Program Overview

  • Bachelor's Degree
  • Public Health Minor

Public Health (formerly called Population Health) focuses on protecting and promoting health where we live, work, worship, and play. Public health professionals study, design, and support systems that create the optimal conditions for individuals and communities to achieve the best possible health. Baptist public health students are trained on the core public health competencies required by public health accreditation bodies and can specialize in one of the following areas of study: community health, health administration, health informatics, and pre-health professions.

Bachelor's Degree

Baptist University was the first to offer a Bachelor’s Degree in a public health field in the Mid-South. 

Public health students can complete the program in as little as 3-years and have the ability to choose concentration areas and minors to enhance their competitiveness upon graduation.

Curriculum Info

Public Health Minor

The public health minor is open to all students and includes courses in public health foundations, research methods, and epidemiology.

Public Health Minor

Students studying in library

Why Baptist University?

  • Interprofessional Educational Opportunity
    Our public health program is part of the Interprofessional Education Program that integrates students from all programs together to improve community health and patient outcomes
  • Bachelor's Degree
    Baptist University was the first to offer a Bachelor’s Degree in public health field in the Mid-South
  • Community Health Worker Certification
    Students are able to earn their community health worker certification while completing major courses.
  • Capstone
    Capstone provide students with opportunities to gain experience with diverse communities and engage in the development and implementation of public health interventions through an internship or research project.
  • Job Growth
    Job growth for Public Health graduates exceeds the national averages, with varied opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally
  • Guaranteed Admissions
    Guaranteed admissions to the Public Health program for Itawamba graduates who have successfully completed their Associate's degree in Public Health Technology and have fulfilled admissions requirements for Baptist University.
  • Advanced Study
    Majors are eligible for the competitively selected 4+1 program for an MBA in Healthcare Management through our partnership with Christian Brothers University.
$56,492
Median Salary
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Health Education Specialists
Field samples

Career Opportunities

  • Health promotion and education
  • Community health worker
  • Community advocacy and outreach
  • Public health informatics
  • Population health administration
  • Epidemiology

YOUR FUTURE IN PUBLIC HEALTH

Public Health students will investigate and develop innovative solutions to health concerns from a behavioral, societal, biological, and organizational perspective. Future professional responsibilities may include:

  • Serving as a program analyst with a national health organization
  • Working as a research assistant with a nonprofit organization
  • Providing consulting work related to disease prevention
  • Working at a company that does health communication and health marketing
  • Conducting air or water quality sampling and surveying

Applying to the Program

Office of Admissions

Briana J. Jegier, PhD, Program Chair

Program Mission

In the context of the Baptist Health Sciences University mission, the Public Health Program educates students through diverse, interprofessional and service experiences that are integral toward improving the health and well-being in the community.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the Public Health program, graduates of the program will be able to:

  • Formulate healthcare needs assessments based on epidemiological data.
  • Propose prevention programs that address identified healthcare needs in communities of study.
  • Advocate for public health needs in defined communities to mitigate health outcomes.