life and Physical Sciences Lab Assistant
Lifetime Fitness Education
Organization Studies
Physics
Psychology
Public Administration
Public Speaking
Safety and First Aid
Social Science
Social Science Research
Sociology
World Area Studies
World Geography

Graduate Admissions

Admission to graduate programs is competitive. You need a bachelor's degree and good grades. You also need to submit letters of recommendation and a personal statement.

You should major in a related field such as community health education, a behavioral science, or health teacher education. Nursing, social work, and nutrition are also good choices. However, for some programs, an undergraduate major does not have to be in any particular field. In this case, be sure to take several courses in both the natural and social sciences. A statistics or advanced math course may be required as well.

If you want to apply to a doctoral program, you need to have a master's degree in public health.

Additional requirements at most schools include:

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General
Academic writing sample
Personal interview
Related work or volunteer experience

Typical Course Work

Program Courses

In this program, you typically take courses such as the following:

Anatomy and Physiology
Biology
Chemistry
Communicable Diseases and Chronic Health Problems
Communicating Health and Safety
Community Organizing and Building for Health
Contemporary Issues in Health Promotion
Controversial Issues in Health
Design and Production of Instructional Materials
Disease Prevention and Control
Environmental and Occupational Health
Epidemiology
Family Crisis and Intervention
General Microbiology and Public Health
Health Administration and Policy
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
International and Comparative Health Administration
Nutrition
Philosophy and Principles of Health Education
Policy Issues in Health Education
Probability and Statistics
Program Planning and Evaluation
Psychology
Research Methodology
Sociocultural and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health

Graduate Program Courses

Course work in graduate programs varies. However, the outline of a typical graduate curriculum looks like the following:

Required core courses
Thesis and thesis defense (master's degree only)
Comprehensive oral and written exams (doctoral degree only)
Dissertation and dissertation defense (doctoral degree only)

You typically take core courses such as the following:

Applied Risk Assessment
Biostatistics
Epidemiology
Healthcare Finance and Delivery
Health Policy and Health Systems
Social and Behavioral Influences on Health

After taking these courses, you usually take additional elective courses on public health topics that match your specific research interests. This additional course work helps you define your thesis or dissertation topic.

Both undergraduate and graduate programs require you to complete fieldwork (also known as a practicum, an internship, or an externship) as part of their curriculum. This gives you the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills you learn in the classroom to any of a wide range of public health settings.

You could serve as a temporary member of a local, state, or national health organization, participating in its day-to-day activities and working on a specific project. You might go to a community of interest and do field research, collecting samples and analyzing them in a lab at a local university.

Whatever the setting and whatever the application, you benefit from the guidance and direct supervision of an experienced public health specialist.

Things to Know

Several schools offer programs where you can combine your degree in public health with a degree in another program such as medicine, social work, or law.