BHS in Public Health

Degree Program Description

Public health includes activities needed to promote and protect the health of people and the communities that they live in. While doctors treat people who are sick, the field of public health is organized around trying to prevent illness and injuries in the first place, and promote healthy behavior. People in the field of public health work to assure the community living conditions are healthy by tracking disease and outbreaks, preventing injuries, and studying how and why some people are more likely to suffer from poor health and health inequities than others. There are many facets of public health. Some examples include speaking out for laws or policies that promote smoke-free indoor air, school nutrition, and seat belts, collecting and disseminating education about how to stay healthy, and offering science-based solutions to health problems, among others.

The Bachelor of Health Science in Public Health degree prepares students for introductory careers in all core areas of public health, such as health education, epidemiology, health policy, and environmental health. The courses introduce students to key concepts, theories, problems, and solutions in public health, and also focus on the links between public health and social justice and human rights.

Major Program Requirements

All students enrolled in the Bachelor of Health Science in Public Health (abbreviated as BHS in Pub_Hlth) Program are subject to the general regulations of the University. Students seeking admission to the BHS in Pub_Hlth Program must be admitted to the University. In addition to meeting minimum standards established by the University of Missouri, students must comply with the rules and regulations outlined in the BHS in Pub_Hlth policy document. 

BHS in Pub_Hlth students must also meet the following requirements:

  • Complete all Public Health core courses with a grade of C or higher, except P_HLTH 2200, which requires a grade of B– or higher. Complete Statistics with a grade of C or higher.
  • Complete BIO_SC 1010/BIO_SC 1020 or MICROB 2800, a physical science course, an approved psychology course and an approved sociology course with a grade of C- or higher. 
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credit hours taken at the 3000/4000 (junior/senior) level. Lower-division transfer courses accepted as upper-division courses at MU cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.

Note: Credit accepted by the University will be accepted without limitation towards this degree. 

In addition to University of Missouri graduation requirements, including University general education, the Bachelor of Health Science in Public Health degree requires the following:

Program Requirements
ENGLSH 1000Writing and Rhetoric ^3
or ENGLSH 1000H Honors Writing and Rhetoric
BIO_SC 1010
BIO_SC 1020
General Principles and Concepts of Biology
and General Biology Laboratory ^
4-5
or MICROB 2800 Microbiology for Nursing and Health Professions
or BIO_SC 1500 Introduction to Biological Systems with Laboratory
or BIO_SC 1500H Introduction to Biological Systems with Laboratory Honors
Physical Science course ^1+
STAT 1200Introductory Statistical Reasoning ~3
or STAT 2500 Introduction to Probability and Statistics I
1000-level or higher Psychology course^3
1000-level or higher Sociology course^3
Major Core Requirements
P_HLTH 2200Introduction to Public Health and Health Promotion (a grade of B- or higher is required)3
P_HLTH 3910WPublic Health Communication - Writing Intensive ~3
P_HLTH 3310Social and Behavioral Health Theory and Practice ~3
P_HLTH 3400Global Public Health and Health Care Systems ~3
P_HLTH 3450Introduction to Epidemiology ~3
P_HLTH 3620Public Health Promotion and Program Planning ~3
P_HLTH 3700Health Care in the United States ~3
P_HLTH 3800Public Health Research Methods ~3
P_HLTH 4350Principles of Environmental Health for Public Health ~3
P_HLTH 4485Ethics in Public Health ~3
P_HLTH 4610Race, Ethnicity, and Health: An Intersectional Examination of Health Inequalities ~3
or P_HLTH 4610H Race, Ethnicity, and Health: An Intersectional Examination of Health Inequalities - Honors
P_HLTH 4975Emerging Issues in Public Health (Public Health Capstone Option) ~3
or P_HLTH 4970 Public Health Capstone: Digital Storytelling
^

Requires grade of C- or higher.

~

Requires grade of C or higher. 

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Semester Plan

Below is a sample plan of study for the BHS in Public Health.

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
ENGLSH 10003BIO_SC 10103
PSYCH 10003BIO_SC 10202
HIST 1100, 1200, or POL_SC 11003Humanities Course3
Elective6SOCIOL 10003
 Elective4
 15 15
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
P_HLTH 22003P_HLTH 37003
STAT 12003Biological/Physical/Mathematical Science Course3
Humanities Course3Humanities Course3
Physical Science Course 1Writing Intensive Course3
Elective5Elective3
 15 15
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
P_HLTH 33103P_HLTH 36203
P_HLTH 34003P_HLTH 38003
P_HLTH 34503P_HLTH 46103
Elective6Elective6
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
P_HLTH 22503P_HLTH 43503
P_HLTH 44853P_HLTH 4970 or 49753
Electives9Elective9
 15 15
Total Credits: 120

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Degree Audit

The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree. 

MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.

Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.

Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.

For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.

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Major and Career Exploration

The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.

  • If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.

  • If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major

  • If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.

For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.

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