Bachelor of Science in Public Health

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health (B.S.P.H.) degree is designed to prepare students for various careers in addressing the health and wellness needs of individuals, families, communities, and populations, at scales ranging from local to global (Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, 2015).

According to the CDC, “Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities.” Public health includes aspects of epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, community health, mental, behavioral, and social health, health education and promotion, and health policy and economics, among others. Some of the major contemporary topics and issues addressed by public health professionals include chronic disease prevention (e.g. heart disease, diabetes and stroke), tobacco use cessation, obesity, nutrition, injury and violence prevention, maternal and child health, communicable disease, global health, climate change and health, and natural disaster response, among many other population health-related activities.

The curriculum is designed to prepare graduates of the program for multiple pathways: employment as a public health professional; graduate study in areas such as public health, health administration; professional education such as medicine, nursing, physician assistant, occupational therapy; or other graduate education. Students are responsible for researching the admission requirements of specific graduate degree programs. Students may pursue the degree requirements on a full-time or part-time basis. Service-learning experiences and a capstone project are components of the major program of study.

GET DETAILS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BSPH PROGRAM

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor throughout the program.

Visit Explore Health Careers for further information on a career in public health or another health profession.

Upon completing program prerequisites, please contact the departmental Executive Secretary
at 239-590-7495 for admission into the program.

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BS PUBLIC HEALTH STUDENT GUIDEBOOK

Accreditation
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Admissions Information
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Admissions Information for the 2024-2025 Catalog Year
If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit the Admissions Office Website
If you are a newly-admitted FGCU student please be sure to sign up for an Eagle View Orientation session. As part of this session you will be meeting with an academic advisor who will assist you in registering for classes for your major.
Admission Deadlines
Visit the Admissions Office Web site for information on admission deadlines of the university.
Please note: Upon completing program prerequisites, please contact the departmental Executive Secretary at 239-590-7495.

Costs - In State and Out of State
Program Requirements
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Program Requirements for the 2024-2025 Catalog Year
The General Education Program Website is located at https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/
Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements
For timely degree completion, students must complete appropriate milestones. Failure to meet milestone requirements may result in required major reselection. Refer to the program website or Student Guidebook for further information on milestones and progression standards.

In addition to the program requirements, students must:
- Complete a minimum of 120 credits.
- Complete at least 48 of the 120 credits in the upper division (3000 - 4999 level).
- Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework attempted at FGCU.
- Earn a minimum grade of C in each course where indicated. A grade of C- does not satisfy the minimum grade requirement of C.
- Satisfy the College-Level Skills and foreign language entrance requirements.
- Satisfy the Service-Learning requirement.
- Satisfy the Civic Literacy requirement.
- Satisfy the residency requirement: 30 of the last 60 credits must be completed at FGCU.
- Complete the summer course enrollment requirement.
- Submit an Application for Graduation by the deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.
Program Requirements
1. FGCU General Education Program (https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/)
  To prevent or minimize excess hours, select general education courses that satisfy common prerequisite requirements for your intended major.
2. Common Prerequisites
  For this major, common prerequisite courses with an asterisk (*) require prior knowledge and skills demonstrated through degree acceleration programs (e.g., the College Board's Advanced Placement Program [AP], International Baccalaureate Program [IB], College-Level Examination Program [CLEP], Advanced International Certificate of Education Program [AICE]); dual enrollment; placement exam; or college coursework.
  
  FGCU Course: BSC 1085C Hum Anat & Physio w/Lab I (4) Minimum grade of C
  Acceptable Substitute: BSCX093C or (BSCX093 and BSCX093L) or BSCX085C or (BSCX085 and BSCX085L) or ZOOX733C or (ZOOX733 and ZOOX733L) or (ZOOX731 and ZOOX731L)
  
  FGCU Course: BSC 1086C Hum Anat & Physio w/Lab II (4) Minimum grade of C
  Acceptable Substitute: BSCX094C or (BSCX094 and BSCX094L) or BSCX086C or (BSCX086 and BSCX086L)
  
  FGCU Course: PSY 2012 General Psychology (3) Minimum grade of C
  Acceptable Substitute: PSY X012
  
  FGCU Course: *STA 2023 Statistical Methods (3) Minimum grade of C
  Acceptable Substitute: STAX000-X999 or STAX023
  [Prerequisites of MAT 1033 minimum grade of C; or relevant accelerated credit; or placement exam]
3. Required Courses in the Major (48 credits)
  A minimum grade of C is required in each course
  
  HSA 3150 Health Care Policy in US (3)
  HSC 3201 Healthy Communities (3)
  HSC 3202 Introduction to Public Health (3)
  HSC 3208 Health Education Foundations (3)
  HSC 3624 Global Health Systems & Issues (3)
  HSC 3661C Dynamics of Communication (3)
  HSC 4241 Needs Assmt & Program Plan (3)
  HSC 4500 Epidemiology (3)
  HSC 4555 Disease, Impairment & Function (3)
  IHS 3203 Mgmt. & Leadership in Hlthcare (3)
  IHS 4504 Research Methods in HealthCare (3)
  PHC 3320 Environmental Health Science (3)
  PHC 4031 Emerging Infectious Diseases (3)
  PHC 4069 Biostatistics in Society (3)
  PHC 4250 Public Health Preparedness (3)
  PHC 4912 Public Health Capstone (3)
4. Restricted Electives in the Major (9 credits)
  A minimum grade of C is required in each course
  
  Select three from the following:
  HSA 3013 Mgmt for Non-Profit Agencies (3)
  HSA 3111 US Health Care Systems (3)
  HSA 4170 Financial Mgt in Health Care (3)
  HSA 4416 Social Dimensions & Issues HC (3)
  HSC 2577 Nutri Human Health & Wellness (3)
  HSC 3133 Health and Human Sexuality (3)
  HSC 3537 Medical Terminology (3)
  OTH 3417C Musculoskeletal Anatomy (3)
  OTH 3429C Neuroanatomy & Function (3)
  PHC 4024 Applied Epidemiology (3)
  PHC 4109 Public Health Biology (3)
  PHC 4140 GIS for Public Health (3)
  PHC 4943 Public Health Internship (3)
5. University Requirements (3 credits)
  Select one of the following:
  IDS 3920 University Colloquium (3)
  Or at least 3 credits in sustainability coursework (SCGR Attribute)
6. Additional Electives - as needed to reach total credits required for the degree
Total Credits Required: 120
Degree Map
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- Degree Map
Course Description
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Official Course Descriptions

Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.

Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
3. Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
4. Press Search
Course Schedule
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Getting started with the Course Schedule Search

Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.

Go to the Course Schedule Search, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSE ATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
3. Press Search.
*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.

**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)
Learning Outcomes
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Academic Learning Compact

Consistent with its mission and guiding principles, Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to academic excellence and continuous quality improvement, as supported by a sound teaching-learning process. Within this process, students and instructors share responsibility for learning that is a movement from the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, and the dependent to the independent. The Academic Learning Compact (ALC) initiative supports the teaching-learning process by clearly identifying expected core student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills; aligning curricula with expectations; and using assessment to guide continuous improvement.

Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills
Demonstrate knowledge of health; wellness needs of individuals, families, communities, and populations; and most common behavior change theories/models and functional communication skills in the context of developmental, sociocultural, and environmental factors.
1. Students will be required to demonstrate mastery of this content knowledge through course-based examinations (DEP 2004 Principles of Development, HSC 2577 Nutrition, Health, & Wellness, HSC 4555 Disease, Impairment, & Function, HSC 3202 Introduction to Public Health, HSC 4500 Epidemiology, and HSC 3201 Understanding Healthy Communities), as well as projects in the PHC 4912 Public Health Capstone.
2. Evaluation of course-based projects will typically utilize a scoring rubric and scoring will be based on criteria presented in the course syllabus. Criteria include presentation organization, quality and thoroughness of presentation, knowledge and skills demonstrated.
3. Public Health faculty will evaluate individual students’ overall content knowledge and skill via the Public Health Capstone. Capstone projects and examinations are the evidence utilized to determine whether a student has attained mastery.
Communication Skills
Students will demonstrate proficiency in oral, written, and non-verbal communication skills required for the role of a public health professional.
1. Students will demonstrate oral communication abilities through lecture and practice in communicating with individuals and groups (HSC 3661C Dynamics of Communication), the preparation and presentation of posters to a general audience (HSC 3201 Understanding Healthy Communities) and class presentation of health information (HSC 3208 Health Education Foundations, HSC 4241 Needs Assessment & program Plan, and HSC 3624 Global Health Systems & Issues). Grading rubrics are typically used and criteria include: logical presentation format, eye contact, ability to respond to questions with appropriate information, and appropriate mastery of language associated with the specific topic presented.
2. Students will demonstrate written communication abilities through course-based writing assignments (IHS 4504 Research Methods in Health Care) as well as through development of a portfolio, grant proposal, or written health information materials (PHC 4912 Public Health Capstone). Criteria for evaluation include: concise written communication, proper documentation using APA format, and the appropriate use of terminology and information pertinent to the task assigned.
Critical Thinking Skills
Students will develop critical thinking skills to support interpretation, analysis, evaluation and inference drawing in the context of the Public Health discipline.
1. Students will demonstrate critical thinking skills through essay exams and oral presentation of health-related topics in class and at local community health agencies.
2. Using criteria developed by the faculty of Public Health Program and identified in the course syllabi, faculty members and/or internship site directors will evaluate each student’s work for the demonstration of critical thinking. Criteria are based on a student’s mastery of content found in the Public Health curriculum (IHS4504 Research Methods in Health Care and PHC 4912 Public Health Capstone).
Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance
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Tuition and Fees

Information on Tuition, Fees and estimated total Cost of Attendance is available on the Office of the Bursar.

Financial Aid Opportunities

Visit FGCU's Financial Aid for information about grants, additional scholarships, loans, and student employment.

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Marieb College of Health & Human Services

Department of Health Sciences

10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, Florida 33965

239-745-4419

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