Bachelor of Science in Public Health
Plan Your Public Health Degree
Ready to align your academic goals with a professional future in community health and wellness? Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Public Health receive dedicated support to navigate program options, behavioral health core requirements, and foundational science coursework. Connect with an academic coordinator to build a strategic graduation plan, manage your course loads, and ensure you meet all major benchmarks efficiently.
About the Major
Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of families, individuals, and their communities. The core goals of the discipline are to promote healthy lifestyles, research disease and injury prevention, and effectively detect, prevent, and respond to infectious diseases. The field ranges widely, embracing everything from genetics to alcohol and substance abuse, gun violence, and women health concerns.
WSU Vancouver is part of a collaborative three-campus public health initiative. The Vancouver and Spokane campuses feature specialized training in community and behavioral health. Students learn to take a comprehensive One Health approach, which recognizes the vital connections between people, animals, plants, and our shared environment. The curriculum explores the social and environmental determinants of health to uncover insights into complex health disparities. After completing essential core courses, students can focus on the behavioral health option, which emphasizes addiction science and leverages the combined expertise of WSU Spokane and WSU Vancouver.
Learning Objectives
Examine the social and environmental determinants of health to gain insight into complex public health issues and health disparities.
Understand cultural contexts, including systemic factors that influence public health-related practices, beliefs, and behaviors within diverse communities.
Master core academic subjects including epidemiology, biostatistics, health communication, health assessment, program administration, health systems, and personal and community engagement.
Core Skills Acquired
- Ability to analyze complex public health data and make evidence-based, ethical decisions.
- Effective oral and written communication tailored for health education and community outreach.
- A foundational understanding of structural health factors to evaluate behavioral patterns and disease prevention strategies.
Career Fields
Graduates are prepared for professional roles and employment opportunities across multiple fields, including:
- Behavioral health specialist
- Substance abuse expert
- Health educator
- Biostatistician
- Epidemiologist
- Research scientist
- Human or veterinary health care worker
- Environmental health consultant
- Health policy expert
- Health care administrator
- Emergency preparedness planner