Community Health
Description
Community Health is an interdisciplinary concentration through which students examine a variety of issues, including population health and disease, health policy, cross-cultural and international aspects of health, the organizational and social structures through which health services are delivered and received, and the public health system. Courses in the concentration allow students to explore the ways in which the social, political, behavioral and biological sciences contribute to the understanding of patterns of population distributions of health and disease. The concentration also provides students with courses in basic research methods and statistics necessary for problem solving and critical thinking in the emerging emphasis on evidence-based health care and public health.
Student Goals
Students in this concentration will:
- Identify, assess, understand and apply the current state of public health knowledge to public health concerns
- Identify the role of cultural, social and behavioral factors, among others, in determining disease expression, disease prevention, health promoting behavior and access to care
- Develop skills to organize and communicate information pertaining to a public health issue, including policy implications, priorities and recommended course of action
- Work collaboratively collaboratively on an original project related to public health through the Senior Seminar Capstone
Requirements
Click here for a list of the Community Health concentration requirements. For more information about this concentration, please visit the department's website.
Honors and Capstones
View Honors website
Honors candidates must write an Honors Thesis. To be eligible for Honors, students must complete twelve (12) required courses, ten (10) of which are graded, and must earn more A's than B's in those courses. The thesis must be judged to be of superior quality by both faculty advisors, and the student must deliver an oral presentation of the thesis. Students must take PHP1970 for a grade in both senior-year semesters. Honors in the Computational program is handled via the Biology Honors process, with application and details described here.
Liberal Learning
This concentration allows you to address the following Liberal Learning goals:
- Expand your reading skills
- Understand differences among cultures
- Engage with your community
- Experience scientific inquiry
- Work on your speaking and writing