Public Health Science at Shady Grove
The Universities at Shady Grove
School of Public Health
2387 School of Public Health Building
Rockville, MD 20850
301-405-5436
Shady Grove: https://shadygrove.umd.edu/academics/degree-programs/bs-public-health-science
College Park: http://go.umd.edu/phsc
THE MAJOR
The Public Health Science Bachelor of Science degree is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with the educational foundation required to effectively address local, national and global issues within the public health arena. As a collaborative degree involving multiple scholarly disciplines, courses offered by this program may be found under the following acronyms: PHSC, SPHL, HLTH, KNES, EPIB, MIEH and HLSA.
The degree effectively prepares students to pursue exciting careers in allied health, medical, and public health fields as well as post-baccalaureate professional and academic degrees.
The degree is offered at both the College Park and Shady Grove campuses.
Program Objectives
The Public Health Science Bachelor of Science degree is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with the educational foundation required to effectively address local, national and global issues within the public health arena.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Discuss the history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts, and functions across the globe and in society.
- Use basic public health concepts, methods, and tools for data collection and analysis.
- Identify the major health-related needs and concerns of populations and formulate basic processes, approaches, and interventions as possible solutions.
- Describe the underlying science of human health and disease including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the lifespan.
- Examine the socio-economic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities.
- Demonstrate the fundamental concepts and features of project implementation, including planning, assessment, and evaluation.
- Compare and contrast the fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the health systems of the United States and other countries.
- Characterize the basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of health care and public policy.
- Illustrate the basic concepts of public health-specific writing and communication.
- Interpret and synthesize scientific knowledge to propose evidence-based approaches and solutions to public health problems.
Director: Stephen Roth (Associate Dean and Professor)
Assistant Directors: Kristin Cipriani, Jessica O’Hara
Lecturers: Gretchen De Silva, Jessica O’Hara
Staff: Felicia Low, Jessica Moore-Solórzano, Emily Nelson
Associate Professors: Dylan Roby (HLSA), Amir Sapkota (MIEH), Sacoby Wilson (MIEH)
Assistant Professors: Typhanye Dyer (EPIB), Natalie Slopen (EPIB), Devon Payne-Sturges (MIEH), Raul Cruz-Cano (EPIB), Jing Zhang (EPIB)
For full details of degree requirements, please view the Shady Grove curriculum online at: http://sph.umd.edu/department/phssg/shady-grove-curriculum.
In order to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health Science, students must complete 120 credits, 74 of which are specific to the Public Health Science degree. Students must earn a minimum grade of C- or higher in all Public Health Science major-required coursework.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Foundation Courses | ||
| MATH120 | Elementary Calculus I | 3 |
| BSCI170 & BSCI171 | Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology and Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory | 4 |
| BSCI201 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BSCI202 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| CHEM131 & CHEM132 | Chemistry I - Fundamentals of General Chemistry and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM231 & CHEM232 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 4 |
| BSCI222 | Principles of Genetics | 4 |
| BSCI223 | General Microbiology | 4 |
| Public Health Science Foundation Courses | ||
| SPHL100 | Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
| HLTH366 | Behavioral and Community Issues in Public Health | 3 |
| EPIB301 | Epidemiology for Public Health Practice | 3 |
| EPIB315 | Biostatistics for Public Health Practice | 3 |
| HLSA300 | Introduction to Health Policy and Services | 3 |
| MIEH300 | A Public Health Perspective: Introduction to Environmental Health | 3 |
| MIEH400 | Introduction to Global Health | 3 |
| KNES320 | Physiological Basis of Physical Activity and Human Health | 4 |
| PHSC415 | Essentials of Public Health Biology: The Cell, The Individual, and Disease | 3 |
| PHSC497 | Public Health Science Capstone | 3 |
| Public Health Science Options Courses 1 | ||
| Select from the following: | 12 | |
| The Coming Plague: Public Health Perspectives | ||
| Obesity: An Epidemiologic Perspective | ||
| Public Health Policy | ||
| Maternal, Child and Family Health | ||
| Violence in Families | ||
| Communicating Safety and Health | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Health | ||
| Introduction to Public Health Informatics | ||
| Minority Health | ||
| Women's Health | ||
| Redesigning Health Care: Developing a Clinic to Meet Community Needs | ||
| Physiology of Aging and the Impact of Physical Activity | ||
| Exercise and Body Composition | ||
| Environmental Health Research | ||
| Syphilis to SARS: Climate Change, Development and Emergence of Infectious Diseases | ||
| Environmental Justice, Racism, and Environmental Health Disparities: How where you live can kill you | ||
| The Built Environment, Sustainability, and Public Health: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | ||
MIEH333 | ||
| Introduction to Occupational Health | ||
| Peer Education Mental Health & Wellness | ||
| Independent Research Study in Public Health Science | ||
| Public Health Science Internship | ||
| Public Health Emergency Preparedness | ||
| Policy Advocacy and Public Health | ||
| Public Health Program Planning and Evaluation | ||
| Food, Policy, and Public Health | ||
| Vaccines and Immunology | ||
| Genetics, Genomics, and Public Health | ||
PHSC426 | ||
SPHL430 | ||
| Total Credits | 74 | |
| 1 | The Public Health Science option courses build upon the Scientific and Public Health Science Foundation courses. The option courses are 300 and 400 level courses primarily offered within the School of Public Health. By choosing from these courses, students have an opportunity to customize their program. Students are encouraged to choose courses that best align with a particular career goal. |
Major academic advising is not mandatory for Public Health Science students, but is strongly encouraged. It is recommended that students meet with an academic advisor once per semester at a minimum. To schedule an academic advising appointment with our advising team, visit: https://appointments-sphl.umd.edu/ramonline The program advisors coordinate closely with the School of Public Health Center for Academic Success and Achievement as well as the in-house Career Center and the Campus Career Center. Students interested in pursuing medicine and some allied health fields should also consult the Allied Health Advising Center.
Internships and Research Experiences
Internships and research experiences are strongly encouraged. Students participate in experiences both on and off campus. Public Health Science internship and independent study coordinator, Nancy Smith (nsmith10@umd.edu), can be contacted regarding the opportunity to complete an internship or research experience for credit.
Scholarships and Financial Assistance
The Office of Student Financial Aid administers all types of federal, state, and institutional financial assistance programs, and in cooperation with other university offices, participates in the awarding of scholarships to deserving students. For information, go to: https://www.financialaid.umd.edu/.
The School of Public Health also provides some scholarships for undergraduate students in need, including the Jerry P. Wrenn Endowed Scholarship, the School of Public Health Student Emergency Scholarship, the SPH Scholarship Fund, and TerpStart Scholarships. To learn more about School of Public Health scholarships, go to: http://sph.umd.edu/content/financing-your-degree.
Additional information on UMD-related financial resources can be found at http://sph.umd.edu/content/student-resources-and-services, by clicking the “Financial/Resource Assistance” link.
Awards and Recognition
Each spring, the Public Health Science program recognizes a select few exceptional undergraduates at the annual School of Public Health Honors Convocation.
Roadmaps for all four-year plans can be found here. Select the College of your major to find the corresponding roadmap.
For more information on developing a four-year academic plan, please refer to the Student Academic Success-Degree Completion Policy section of this catalog.