Community Health, B.H.S.

The undergraduate program in Community Health, offered through the College of Health and Human Services , provides students a broad-based community health education that will prepare them for a variety of career opportunities in health and human services fields. The Bachelor of Health Science degree in Community Health is designed to provide students with the broad-based educational background needed to design, implement, and evaluate programs and services that increase the quality, availability and effectiveness of health and wellness programs. The program has a strong underpinning in cultural understanding and sensitivity, giving you the ability to appreciate and respond to cultural and community influences on health and wellness promotion. The mission of the Community Health program is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and wellness of diverse populations with a particular focus of eliminating health disparities.

After completing a twenty eight-credit program core curriculum, students will select from three concentrations for the customization of the program. The three concentrations are: Health Promotion Across the Lifespan, Pre-Health Professions, and Foundations of Substane Abuse.

Special Admissions Requirements

Prospective students are required to have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in 24 hours of earned college credit from Governors State University or other regionally accredited institution for admission to all concentrations in the program.

Prerequisites:

Students must have completed a statistics course prior to acceptance in the program.

Application Deadlines:

• Fall Admission - July 30th
• Spring Admission - November 30th
• Summer Admission - April 15th

Degree Requirements:

Students must meet all university requirements for a bachelor’s degree with a grade of “C” or better in all program required courses. Students must maintain a minimum of a 2.0 GPA in upper division course work and must satisfy all general education requirements.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

• plan, develop, and implement community health education programs using a variety of strategies to improve the health status of the community as an aggregate population.
• conduct assessments of health needs and resources at both the individual and community level, including an analysis of social and political barriers that may impede health promotion efforts;
• identify, analyze, and interpret factors influencing people’s health status through a strong grounding in social and behavioral theory;
• demonstrate competency in working with diverse cultures and communities;
• identify and analyze health disparities and design appropriate, culturally competent prevention and intervention strategies;
• develop, analyze, and interpret factors influencing people’s health status through a strong grounding in social and behavioral theory and organizational management;
• demonstrate competency in working with diverse cultures and communities;
• evaluate the process and outcome of community based health education programs and long-term care programs;
• articulate the ethical and legal principles informing health education practice; and
• meet admission requirements for selected health and human services professional programs.