Public Health - BS

Public Health professionals with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) are prepared to:

  • understand the history, ethics, and traditions of the field of public health.
  • value the scope and nature of problems and challenges addressed by the field of public health.
  • appreciate the breadth, depth, and variety of intellectual and practical skills employed in the field of public health.
  • appreciate the variety of communication methods and cultural competence required in the field of public health.

The BSPH program is based on a philosophy of health promotion and disease prevention, to improve the quality of life of individuals, families and communities. The BSPH discipline focuses on four areas:

  1. the multiple determinants of health, including biological, environmental, sociocultural, health service, and economic factors,
  2. identification of scientific data, tools of informatics, and other information for identifying indicators of health status and health disparities and assessing the well-being of a community,
  3. addressing major local, national, and global health challenges, and
  4. designing public health approaches and interventions that improve health outcomes, population health and well-being.

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree program is more than a means to produce ready public health practitioners. It can complement or enrich a traditional biology-based pre-health degree plan for students intending professional education in medicine, nursing, allied health or other health professions. Notably the program establishes a specific entry-level baccalaureate degree in the Public Health academic pathway which, until recently, had started with a master’s degree.

This program is approved to be offered at the Texas A&M Higher Education Center in McAllen, Texas.