Public Health

Improving the Wellness of Communities

Why are whole communities sicker than others? What can be changed to make a community healthier, both physically and mentally? What are ways that a community can improve the health of its members?

Public health looks further than the biological factors that affect community health in order to identify societal issues that contribute to a healthy community. Informed by health education, biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, intervention, and health services administration, public health professionals bring information, awareness, and solutions to families and communities to improve their health and wellness.

Addressing Root Causes of Disease and Health Problems

If you are passionate about people, health, and social justice, a major in Public Health gives you ways to address critical family and community health issues. These are leveraged by the expertise of several health-related professions.

Public Health majors learn to address the causes of poor health and human diseases, analyze societal health problems, use community data to develop solutions for health issues, and serve communities in health-related areas. In a semester-long senior capstone, you will work with fellow Public Health majors to develop a system of improvement for the common welfare of a community.

Combine Public Health with Other Majors

Supplement your public health major with classes in Christian ministries, environmental science, economics, management, social and behavioral science, and natural and applied science.

The Public Health major can be effectively combined with other majors and minors to provide a deeper understanding of sustainable career paths. 

• Public Health + Biology — Biostatisticians analyze data to determine the cause of disease and illness within communities, studying data to forecast scenarios and make informed decisions regarding health trends.
• Public Health + Biology — Epidemiologists study food-born and viral outbreaks, researching the causes and spread of disease or injury.
• Public Health + Environmental Science — Study how health is affected by surroundings, including air, water, soil, and genetics and how they relate to the rest of the environment.
• Public Health + Psychology — Behavioral psychologists promote healthy living, including habits that hinder or eliminate the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, addictive behaviors, and unsafe conduct. 
• Public Health + Psychology — Maternal and child health professionals work with women and children to facilitate healthy pregnancies and childhood development through research, education, and advocacy.
• Public Health + Exercise Science — This field works with community members of all ages to develop healthy eating and exercise habits. Educating people about nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle choices, they seek to improve the overall health and wellness of communities.
• Public Health + International Studies — Cultures and ethnic groups around the world have different health issues related to all areas of public health. Professionals with a global perspective are needed to bring education and advocacy to these communities.