What is public health?

With a global pandemic still fresh on everyone’s mind, a degree in public health is a smart move if you’re interested in improving the diverse conditions and behaviors that affect all aspects of health and society.

Taking a multidisciplinary approach that explores areas of study such as maternal health communications, epidemiology, and environmental health and safety, a degree in public health will give you the knowledge and skills necessary to transform research into practices and public health

Program Information

Format & Locations

Campus

College/School

College of Arts & Sciences

Degree type

Undergraduate

Credential type

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS)

Why become public health major at Baker University?

As a public health major at Baker University, you’ll experience in-depth classroom work and practical, hands-on learning opportunities. And you’ll have your pick of three concentrations, so you can study what’s important to you.

Physical Activity & Health Promotion Across the Lifespan Concentration

As fitness professionals, become key players in public health efforts, this concentration will prepare you for a career in the following fields or workplaces: health education, health-based after-school programs, work-site health programs, health care organizations, parks and recreation, government agencies, colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations and commercial health clubs, coaching youth athletes with and without disabilities, leading group exercise, teaching and coaching youth sports and fitness in nonschool settings such as YMCA, YWCA, and Boys and Girls Clubs.

Health Communication & Literacy Concentration

Strong skills in health communication and literacy enable public health professionals to obtain, process, and understand basic health information. This concentration prepares you for a career as a public health project manager, public health researcher, public and allied health librarian, health plan prior authorization coordinator, youth services coordinator, parent and community engagement coordinator, early-childhood education coordinator, or hospital educator.

Sociology & Cultural Competency Concentration

Drawing on the efforts of the World Health Organization, this concentration prepares you to explore cultural studies, structures, and interactions through the lens of public health issues and principles. You will study a variety of topics such as race and epidemiology, health policy, sociology, ethnicity, gender, immigration, maternal health, wealth and poverty, family dynamics, and social policy.

Beyond Textbooks and Lectures

Interested in public health observation and job-shadowing experiences and internships? You’ll get them, thanks to our strong relationships with diverse agencies, such as the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, Boost Physical Therapy and Sports Performance, Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, Baldwin City Recreation Commission, and several regional hospitals.

What can you do with a public health degree?

From health-related sociology jobs to social epidemiology positions, as a public health major, you’ll have the opportunity to work at the local, state, federal, and multinational levels. A degree in public health will also prepare you for careers in private nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Here are potential public health careers:

Epidemiologist
Biostatistician
Health educator
Environmental health and safety director
Public health nurse
Health administrator
Environmental health scientist
Health analyst
Health director
Demographer

Public health is an important field that is often overlooked. Millions of people are alive today thanks to public health initiatives, such as vaccination programs, clean air and water standards and policies, change in tobacco laws and community policies surrounding tobacco use, child safety laws, and workplace safety standards. Public health touches on almost every aspect of modern life with career options spanning from government agencies to nonprofit organizations to the private sector. As the world gets a glimpse into the public health world during the global pandemic, professionals in public health work together using evidence-based approaches and strategies to better the overall health and quality of life for populations and communities locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.

Public Health Scholarships

The Department of Applied Health Sciences gives these awards with financial prizes to be applied to the following year’s tuition:

Mildred Hunt Riddle Departmental Recognition Scholarship for Exercise Science
Benjamin A. Gessner Award
Thomas G. Manson and Frances B. Manson Scholarship
Robert L. Miller Scholarship

Two smiling women happily holding a framed photo at an event.

Coursework and Requirements

Core Courses (45 Credit Hours)

EX 181 Introduction to Human Performance

EX 245 Human Nutrition

EX 247 Public Health Aspects

EX 261 Principles of Epidemiology

EX 327 Public Health Communication and Literacy

EX 328 Health Promotions

EX 346 Special Populations

EX 388 Global Health Issues

EX 497 Clinical Experience

PE 180 Concepts of Health

SO 372 Sociology of Medicine

Supporting Coursework (6 Credit Hours)
BI 262 Human Anatomy and Physiology I

BI 267 Human Anatomy and Physiology II

Physical Activity & Health Promotion Across the Lifespan Concentration (22 Credit Hours)
EX 184 Lifetime of Fitness

EX 300 Group Fitness Instruction

EX 342 Motor Learning

PE 240 Techniques of Teaching Team Sports

PE 241 Techniques of Teaching Individual and Dual Sports

SA 141 Introduction to Sports Administration

SA 335 Facility and Event Management

SA 420 Theory and Principles of Coaching

Health Communication * Literacy Concentration (18 Credit Hours)
CO 115 Introduction to Communication Studies

CO 242 Interpersonal Communication

CO 257 Pathways to Conflict Management

CO 350 Organizational Communication

CO 355 Group and Team Communications

EN 152 Introduction to Writing and Research

Sociology & Cultural Competency Concentration (21 Credit Hours)
SO 115 Principles of Sociology

SO 242 Society and the Individual

SO 243 Social Inequality

SO 329 Gender and Sexuality

SO 331 Social Class and Status

SO/RE 363 Religion, Ritual, and Belief

SO 364 Culture and Society