Program Director
Lauren Iagulli
(330) 941-4680
lmiagulli01@ysu.edu
Overview
Public Health
Wherever there’s a community in need, public health professionals answer the call—driving action, advocating for change, and responding to crises. They work across diverse settings, including public health agencies, non-profits, academia, private industry, and health care organizations.
The Bachelor of Science in Applied Science (BSAS) in Public Health offers students the opportunity to specialize in one of the following emphasis areas:
- Public Health Generalist
- Health Education and Promotion
- Environmental Health and Safety
Students also have the option to pursue a minor in a field that enhances their degree in public health, broadening their academic experience and expertise.
The curriculum for the YSU bachelor’s degree in public health addresses each of the core disciplines in public health.
- Epidemiology
- Biostatistics
- Health Services Administration
- Environmental Health
- Behavioral Science/Health Education
This curriculum enables mastery at the bachelor’s level of the nationally recognized foundational domains of public health and Public Health Core Competencies. All major courses can be completed through online distance learning options.
Graduates of the BSAS in Public Health are well-prepared to advance their education at the graduate level or obtain professional certifications. The degree provides a strong foundation for those pursuing the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam or the Environmental Health Specialist exam. Students interested in the Environmental Health Specialist exam must complete a statistics course and at least 30 semester hours of science coursework to qualify.
The program also offers a minor in public health. Students pursing a minor in public health may choose one of the following emphasis areas:
- Public Health Generalist
- Community Health Planning and Evaluation
- Environmental Health and Safety
During the freshman and sophomore years, students are expected to take the courses that meet the requirements for general education. In addition to the English, mathematics, and communication requirement, specific general education courses for the BSAS public health degree include:
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST YEAR REQUIREMENT -STUDENT SUCCESS | ||
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar | 1-2 |
| or YSU 1500S | Youngstown State University Success Seminar | |
| or HONR 1500 | Intro to Honors | |
| General Education Requirements | ||
| ENGL 1550 | Writing 1 | 3-4 |
| or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 with Support | |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| Mathematics requirement (one of the following): | ||
| MATH 2623 | Quantitative Reasoning | 3-6 |
| or MATH 2623C | Quantitative Reasoning with Co-Requisite Support | |
| or STAT 2601 | Introductory Statistics | |
| or STAT 2625 | Statistical Literacy and Critical Reasoning | |
| or STAT 2625C | Statistical Literacy and Critical Reasoning with Co-Requisite Support | |
| Natural Science (7 s.h.) (2 courses, 1 with lab) | 7 | |
| Arts and Humanities (6 s.h.) (2 courses) | 6 | |
| Social Science (6 s.h.) | ||
| PHLT 1531 | Fundamentals of Public Health (required for the major) | 3 |
| Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| General Education Electives (9 s.h.) | ||
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| PHLT 1568 | Healthy Lifestyles (required for the major) | 3 |
| Gen Ed. Elective of Choice | 3 | |
| Required Courses | ||
| PHLT 1513 | Introduction to Environmental Health and Safety | 3 |
| PHLT 1550 | Public Health Advocacy and Policy | 3 |
| PHLT 2607 | Ethical Issues in Public Health | 3 |
| PHLT 3702 | Health Education Theory and Methods | 3 |
| PHLT 3791 | Community Health | 3 |
| PHLT 3723 | Global Perspectives of Public Health | 3 |
| PHLT 4826 | Community Health Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation | 3 |
| PHLT 4899 | Public Health Senior Seminar | 3 |
| AHLT 4806 | Research Methods | 3 |
| AHLT 4810 | Management Skills for Health Professionals | 3 |
| AHLT 5807 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| HAHS 5875 | Interprofessional Education for Health Professions | 3 |
| Choose one of the PHLT Emphasis Areas (12 s.h.): | 12 | |
| Health Education and Promotion | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
or PHLT 3731 | Drug Use and Abuse | |
| Topics in Public Health | ||
| Health and Disease | ||
| Multicultural Health | ||
| Environmental Health | ||
| Elements of Urban Environmental Health Practices | ||
| Environmental Health Concerns | ||
| Agents of Mass Casualty | ||
| Crisis Management in Public Health | ||
| Generalist | ||
Any combination of courses from the Health Education and Promotion/Environmental emphasis areas above totaling 12 semester hours | ||
| PHLT Upper Division Electives (18 s.h.) (1 course must be 3700 level or above, all others must be 2700 level or above) | 18 | |
| Below are the courses that can be counted towards your upper division PHLT electives. Courses taken as part of your emphasis area do not count toward your PHLT upper division elective semester hours | ||
| Preventive Public Health Care | ||
| Elements of Urban Environmental Health Practices | ||
| Topics in Public Health | ||
| Drug Use and Abuse | ||
| Public Health Impact of War and Conflict | ||
| Health and Disease | ||
| Grant Writing | ||
| Multicultural Health | ||
| Agents of Mass Casualty | ||
| Crisis Management in Public Health | ||
| Pathology of Infectious Diseases | ||
| Environmental Regulations | ||
| Industrial Hygiene | ||
| Additional Electives or Minor Coursework | 16 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 120-125 | |
A minimum of 120 semester hours are required for the BSAS in public health. No minor is required for this professional BSAS degree.
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | S.H. | |
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar or Youngstown State University Success Seminar or Intro to Honors | 1-2 |
| ENGL 1550 or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 or Writing 1 with Support | 3-4 |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| PHLT 1531 | Fundamentals of Public Health | 3 |
| PHLT 1550 | Public Health Advocacy and Policy | 3 |
| PHLT 1568 | Healthy Lifestyles | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 16-18 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| MATH 2623 | Quantitative Reasoning or Quantitative Reasoning with Co-Requisite Support or Introductory Statistics or Statistical Literacy and Critical Reasoning or Statistical Literacy and Critical Reasoning with Co-Requisite Support | 3-6 |
| Natural Science Gen Ed. | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities Gen Ed. | 3 | |
| Gen Ed. Elective | ||
| Semester Hours | 12-15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHLT 2607 | Ethical Issues in Public Health | 3 |
| PHLT 3702 | Health Education Theory and Methods | 3 |
| Social Science Gen Ed. | 3 | |
| Natural Science + Lab Gen Ed. | 4 | |
| Elective or Minor | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHLT 1513 | Introduction to Environmental Health and Safety | 3 |
| PHLT 3791 | Community Health | 3 |
| Arts and Humanities Gen Ed. | 3 | |
| Elective or Minor | 3 | |
| Elective or Minor | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| AHLT 5807 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| PHLT 4826 | Community Health Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation | 3 |
| PHLT Emphasis Area Course | 3 | |
| PHLT Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Elective or Minor | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHLT 3723 | Global Perspectives of Public Health | 3 |
| AHLT 4806 | Research Methods | 3 |
| PHLT Emphasis Area Course | 3 | |
| PHLT Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Elective or Minor | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| AHLT 4810 | Management Skills for Health Professionals | 3 |
| PHLT Emphasis Area Course | 3 | |
| PHLT Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| PHLT Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Elective or Minor | 4 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHLT 4899 | Public Health Senior Seminar | 3 |
| HAHS 5875 | Interprofessional Education for Health Professions | 3 |
| PHLT Emphasis Area Course | 3 | |
| PHLT Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| PHLT Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 120-125 | |
- Students must earn a grade of "C" or better in all required PHLT and AHLT courses.
- Courses taken under the Credit(CR)/No Credit (NC) option may not be counted toward the major.
Learning Outcomes
The student learning outcomes for public health are as follows:
- The BSAS in Public Health program will provide students with instruction in the foundational domains of public health and prepare them to complete the following responsibility in relation to health education:
- Assessment of Needs and Capacity
- Planning
- Implementation
- Evaluation and Research
- Advocacy
- Communication
- Leadership and Management
- Ethics and Professionalism
- Upon completion of the BSAS in Public Health program students will display the following competencies:
- Communicate public health information in both oral and written forms, through a variety of media and to diverse audiences
- Locate, use, evaluate, and synthesize public health information