Contact

Ignatius Ijere, Undergraduate Program Director
435B White Hall
315-443-9393
inijere@syr.edu 

Description

The Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health (BSPH) prepares students for health-related careers in government, private and non-profit organizations that address health promotion and illness prevention in individuals, families and communities.  Service learning and community engagement are key in this major - beginning freshman year and extending through the senior capstone internship, students are working with community partners to improve health in the Syracuse University and regional community.  The 30-credit public health core provides foundational public health knowledge and skills important for entry level public health practice or post-graduate study.  In addition to the public health core, a 15-credit concentration in Addiction Prevention, Health & Society, Healthcare Management, or Community Health Education provides further career-related training.  Students who complete either the Addiction Prevention concentration or Community Health Education concentration are eligible for initial professional credentialing in corresponding careers.  The public health major also provides a pathway to advanced studies in medicine, dentistry, physician assistant, nursing, occupational therapy, or physical therapy.

Declaration of Major:

Students with a cumulative GPA 2.3 or higher, in good academic standing at the university, and with interest in public health are considered for declaration of the public health major. Students with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 – 2.29 will be considered based on factors influencing the GPA and grades of B or better earned in public health courses previously completed. In addition, students must

• Have completed at least 12 credits of graded coursework at Syracuse University

AND

• Declare the major no later than spring semester, year 3 of study and have a minimum of 3 remaining semesters of study

We recommend that interested students meet with the undergraduate program director to discuss the major and outline a plan to complete the degree.

Student Learning Outcomes

Public Health Core Learning Outcomes

1. Communicate public health information, in both oral and written forms and through a variety of media, to diverse audiences
2. Locate, use, evaluate, and synthesize public health information
3. Apply basic principles of project implementation
4. Use concepts of population health and models from social and behavioral disciplines to promote health and address health related needs and concerns of groups and communities across the life course
5. Relate biology, health behavior, social determinants, and environmental contexts to human health, disease, and the expression of health disparities
6. Outline the organizational structure, function and delivery modalities for U.S. and global healthcare systems
7. Act according to professional values and ethics in public health practice, research and education
8. Describe how community forces, economic factors, and research shape health practices and policies

Concentration Competencies

Addiction Prevention

• Explain theoretical underpinnings of addiction in individuals and communities.  
• Apply public health prevention theory, ethical principles, and findings from current scientific literature in addiction prevention programming
• Examine substance use and substance use disorders in the context of social and environmental influences

Community Health Education

• Apply a conceptual framework when planning community health education
• Develop an advocacy plan
• Identify factors that influence health behavior

Health and Society: enrollment suspended, concentration under revision

• Elucidate challenges populations may face in regards to human rights, access to services, financial strain, and social stigma
• State the basic theories and concepts of behavioral neuroscience
• Describe nutrition-related approaches to promote health

Healthcare Management

• Examine the role of ethics and policy in the delivery of healthcare
• Use fundamental concepts and processes relevant to quality improvement within healthcare systems
• Describe the complex issues impacting health care delivery, currently or in the future
• Apply leadership and management principles to the strategic management of healthcare employees

College of Arts and Sciences Requirements 

For all Arts and Sciences|Maxwell students, successful completion of a bachelor’s degree in this major requires a minimum of 120 credits, 96 of which must be Arts and Sciences|Maxwell credits, completion of the Liberal Arts Core requirements, and the requirements for this major (30 credits) that are listed above.

Dual Enrollments:

Students dually enrolled in Newhouse* and Arts and Sciences|Maxwell will complete a minimum of 122 credits, with at least 90 credits in Arts and Sciences|Maxwell coursework and an Arts and Sciences|Maxwell major.

*Students dually enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences|Maxwell as first year students must complete the Liberal Arts Core. Students who transfer to the dual program after their first year as singly enrolled students in the Newhouse School will satisfy general requirements for the dual degree program by completing the Newhouse Core Requirements.

Undergraduate University Requirements

The following requirements and experiences apply to all Syracuse University Undergraduate matriculated degree programs.

• ​IDEA Course Requirement 
• First Year Seminar