Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health

The Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health is offered with an interdisciplinary curriculum designed for students who are interested in gaining knowledge and developing skills needed in a variety of health care related areas, including biostatistics, environmental science, health and public administration, epidemiology, and health behavior. The degree requirements consist of the university core curriculum, major core requirements, elective courses in areas of specializations, a foreign language, and an internship. The major core is multidisciplinary introducing students to the fundamental subjects and the essential knowledge necessary for working in any field related to public health. The elective courses allow students to concentrate in one of the areas of specialization.

The degree program prepares students for health care related careers in government, private, and nonprofit organizations. In addition, graduates of this program will be competent in pursuing graduate studies in a variety of academic fields, including public health, allied health, public policy, nutrition, business, and law. It can also provide students with a pathway to advanced studies in medicine or dentistry if the students use the electives to fulfill the additional admission requirements for medical and dental schools.

The degree program is offered in two concentrations: (1) Epidemiology and Disease Control and (2) Health Promotion and Behavioral Science. The Epidemiology and Disease Control concentration is offered by the Department of Sociology of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA) and students seeking this concentration and who are not freshmen will be advised by the COLFA Advising Center. The Health Promotion and Behavioral Science concentration is offered by the Department of Health and Kinesiology of the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) and students seeking this concentration and who are not freshmen will be advised by the COEHD Advising Center. Bachelor of Science in Public Health majors who are freshmen will be advised by the Colleges’ Freshman Advising Center (CFAC).

The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree, including Core Curriculum requirements, is 120. Thirty-nine of the total semester credit hours required for the degree must be at the upper-division level.

Core Curriculum requirements (42 semester credit hours)
Students seeking the Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health must fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements in the same manner as other students. The courses listed below satisfy both degree requirements and Core Curriculum requirements; however, if these courses are taken to satisfy both requirements, then students may need to take additional courses in order to meet the minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree. For a complete listing of courses that satisfy the Core Curriculum requirements, see pages 3–5 of this catalog.

STA 1053 may be used to satisfy the core requirement in Mathematics as well as a major requirement. BIO 1404 and BIO 1413 may be used to satisfy the core requirement in Natural Sciences as well as major requirements.

Degree Requirements

All candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health must complete the following 87 semester credit hours, which includes 9 semester credit hours of core curriculum requirements.

1. Public Health Foundation courses. All candidates for this degree must complete the following 37 semester credit hours of coursework:
   
   BIO   1404   Biosciences I
   BIO   1413   Biosciences II
   HTH  3503   Theories of Health Behavior
   HTH  4503   Human Disease and Epidemiology
   HTH  4543   Environmental Health and Safety
   MGT  3013   Introduction to Organization Theory, Behavior, and Management
   PUB  1113   Introduction to Public Health
   PUB  2113   Data Management in Public Health
   SOC  3223   Population Dynamics and Demographic Techniques
   SOC  4043   Global Health
   SOC  4053   Health Care System
   STA  1053   Basic Statistics



2. Public Health Concentrations (18 semester credit hours). All candidates for the degree in Public Health must complete the requirements for one of the following concentrations.
   
   
   1. Epidemiology and Disease Control Concentration
      Requirements for this concentration updated: Nov. 1, 2012
      
      6 semester hours of required courses:
      SOC  3323   Introduction to Social Research
      SOC  4683   Health Disparities
      
      Select at least 12 semester credit hours from the following list of courses:
      ANT 3523   Medical Anthropology
      BIO  2083   Human Anatomy
      BIO  2091   Human Anatomy Laboratory
      BIO  2103   Human Physiology
      BIO  2111   Human Physiology Laboratory
      BIO  2313   Genetics
      BIO  2322   Genetics Laboratory
      BIO  3413   Advanced Physiology
      BIO  3422   Advanced Physiology Laboratory
      BIO  3433   Neurobiology
      BIO  3613   The Biology of Aging
      BIO  3713   Microbiology
      BIO  3722   Microbiology Laboratory
      GRG  3443   Medical Geography
      PUB  3413   Behavioral Epidemiology
      PUB  3613   Etiology 1: Epidemiologic Methods to Investigate Outbreaks and New Epidemics
      PUB  4613   Etiology 2: Epidemiologic Methods to Investigate Chronic Disease, Exposure, and Risk
      SOC  3213   Medical Sociology
      SOC  4073   Social and Behavioral Theories in Public Health
      
   
   
   
   2. Health Promotion and Behavioral Science Concentration
      
      Select at least 18 semester credit hours from the following list of courses:
      ANT 3523   Medical Anthropology
      BIO  2003   Biology of Human Reproduction
      BIO  2043   Nutrition
      BIO  3613   The Biology of Aging
      BIO  4813   Brain and Behavior
      HTH 3043   Principles of Weight Management
      HTH 3513   Community Health
      HTH 3523   Worksite Health Promotion
      HTH 3533   Drugs and Health
      HTH 3543   Growth and Development
      HTH 3553   Emotional Wellness
      HTH 3563   Child and Adolescent Health Promotion
      HTH 4513   Consumer Health
      HTH 4523   Understanding Human Sexuality
      HTH 4533   Nutrition and Health
      KIN  2123   Fitness and Wellness Concepts
      KIN  4023   Exercise Psychology
      PSY 4253   Psychology and Health
      SOC 2023   Social Context of Drug Use
      SOC 3213   Medical Sociology
      
3. Advanced Public Health Requirement (6 semester credit hours):
   
   All candidates for this degree must complete 6 hours of an internship in public health.
   PUB  4633   Public Health Internship (repeated once)



4. Foreign Language (6 semester credit hours):
   
   All candidates for this degree must complete 6 hours of coursework in a single foreign language.



5. Free Electives (up to 20 semester credit hours):
   
   All candidates for this degree must complete up to 20 hours of free electives to meet the 120 hour minimum for the degree, including a sufficient number of electives at the upper-division level to meet the UTSA minimum of 39 upper-division hours.

Course Sequence Guide for B.S. Degree in Public Health

This course sequence guide is designed to assist students in completing their UTSA undergraduate Public Health degree requirements. This is merely a guide and students must satisfy other requirements of this catalog and meet with advisors in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts Undergraduate Advising Center (for Epidemiology and Disease Control Concentration) or the College of Education and Human Development Advising and Certification Center (for Health Promotion and Behavioral Science Concentration) for individualized degree plans. Progress within this guide depends upon such factors as course availability, individual student academic preparation, student time management, work obligations, and individual financial considerations. Students may choose to take courses during Summer terms to reduce course loads during long semesters.

B.S. in Public Health, Epidemiology and Disease Control Concentration – Four-Year Academic Plan

*May be repeated in a different semester.

Back to Top

B.S. in Public Health, Health Promotion and Behavioral Science Concentration – Four-Year Academic Plan

Back to Top