hero-angle-alpha hero-angle-beta icon-rss-square icon-instagram icon-rss icon-facebook icon-facebook-square icon-facebook-official icon-twitter icon-twitter-square icon-google-plus icon-google-plus-square icon-linkedin icon-linkedin-square icon-pinterest icon-pinterest-square icon-youtube icon-youtube-square icon-youtube-play icon-search icon-gift icon-graduation-cap icon-home icon-bank icon-envelope icon-envelope-square Cabrini Logo Cabrini Logo icon-chevron-right icon-chevron-left category academics category athletics category just for fun category service and mission category living on campus category profiles category advice category activities and events Cabrini University logo with crest
Return Home

Explore the science of protecting and improving the health of families and communities with a major or minor in Public Health, offered in the Health and Exercise Sciences Department.

Public health professionals strive to protect the health of entire populations through preventative measures: they promote healthy lifestyles, research disease and injury prevention, and detect and control infectious diseases. While working toward improving healthcare equity, quality, and accessibility they implement educational programs, recommend policies, administer services, and conduct research.

The major has been designed to meet the learning outcomes of a national-level accrediting body and has significant coursework toward student preparation for the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing’s CHES® exam.

As a Public Health major, you will complete courses that address learning outcomes aligned with the CDC’s 10 Essential Public Health services:

  • The history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts, and functions across the globe and in society
  • The basic concepts, methods, and tools of public health data collection, use, and analysis and why evidence-based approaches are an essential part of public health practice
  • The concepts of population health, and the basic processes, approaches, and interventions that identify and address the major health-related needs and concerns of populations
  • The fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the US health system, as well as differences in other countries’ systems
  • The basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of healthcare and public health policy and the roles, influences, and responsibilities of the different agencies and branches of government
  • The basic concepts of public health-specific communication, including technical and professional writing and the use of mass media and electronic technology

Read more about Health and Exercise Sciences.

Contact Information

Gifty Akomea Key, EdD
Chair and Assistant Professor
Health and Exercise Sciences
Iadarola Center, Room 124
610.902.8332
gifty.akomea.key@cabrini.edu

Public Health Program Details

The Centers for Disease Control defines public health as the science of protecting and improving the health of families and communities through promotion of healthy lifestyles, research for disease and injury prevention, and detection and control of infectious diseases. Overall, public health is concerned with protecting the health of entire populations. These populations can be as small as a local neighborhood or as big as an entire country or region of the world. Public health professionals strive to prevent problems from happening or recurring through implementing educational programs, recommending policies, administering services, and conducting research—in contrast to clinical professionals like doctors and nurses, who focus primarily on treating individuals after they become sick or injured. Public health also works to limit health disparities. A large part of public health is promoting healthcare equity, quality, and accessibility.

The five core public health disciplines include 1) biostatistics, 2) epidemiology, 3) health policy, 4) the social and behavioral sciences, and 5) environmental health sciences. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the Public Health major has been designed to address all five core areas, and has significant coursework toward students being capable of sitting for the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing’s CHES® exam.

Students completing the major will be well prepared to enter professional/graduate programs, such as ones leading to a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) certification. Students will be equally prepared to enter the workforce, with job prospects in public and community health, health management or administration, health education, medicine, health programming, epidemiology, or other types of health-related research.

Employment Outlook

The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics  projects "growth of 13 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations; this increase is expected to result in about 2 million new jobs over the decade. In addition to new jobs from growth, opportunities arise from the need to replace workers who leave their occupations permanently. About 1.9 million openings each year, on average, are projected to come from growth and replacement needs."

 Program Highlights

  • Major or minor option
  • Off-campus supervised internship program
  • Work with faculty to tailor your education to your specific interests

Skills Learned

The following 11 learning outcomes will be met through completion of a combination of courses at Cabrini. 

Students will understand:

  • The history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts, and functions across the globe and in society
  • The basic concepts, methods, and tools of public health data collection, use, and analysis and why evidence-based approaches are an essential part of public health practice
  • The concepts of population health, and the basic processes, approaches, and interventions that identify and address the major health-related needs and concerns of populations
  • The underlying science of human health and disease including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the life course
  • The socioeconomic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities
  • The fundamental concepts and features of project implementation, including planning, assessment, and evaluation
  • The fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the U.S. health system, as well as the differences in systems in other countries
  • The basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of healthcare and public health policy and the roles, influences, and responsibilities of the different agencies and branches of government
  • The basic concepts of public health-specific communication, including technical and professional writing and the use of mass media and electronic technology

Students will demonstrate:

  • The ability to communicate public health information, in both oral and written forms and through a variety of media, to diverse audiences
  • The ability to locate, use, evaluate, and synthesize public health information