Public Health/Community Health Education
This concentration provides a basic foundation in public health, including epidemiology and biostatistics. It also introduces the foundation of planning, implementing, and evaluating community-based health education models. Internship opportunities may be found in the health departments, public health agencies, HMO’s, see above career center and other health-related agencies. This concentration serves the needs of those students interested in pursuing clinical and non-clinical graduate studies.
Curriculum
HAN 440 Introduction to Community Health (3 credits): Introduces students to the foundation of planning, implementing and evaluating community-based health education programs. Presents classic theories of health education including the social learning theory, health belief model, and the attribution theory. Reviews relevant health education programs. Examines various learning styles and skills. Basic health education models are introduced and critiqued through individual and group projects. Reviews health education professional organizations and associations. Each student is required to design a health education program for a selected population. Restricted to students approved for appropriate senior year track in the Health Science major.
HAN 450 Introduction to Public Health (3 credits): Introduces the principles and practices of public health, including definitions and concepts, history and development, determinants of health, and ethical and legal aspects of public health. Orients students to various public health settings such as local and state health departments, not-for-profit community organizations, and agencies for special populations. Provides students with basic knowledge and skills for conducting community needs assessment with diverse populations. Addresses infectious disease control, environmental health, chronic disease control, tobacco and drug control, maternal and child health, women’s health, and injury control topics. Restricted to students approved for appropriate senior year track in the Health Science major.
HAN 452 Epidemiology and Biostatistics (3 credits): Provides students with the basic knowledge and skills for studying diseases of individuals and groups. Introduced biostatistical approaches and skills for collecting and organizing data of communities to meet health needs. Addresses epidemiological concepts, limitations and resources. Through the use of case studies, students study various epidemiological models used regionally, nationally and internationally. Includes discussions about ethical situations related to research and statistical studies. Restricted to students approved for appropriate senior year track in the Health Science major.
HAN 455 Health Literacy for Public Health (3 credits): Explores the ways in which health literacy impacts patient care and the delivery of community health/public health services. Students will learn the skills needed to relay, process, and explain basic health information and services to assist patients and their families to make appropriate health decisions. Examines and analyzes issues of low health literacy, including population at risk, research, measurement tools, writing in plain language and health communication techniques. Prerequisite: Restricted to students approved for appropriate senior year track in the Health Science major.
HAN 456 Behavioral and Social Aspects of Health (3 credits): Introduces social and behavioral factors as determinants of health. Explores theories of human and group behavior and health behavior change models through lecture and case study. Explores the dynamics between behaviors and culture, gender, age and socioeconomic status. Students study various inventory tools for measuring health-related knowledge and methods for measuring behavior change. Restricted to students approved for appropriate senior year track in the Health Science major.
