BSPH - Public Health

This course provides students an overview of various careers in the health sciences including the aptitudes, abilities and educational pathways required for each. A basic overview of the U.S. health care system and current issues affecting the delivery of health care will also be provided. Throughout the course, interprofessional practice, communication, and ethics in health care will be explored.

This course is essential to acquaint students with the profession of health education. An emphasis will be placed on increasing students' knowledge base of health education and promotion, professional culture, and practice of health educators. There are no prerequisites for this course.

A study of factors that contribute to personal health, including nutrition, diet, weight control, emotional health, stress, proper use of drugs, and medical and dental services.

This course will introduce students to the many aspects of community and public health, and the role of health educators. Students will increase their understanding of community development, empowerment, and coalition building. An emphasis will also be placed on the role of epidemiology in community health, the process for planning and implementing community wellness programs, increase their knowledge of research proposal skills and different research designs, and prominent issues impacting public health today. There are no prerequisites for this course.

This course will provide students with the knowledge and skills essential for the development and implementation of comprehensive health education programs. Students will develop an understanding of the principles of program development, implementation, and a brief overview of evaluation. Students will demonstrate their understanding of these principles and their ability to apply them in practice through the development and presentation of a comprehensive community needs assessment and an intervention proposal. 

This course will be a one-credit hour course taken during the final semester of coursework as part of the professional preparation for students to enter the job markedt and to prepare students to succeed in passing the CHES examination. (1 credit hour)

This course will be a two-credit hour course taken during the final semester of coursework as a culminating experience where students have the opportunity to apply learned competencies to a topic in health promotion.  A written project will be presented upon completion of the course. (2 credit hours)

This course will prepare students for using theory in the development and implementation of health programs to ensure best evidence-based practice in health education and public health careers. This course will be designed to teach fundamental health behavior theories that drive research and practice in health education and public health. The appropriate balance between theory, research, and practice is imperative to producing effective health education programs. 

This course will provide an understanding of the various types of program evaluation, including needs assessment, formative evaluation, process evaluation, monitoring of outputs and outcomes, impact evaluation, and outcome evaluation. Students will gain knowledge and practical experience through the design of a conceptual framework, development of indicators, and formulate an evaluation plan to measure program impact. Prerequisites: BSPH 2350 Foundations of Health Education and Promotion and BSPH 3320 Program Planning in Health Education and Promotion.

Provides foundational leadership principles in various settings within the exercise and sport science profession. Additionally, students will gain knowledge and skills in professional development and responsibility necessary to leadership and administration as a professional in exercise and sport science.

This is a supervised applied practical experience which will take place at an extramural agency or organization engaged in work related to public health and health promotion. This allows students to apply learned competencies in a public health practice setting. This project requires written approval from the student's advisor and program director. (3 credit hours)

This course will cover pathophysiology of the major chronic diseased states such as cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, obesity, COPD, etc. and will include etiology symptoms, and the physical reactions to diseases. Emphasis is placed on the interactions among body systems, and deviations from homeostasis and the role of lifestyle and nutrition on the progression and prevention of these diseased states. Prerequisite: A "C" or higher in BIOL 2341/2141

In this course, students will be introduced to the basic principles, concepts, and methods used in the field of epidemiology. Students will have the opportunity to analyze and review epidemiological approaches in health promotion. Epidemiologic tools presented in this course include vital statistics and rates, descriptive studies, observational studies, and experimental studies.

Tests and Measurement is designed to teach the student the foundational theory of measurement and evaluation including reliability, validity, objectivity, and relevance. Practical application of test construction and test analysis will be an integral part of the course. Descriptive and inferential statistical procedures will be addressed.