Community Health
The undergraduate program in Community Health is focused on improving health and well-being for all through the promotion of healthful lifestyles, healthy family functioning, community actions for health, and conditions that make it possible to live healthful lives. The program draws on public health, education, anthropology, psychology, sociology, family science, and other social and behavioral sciences.
The Community Health program stresses community involvement because community health emphasizes an interactive process. The undergraduate program culminates in an internship experience that is research and/or service focused. Throughout the program and in the internship, students will learn to: assess individual and community needs; plan, implement, and evaluate effective health promotion programs; coordinate provision of services; act as a resource person; and communicate health needs, concerns and resources.
Graduates of the Community Health undergraduate program are prepared to work in a variety of settings including family planning agencies, nonprofit agencies, state and federal health agencies, schools, and community health centers. Our students are employed in entry-level positions focused on planning, administration, evaluation, research, and teaching in community health settings. Students are well prepared for and highly encouraged to pursue a graduate degree in public health or other related area upon completion of the undergraduate program.
Completion of the Community Health undergraduate degree establishes eligibility to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination during students' final semester of their senior year. The CHES exam measures the possession, application, and interpretation of knowledge essential to the practice of community health/health education. The CHES certification is a national standard for health education practice and assists employers in identifying qualified health education practitioners.
Students must receive a grade of "C" or higher in all required courses.
| Freshman Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Spring | |
| COMX 111US - Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 | |
| HDFS 101IS - Indiv and Fam Dev: Lifespan | 3 | |
| M 105Q - Contemporary Mathematics | 3 | |
| SOCI 101IS - Introduction to Sociology | 3 | |
| WRIT 101W - College Writing I | 3 | |
| CHTH 205 - Drugs and Society | 3 | |
| PSYX 100IS - Intro to Psychology | 4 | |
| University Core | 9 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 16 |
| Sophomore Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| CHTH 210 - Foundations in Community Health | 3 | |
| NUTR 221CS - Basic Human Nutrition | 3 | |
| Take one of the following: | 3 | |
| Directed Electives | 6 | |
| HDFS 263 - Relationships and Fam Systems | 3 | |
| HDFS 271 - Statistical Measures of Well-Being | 3 | |
| HTH 220 - Human Sexuality | 3 | |
| KIN 221 - Health Anatomy & Physiology | 3 | |
| University Core | 3 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 15 |
| Junior Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| HDFS 359 - Theories and Skills for the Human Services | 3 | |
| HDFS 371 - Research Methods in HHD | 3 | |
| Directed Electives | 6 | |
| Upper Division Directed Electives | 3 | |
| CHTH 317 - Health Behavior Theories | 3 | |
| CHTH 435 - Human Response To Stress | 3 | |
| CHTH 494 - Seminar | 1 | |
| HADM 445 - Managing Healthcare Organizations | 3 | |
| HTH 455 - The Ethic of Care | 3 | |
| Directed Electives | 3 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 16 |
| Senior Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| CHTH 428 - Health Disparities | 3 | |
| CHTH 498 - Internship | 3 | |
| HDFS 465R - Family Law & Public Policy | 3 | |
| Directed Electives | 6 | |
| CHTH 443 - Program Evaluation for Community Health | 3 | |
| CHTH 445 - Program Planning for CH | 3 | |
| CHTH 498 - Internship | 2 | |
| Directed Electives | 6 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 14 |
| Total Program Credits: | 120 | |
Directed Electives (21-35 credits)
Select directed elective courses from the list below. Select courses that will best compliment your professional goals in community health. Courses may be counted only once on your program of study. Check prerequisites to all courses.
| Health and Human Development | ||
| CHTH 245 | Physical Activity, Nutrition and Health in Aging | 3 |
| CHTH 325 | Leadership & Public Policies in Aging | 3 |
| CHTH 405 | Caregiving & Aging Families | 3 |
| CHTH 414 | Health and Culture: A Global Perspective | 3 |
| CHTH 430 | Mental Health & Social Issues in Aging | 3 |
| CHTH 440 | Principles of Epidemiology | 3 |
| CHTH 490R | Undergraduate Research | 1-6 |
| HDFS 138 | Survey of Family Finance and Consumer Issues | 3 |
| HDFS 260 | Middle Childhood and Adolescent Development | 3 |
| HDFS 261 | Adult Development and Aging | 3 |
| HDFS 337 | Personal and Family Finance I | 3 |
| HDFS 338 | Personal and Family Finance II | 3 |
| HDFS 461 | Principles Wellbeing in Aging | 3 |
| HDFS 464 | Gender, Race, Class, and Family Diversity | 3 |
| NUTR 321 | Nutrition in the Life Cycle | 3 |
| NUTR 351 | Nutrition and Society | 3 |
| General Directed Electives | ||
| AGSC 465 | Cultures' Role in Agriculture, Poverty, Health | 3 |
| BMGT 205 | Prof Business Communication | 3 |
| BMGT 469 | Community Entrepreneurship & Nonprofit Management | 3 |
| CHMY 121IN | Introduction to General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHMY 122IN | Introduction to General Chemistry Lab | 1 |
| CHMY 123 | Introduction to Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHMY 124 | Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Lab | 1 |
| COMX 222 | Professional Communication | 3 |
| HDFS 359 | Theories and Skills for the Human Services | 3 |
| HDFS 451 | Trauma and Recovery: A Lifespan Perspective | 3 |
| PSCI 210IS | Introduction to American Government | 3 |
| PSCI 230D | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| PSCI 240 | Introduction to Public Administration | 3 |
| PSCI 439 | International Human Rights | 3 |
| PSCI 465 | Public Administration and Policy | 3 |
| PSYX 230 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSYX 333 | Psychology of Aging | 3 |
| PSYX 335 | Psychology of Gender | 3 |
| PSYX 340 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| PSYX 360 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSYX 385 | Psychology of Personality | 3 |
| PSYX 462 | Psychology of Prejudice | 3 |
| SOCI 150D | Social Difference | 3 |
| SOCI 320 | Sociology of Religion | 3 |
| SOCI 325 | Social Stratification | 3 |
| SOCI 326 | Sociology of Gender | 3 |
| SOCI 344 | Sociology of Race & Ethnicity | 3 |
| SOCI 355 | Population and Society | 3 |
| SOCI 370 | Sociology of Globalization | 3 |
| STAT 216Q | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| STAT 337 | Intermediate Statistics with Introduction to Statistical Computing | 3 |
| WRIT 221 | Intermediate Tech Writing | 3 |
| WRIT 326 | Advanced Writing | 3 |
Community Health students may also consider the following minors as partial or complete fulfillment of supporting course credits. Approved minors include Business Administration, Global Health, Human Development, Psychology, Sociology, and Spanish.