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Foundational Knowledge in Undergraduate Public Health

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) will expose students to the essential principles of public health. The following public health foundational domains and competencies are addressed throughout the requirements for the degree program.

Foundational Domains

  1. The concepts and applications of basic statistics
  2. The foundations of biological and life sciences
  3. The history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts, and functions across the globe and in society
  4. The basic concepts, methods, and tools of public health data collection, use, and analysis and why evidence-based approaches are an essential part of public health practice
  5. The concepts of population health, and the basic processes, approaches and interventions that identify and address the major health-related needs and concerns of populations
  6. The underlying science of human health and disease, including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the life course
  7. The socioeconomic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities
  8. The fundamental concepts and features of project implementation, including planning, assessment, and evaluation
  9. The fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the U.S. health system as well as the differences between systems in other countries
  10. Basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of health care and public health policy and the roles, influences, and responsibilities of the different agencies and branches of government
  11. Basic concepts of public health-specific communication, including technical and professional writing and the use of mass media and electronic technology

Foundational Competencies

  1. Communicate public health information, in both oral and written forms, through a variety of media and to diverse audiences
  2. Locate, use, evaluate, and synthesize public health information