Public Health Sciences Learning Objectives

Public Health Sciences Major - Learning Objectives

Students in the Public Health Sciences major graduate with skills, knowledge, and understanding in the following areas: 

• Describe the concept of population health and the basic processes, approaches, and interventions specific to the needs and concerns of populations. 
• Evaluate the source and quality of health information and data as related to individual and community health. 
• Demonstrate mastery in public health communication skills including oral communication and written communication for both lay and expert audiences.
• Assess the values and perspectives of diverse individuals, communities, and cultures, and describe how these factors influence health behaviors, choices, and practices. 
• Engage in collaborative, team-based, and interdisciplinary approaches for improving population health. 
• Identify public health tools and evidence-based strategies to respond to public health issues in a global world.
• Recognize the broad and diverse range of areas of study within the field of public health, and identify and explore areas that are of personal interest.

The Public Health Sciences major is accredited by the Council for Education on Public Health

Courses in the Public Health Sciences major provide instruction in the following domains and competencies, developed by the Council for Education on Public Health. 

Foundational Domains

• The concepts and applications of basic statistics 
• The foundations of biological and life sciences 
• The history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts, and functions across the globe and in society 
• The basic concepts, methods, and tools of public health data collection, use, and analysis and why evidence-based approaches are an essential part of public health practice 
• The concepts of population health, and the basic processes, approaches and interventions that identify and address the major health-related needs and concerns of populations 
• The underlying science of human health and disease, including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the life course 
• The socioeconomic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities 
• The fundamental concepts and features of project implementation, including planning, assessment, and evaluation 
• The fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the U.S. health system as well as the differences between systems in other countries 
• Basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of health care and public health policy and the roles, influences, and responsibilities of the different agencies and branches of government 
• Basic concepts of public health-specific communication, including technical and professional writing and the use of mass media and electronic technology

Foundational Competencies

• Communicate public health information, in both oral and written forms, through a variety of media and to diverse audiences 
• Locate, use, evaluate, and synthesize public health information