Public Health
| Degree: | Bachelor of Science (B.S.) |
| Major: | Public Health |
| Department: | Bldg 38/Room 135 (850) 474-3191 https://uwf.edu/ukcoh/departments/public-health/ |
| College: | Usha Kundu, MD College of Health |
| CIP Code: | 51.2201 |
| Semester Hours Required For Degree: 120 | |
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) degree program prepares graduates for careers in public health at the local, state, national and global health agencies as well as in community and organizational settings. Graduates will be equipped with competencies to conduct health needs assessments; to develop, implement, and evaluate health programs geared toward disease prevention and control. With the appropriate mix of elective courses, graduates of the BS in Public Health degree program may petition NCHEC to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) national exam. Additionally, the BS in Public Health degree prepares graduates for advanced public health education at the masters and doctoral levels with training in any of the major domains of social behavioral health sciences, environmental health, health policy, health education, epidemiology, and qualitative and quantitative research.
Admission Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must complete at least 120 semester hours with a minimum of 48 specified upper‐division hours (3000/4000 level) at UWF.
Acceptance to the University does not constitute admission to the upper division Public Health Degree. Students entering UWF or declaring a major in public health will automatically be placed in a pending status until they meet the requirements for admission.
- Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.50 in all previously attempted college work.
- Student must be at the level of a sophomore or higher.
- Students will not be admitted to the program less than one week before the beginning of the term in which they have applied.
- Students must complete the BSPH Application form.
Those who do not complete these requirements may be denied further registration, and may be prevented from further enrollment in Public Health courses. Not all states authorize online programs, if you reside outside of Florida you will want to check the status of your state's acceptance of this program: http://uwf.edu/online/out‐of‐state‐students/state‐authorization/
This program will not meet immigration requirements for students holding an F1 or J1 Visa to maintain status. Contact the International Student Office for further information.
No more than 24% of the program requirements for this degree may be in traditional business subjects.
Students must consult with the BSPH academic advisor for courses which may satisfy both the General Education requirements and common prerequisites.
General Education
In addition to the General Education requirements listed on this page, students must satisfy all additional University requirements, including the Gordon Rule, multicultural, and foreign language requirements. With appropriate planning and coordination with an academic advisor, students may satisfy some of the general University requirements through the General Education curriculum. For a complete listing of general degree requirements, refer to the "University Requirements" section of this catalog.
General Education Curriculum
Multicultural Requirement
ADDENDUM - 9/23/2021
Civic Literacy Requirement
The 2017 Florida Legislature amended Section 1007.25, Florida Statutes, to require students initially entering a State University System (SUS) and/or Florida College System (FCS) institution in 2018-2019 and thereafter to demonstrate competency in civic literacy. The 2021 Legislature further amended Florida Statutes, requiring students to complete both a civic literacy course and exam. As a result, there are three cohorts of students currently matriculating at Florida public institutions subject to varying requirements. As demonstrated in the table below, the exact civic literacy requirements are based on the academic term in which a student first enrolled in a Florida public institution.
| Students Included in Cohort | Civic Literacy Competency Requirement |
| Cohort 1: Students first entering the SUS or FCS prior to fall 2018 | None |
| Cohort 2: Students first entering the SUS or FCS in fall 2018 – summer A 2021 | Complete a course or exam |
| Cohort 3: Students first entering the SUS or FCS in summer B 2021 (on or after July 1, 2021) and thereafter | Complete both a course and exam |
Additionally, the 2021 Legislature made two additional exceptions: approving the use of accelerated mechanisms for meeting the course competency requirement and exempting high school students who pass the Florida Civic Literacy Exam in high school from the postsecondary exam requirement. These two changes are in effect for Cohort 3.
There are multiple ways to satisfy this requirement. Students should work with their academic advisor to determine which option is best for their degree requirements/degree plan.
Additional information can be found on our Civic Literacy website.
Common Prerequisites
State mandated common prerequisites must be completed prior to graduation, but are not required for admission to the program. See the Common Prerequisite Manual for course substitutions from Florida colleges and universities.
| BSC 1085+L | Anatomy and Physiology I (+Lab) * | 4 |
| BSC 1086+L | Anatomy and Physiology II (+Lab) * | 4 |
| PSY 2012 | General Psychology * | 3 |
| STA 2023 | Elements of Statistics * | 3 |
| Total Hours | 14 | |
| * | Indicates common prerequisites which can be used to satisfy General Education requirements. |
Lower Division Electives
| Students must complete sufficient 1000/2000 level electives to satisfy at least 60 sh in the lower division. Current UWF students may use elective courses at any level (1000-4000) to meet this elective requirement. Students in the Interdisciplinary Specialization should see the list of Lower Division Requirements for guidance on how to meet these requirements. | 13 | |
| Total Hours | 13 | |
Lower Division Electives:
Students must select 9 credit hours from the following:
| Choose 3 courses of the following: | 9 | |
| Informatics and Your Health | ||
| Personal Health | ||
| Fundamentals of Human Nutrition | ||
| Introduction to Global Health Sciences (Meets Multicultural Requirement) | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Upper Division Major Courses:
All Bachelor of Science students must complete the following required public health foundational courses [42-45 credit hours]
| HSC 3032 | Foundations in Health Education | 3 |
| HSA 3111 | Understanding U.S. Health Care (Meets Gordon Rule Writing Requirement) | 3 |
| HSC 3510 | Data Analysis in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| PHC 4101 | Essentials of Public Health | 3 |
| PHC 4109 | Diseases in Human Populations | 3 |
| HSC 4211 | Human Environmental Health | 3 |
| HSC 4730 | Research Methods and Evaluation in Health Promotion | 3 |
| HSC 4500 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| HSC 4300 | Changing Health Behaviors | 3 |
| HSA 4191 | Health Information Systems | 3 |
| MCB 4276 | Epidemiology of Infectious Disease | 3 |
| BUL 4602 | Legal Fundamentals of Healthcare | 3 |
| PHC 4140 | Public Health Planning and Analysis | 3 |
| or HSC 4581 | Health Promotion and Planning | |
| PHC 4940 | Public Health Capstone | 3-6 |
| or HSC 4910 | Senior Capstone Experience in Health Promotion | |
| Total Hours | 42-45 | |
Approved Electives:
Students must select up to 15-18 credit hours from the following courses based on career interests. Students interested in completing the National Commission of Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) certification should consider the courses indicated for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam. Students should discuss their professional goals with their advisor and public health faculty before selecting elective courses.
| HSC 4584 | Health Promotion Strategies and Funding (Recommended for CHES exam) | 3 |
| BSC 4434 | Bioinformatics and Data Science (Recommended for students interested in Public Health graduate education) | 3 |
| STA 4173 | Biostatistics (Recommended for students interested in Public Health graduate education) | 3 |
| PHC 4363 | Occupational Safety and Health in the Health Care Environment | 3 |
| HSC 4583 | Theoretical Foundations of Health Promotion and Planning (Recommended for CHES exam) | 3 |
| HSC 4633 | Current Issues in Health Promotion (Recommended for CHES exam) | 3 |
| PHC 4340 | Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene | 3 |
| BSC 4854 | Bioterrorism | 3 |
| HSC 4404 | Medical Disaster Management | 3 |
| HSC 4572 | Nutrition and Health | 3 |
| HSC 4143 | Drugs in Society | 3 |
| HSC 4133 | Health Aspects of Human Sexuality | 3 |
| GEY 4001 | Gerontology | 3 |
| HSA 3551 | Health Ethics and Professionalism | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15-18 | |