Public Health Undergraduate Majors and Minors

As a health educator, you will inform and motivate people about healthy lifestyles and help communities develop health environments. You will deliver service messages, develop social media messages, evaluate public health needs and services, and advocate for public health policies that affect communities. The public health major prepares you for careers in a variety of official, voluntary, community-based organizations, private health agencies, health departments, and hospitals.

A public health major prepares you for careers in a variety of official, voluntary, community-based organizations, private health agencies, health departments, and hospitals. The public health major has two concentrations: public health education and pre-health professional. You will decide if you want an educational or clinical focus:

• Pre-health professional concentration
  • If you plan to apply to medical school or graduate programs and would like to gain public health skills, you can benefit from the pre-health professional concentration. This concentration is designed to provide you with public health skills and prepare you for entry into professional training programs such as medicine and physician assistant programs.
• Public health education concentration
  • If you are looking a career in public health or are interested in obtaining a Master of Public Health (MPH), you might consider the public health education concentration.

Public health minor

A public health minor can provide a local, state, national, and global understanding of health issues, problems, and responses along with prevention measures to improve health outcomes. The minor embraces a systems approach to impact communities and social issues and create innovation strategies to reduce health disparities. This minor is often combined with a major in a health profession, social science, criminal justice, psychology, sociology, and even business.

Substance use disorders minor

Substance use disorders are a growing public health concern. Opioid use in particular presents a rising challenge. Empathy-trained professionals can help struggling individuals and communities. The substance use disorders minor teaches you the skills needed to work in prevention, treatment, or rehabilitation. It is often combined with a major in social work, psychology, kinesiology, or education.