Public Health - BS
St. Kate's offers three concentrations for the public health major to provide students with opportunities to integrate and apply core knowledge in public health to a specific area of study. A major in public health prepares students for employment in public health, strengthens the background of health professionals who are interested in public health practice areas, and provides an excellent foundation for students who are interested in pursuing graduate study in public health, pre-professional degrees (e.g. pre-Med, pre-PA) or related areas. Students will have opportunities for service learning, practicum, capstone projects, structured research and study abroad courses.
Public health majors will get a strong foundation in public health and liberal arts, select a concentration that fits their unique interests, and prepare for a career or graduate study through internship and seminar experiences. St. Kate's was selected to participate in the first joint collaboration of the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AACU) and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR) to support development of three public health courses into the liberal arts curriculum. The public health major emphasizes working with academic, community and global partners to make a difference. The public health major was developed over several years and in response to student interests. The curriculum will help students develop knowledge and skills to improve health through education, health promotion and research. The strength of the public health major will be built upon the varied interests and backgrounds of students in the major. The design of the major also makes it possible to obtain a double major or a minor in another discipline.
In March 2020, the St. Catherine University Public Health Program was accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The undergraduate degrees in the College for Women and College for Adults are the first undergraduate public health programs in the State of Minnesota to receive CEPH accreditation.
Public health at St. Kate's is an interdepartmental major. Students will complete eight core public health courses and a minimum of six additional courses in a specific concentration. St. Kate's offers three concentrations for the public health major: health sciences, public policy, and community health worker.
Courses for a concentration are selected in consultation with an advisor, with a minimum of half of the major courses numbered at the 3000 level or above. Students may take approved ACTC courses to fulfill some requirements for the concentration. Transfer courses, substitutions, and other ACTC courses require the approval of the department. Recommended courses for each concentration will be published on an annual basis. Students who want a double major or minor must meet with an advisor in both departments. Students must refer to specific planning guides for each concentration, available from the department.
A minimum grade of a C is required for major courses and supporting courses. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required in the major, including supporting courses.
Curriculum
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Public Health Courses | ||
| HLTH 2050 | Foundations in Public Health | 4 |
| HLTH 3150 | Epidemiology | 4 |
| HLTH 3220 | Health Communications | 4 |
| HLTH 3350 | Environmental Health | 4 |
| HLTH 3500 | Public Health Biology | 4 |
| HLTH 4700 | Practicum Preparation | 2 |
| HLTH 4754 | Practicum | 4 |
| HLTH 4800W | Senior Seminar in Public Health | 4 |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Supporting Courses | ||
| IPE 1020 | Medical Terminology | 1-2 |
| or IPE 1030 | Healthcare Teams Foundations and Medical Terminology | |
| HLTH 1090 | Biostatistics | 4 |
| or STAT 1090 | Statistical Analysis | |
| or PSYC 1090 | Statistical Methods in Psychology | |
| or ECON 1090 | Statistical Analysis for Decision Making | |
| MGMT 3850 | Healthcare Policy | 4 |
| or ECON 3250 | Healthcare Economics | |
| Total Credits | 9-10 | |
A minimum grade of C is required for supporting courses.
Health Sciences Concentration
Designed for:
- pre-professional students (e.g., pre-med, pre-pharmacy, pre-PA, pre-DPT)
- students who want a strong background in human and biological science and public health
This major is offered in the College for Women only.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Select five 2000 level or higher courses in the area of human health and biological impacts on human health: | 20 | |
| Introduction to Microbiology with Lab | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab | ||
| Understanding Medical Research: Drugs, Devices and Complementary Therapies | ||
| Introduction to Ecology with Lab | ||
| Human and Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy with Lab | ||
| Human and Comparative Animal Physiology with Lab | ||
| Biology of Microorganisms with Lab | ||
| Cell Biology with Lab | ||
| Histology with Lab | ||
| Biopsychology with Lab | ||
| Immunology with Lab | ||
| Foundations of Addiction Counseling | ||
| Organic Chemistry I with Lab | ||
| Organic Chemistry II with Lab | ||
| Biochemistry with Lab | ||
| Health Behavior Psychology | ||
| Nutrition Foundations | ||
| One 2000 level or higher course related to the social, behavior, legal, ethical or economic dimension of health 1 | 4 | |
| Total Credits | 24 | |
- 1
See course options under Public Policy Concentration below (or departmental approval)
Public Policy Concentration
Designed for:
- students who are interested in health policy, social sciences and population health but not a specific health profession
- pre-professional students (e.g., pre-law, pre-occupational therapy)
- students who want a strong background in the underlying social and political conditions that impact public health and health disparities
This major is offered in the College for Women and the College for Adults (CFA). NOTE: Not all of the courses are available in CFA. Students should consult their academic advisor.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Select Two Courses Related to Social and Behavioral Impacts on Health | 8 | |
| Foundations of Addiction Counseling | ||
| Foundations of Critical Studies of Race and Ethnicity | ||
| Analyzing Social Issues with Data | ||
| Health Behavior Psychology | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Biomedical Ethics | ||
| Lifespan Developmental Psychology | ||
| Understanding Psychological Disorders | ||
| Challenging Oppressions, Civic Engagement and Change | ||
| Social Movements-Social Change | ||
| Women's Issues from Global Perspectives | ||
| Sociology of Race and Ethnicity | ||
| Foundations of Gender and Women's Studies | ||
| Select Two Courses Related to Legal, Economic, or Communication Impacts On Health | 8 | |
| Speaking to Lead and Influence | ||
| Media, Culture and Society | ||
| Communicating across Cultures, Identities and Differences | ||
| Leadership and the Art of Persuasion | ||
| Telling Stories with Data - Introduction to Data Visualization | ||
| Database Management | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Healthcare Economics | ||
| Haves and Have Nots: Development, Poverty, and Inequality | ||
| International Economics: Trade and Immigration | ||
| Food is Medicine | ||
| Twentieth Century America | ||
| Healthcare Teams - Evidence-Based Practice | ||
| Introduction to World Politics | ||
| Public Policy | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | |
Community Health Worker Concentration
Designed for:
- students with linguistic and cultural competency in a community and interest in serving as advocates in health and community systems
- students who want to obtain a credential as a community health worker and have a background in public health
This major is offered in the College for Women and the College for Adults.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| BIOL 1120 | Biology of Women with Lab | 4 |
| HLTH 1964 | Community Health Worker Role, Advocacy, Outreach and Resources | 3 |
| HLTH 1966 | Health Communication and Cultural Competence, Teaching and Capacity Building | 3 |
| HLTH 1968 | Documentation, Legal and Ethical Issues in Community Health Work | 3 |
| HLTH 1974 | Health Promotion Competencies I | 3 |
| HLTH 1975 | Health Promotion Competencies II | 2 |
| One elective course 2000 level or higher. See recommended list of courses under the Public Policy Concentration | 4 | |
| Total Credits | 22 | |
Public health majors satisfy the Writing Requirement for Majors by completing HLTH 4800W Senior Seminar in Public Health. They complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirement with three other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000W The Reflective Woman, CORE 3990W Global Search for Justice, and any other writing-intensive course in another department).
The Health Sciences concentration is offered in the College for Women only.
Students should meet with an advisor to create an individualized plan that includes any Core courses and ensures that they meet all requirements needed to graduate.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Core Courses, as needed | IPE 1030 or 1020 | 1-2 | |
| Core Courses, as needed | |||
| 0 | 1-2 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HLTH 2050 | 4 | HLTH 3150 | 4 |
| HLTH 1090, STAT 1090, PSYC 1090, or ECON 1090 | 4 | Concentration Course | 4 |
| Core Courses, as needed | Core Courses, as needed | ||
| 8 | 8 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HLTH 3220 | 4 | HLTH 3350 | 4 |
| Concentration Course | 4 | ECON 3250 or MGMT 3850 | 4 |
| Concentration Course | 4 | HLTH 3500 | 4 |
| Concentration Course | 4 | ||
| 12 | 16 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HLTH 4700 | 2 | HLTH 4754 | 4 |
| Concentration Course | 4 | HLTH 4800W | 4 |
| Concentration Course | 4 | ||
| 10 | 8 | ||
| Total Credits: 63-64 | |||
The Public Policy concentration is offered in the College for Women and the College for Adults.
Students should meet with an advisor to create an individualized plan that includes any Core courses and ensures that they meet all requirements needed to graduate.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Core Courses, as needed | IPE 1030 or 1020 | 1-2 | |
| Core Courses, as needed | |||
| 0 | 1-2 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HLTH 2050 | 4 | HLTH 3150 | 4 |
| HLTH 1090, STAT 1090, PSYC 1090, or ECON 1090 | 4 | Core Courses, as needed | |
| Core Courses, as needed | |||
| 8 | 4 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HLTH 3220 | 4 | ECON 3250 or MGMT 3850 | 4 |
| HLTH 3350 | 4 | HLTH 3500 | 4 |
| Concentration Course | 4 | Concentration Course | 4 |
| 12 | 12 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HLTH 4700 | 2 | HLTH 4754 | 4 |
| Concentration Course | 4 | HLTH 4800W | 4 |
| Concentration Course | 4 | ||
| 6 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits: 55-56 | |||
The Community Health Worker concentration is offered in the College for Women and the College for Adults.
Students should meet with an advisor to create an individualized plan that includes any Core courses and ensures that they meet all requirements needed to graduate.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Core Courses, as needed | IPE 1030 or 1020 | 2 | |
| Core Courses, as needed | |||
| 0 | 2 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HLTH 2050 | 4 | HLTH 3150 | 4 |
| HLTH 1090, ECON 1090, PSYC 1090, or STAT 1090 | 4 | HLTH 3500 | 4 |
| BIOL 1120 | 4 | Course Courses, as needed | |
| 12 | 8 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HLTH 3220 | 4 | HLTH 1974 | 3 |
| HLTH 1964 | 3 | HLTH 1975 | 2 |
| HLTH 1966 | 3 | ECON 3250 or MGMT 3850 | 4 |
| HLTH 1968 | 3 | Elective Course | 4 |
| 13 | 13 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HLTH 3350 | 4 | HLTH 4754 | 4 |
| HLTH 4700 | 2 | HLTH 4800W | 4 |
| 6 | 8 | ||
| Total Credits: 62 | |||