Public Health Minor

Public Health Minor

Promote health, wellness, and disease prevention.
IN THIS SECTION

Get an understanding of public health, global health, epidemiology, and community health planning

With the Minor in Public Health. You will be introduced to various determinants affecting health from global, national, community, and local perspectives, focusing on populations, prevention, and the evidence-based practice of public health. You will examine health in the developing world from a population and prevention perspective, and you will learn basic epidemiologic concepts and how they are applied to everyday problems, e.g., hazards in food supplies and risks associated with lifestyle. The program emphasizes community analysis—defining and verifying community health problems and establishing goals and objectives to improve outcomes.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

  • Acquire basic knowledge and practice skills that will prepare you to pursue a career in a public health–related profession
  • Discover the importance of prevention strategies in improving health and well-being
  • Develop a data analysis plan for evaluation and research related to health education and promotion

 

VIEW THE CATALOG

Check out the different public health courses waiting for you at Worcester State!
HC-201 Introduction to Public Health
This course is an overview and will focus on populations, prevention, and the evidence-based practice of public health.
3 credits
HC-202 Introduction to Global Health
This course is an overview and will focus on the developing world from a population and prevention perspective.
3 credits
HC-203 Introduction to Epidemiology
Basic epidemiologic concepts are covered and application of concepts to everyday problems; e.g., hazards in food supplies and risks associated with lifestyle.
3 credits
HC-415 Community Health Planning and Promotion
Emphasis on community analysis; defining and verifying community health problems and establishing goals and objectives. Research paper.
3 credits
HC-220 Health Policy
Examination of the process and factors that influence formulation, implementation and modification of health policy in the United States.
3 credits
HC-228 Health Ethics
Ethical issues in health including genetic research, euthanasia, medical intervention and reproductive technologies as well as professional ethics.
3 credits
HC-234 Multiculturalism and Health
Examination of diverse ethnic/racial and cultural beliefs beliefs and practices affecting health and illness.
3 credits
HC-245 Introduction to Public Health Research
This course introduces students to health sciences research. Students will develop critical skills including effectively navigating and interpreting information, distinguishing between high quality and low quality sources of evidence. Students will gain an understanding of the importance of staying actively informed of current events relevant to public health and how informed public health professionals can seek out high quality news on public health as well as discern effective from misleading news relevant to public health policy. Students also will spend extensive time exploring the difference between information found on internet searches and social media versus reliable health agency information.
3 credits
HC-338 Peer Education Training
Emphasis on student development of practical skills to implement programming centered on peer education programs and focused on preventative health.
3 credits
HC-340 Global Perspective in Public Health
Seminar course for students accepted into a global service learning trip during the academic year. It is designed to prepare students through curriculum-based learning, the components of service learning; ethical partnering with vulnerable communities, and the cultural/historical/political and economic factors that impact health and healthcare policies within the population where immersion takes places. There will be self-reflection and integration of learning through journal writing, critical thinking and exercises formal preparation for service in the host country and final paper at the end of the semester.
3 credits
HC-345 Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System
This course is an overview of the U.S. health care system (USHCS) and its components. Subjects to be reviewed include how social determinants of health influence access to health care and the role of healthcare providers and their effect in the health care system. The history of USHCS, the financing of services, types of services offered as well as access and quality of these services. Understanding these topics will help formulate an understanding of how the USHCS functions and the factors involved in the delivery of healthcare services.
3 credits
HC-430 Health Promotion Program Implementation & Evaluation
The success of a well-planned health promotion program depends on effective implementation and evaluation procedures. This course will review the process of program planning and explore implementation and evaluation strategies. This course will equip students to collect, analyze, interpret, and disseminate evidence of a program's effectiveness to relevant stakeholders. The course will culminate with a written evaluation plan and mock poster presentation delivered to an audience of peers.
3 credits
HE-100 Personal Health
Physical, mental, and emotional aspects of well-being and how to maintain and increase the quality of one's lifestyle.
3 credits
HE-120 Health and Nutrition
Nutritional needs, weight control, healthy diets, myths, and nutritional aids to better health.
3 credits
HE-140 Creative Arts and Health
An experiential and didactic introduction to the separate arts therapies: movement, art, music and language arts, emphasizing the creative process.
3 credits
HE-170 Humans in Motion
Concepts of the human neuro-musculoskeletal system which provide function and health across the life span under normal and stress conditions.
3 credits
HE-208 Systems of Addictions Treatment
This course provides an overview of counseling modalities and techniques used in addiction treatment and recovery settings, including for those with co-occurring disorders. A family systems approach will be employed to understand how the Criminal Justice System, the Mental Health System, and the larger community relate. Legal and regulatory restrictions, ethical codes, and legal sanctions also are discussed.
3 credits
HE-225 Advanced Nutrition: The Prevention and Treatment of Obesity
This course examines the role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of a major public health issue: obesity. The course builds on basic nutrition principles and their application to weight management and eating behaviors. Emphasis will be on the consequences of obesity on cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. Body weight regulation concepts will include, but are not limited to, body weight assessment, energy metabolism, regulation of eating behavior, energy nutrients, and the role of diet/physical activity in weight management.
3 credits
HE-230 Human Sexuality and Sex Education
Focus on the need for and understanding of sex education, along with the process of implementing sexuality education, with emphasis upon teacher preparation.
3 credits
HE-275 Fitness for Life
Knowledge of health-related fitness components and their effect on total wellness; emphasis on developing personalized fitness program, namely cardiovascular endurance.
3 credits
HE-325 Sports Nutrition
The course is designed to examine the role of nutrition in exercise metabolism and to explore the link between basics of exercise physiology concepts and nutrition. This course includes the application of nutrition principles to maintain optimum health and to enhance athletic performance from a healthy, adequate, and personalized diet. Sports nutrition concepts include, but are not limited to, body composition, nutritional supplements, energy balance, and nutritional needs for physically active people and athletes.
3 credits