Our students are engaged in a wide range of academic pursuits that include degree programs in 160 undergraduate and graduate fields delivered by 6 different colleges.
The field of Public Health is focused on promoting and protecting health by preventing disease and illness in communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outline 10 essential Public Health services that center around equity, assessment, policy development, and assurance. Public Health uses evidence-based, data-driven strategies to improve health.
Public Health education is centered around 5 core disciplines:
The 10 Essential Public Health Services provide a framework for public health to protect and promote the health of all people in all communities. To achieve optimal health for all, the Essential Public Health Services actively promote policies, systems, and services that enable good health and seek to remove obstacles and systemic and structural barriers, such as poverty, racism, gender discrimination, and other forms of oppression, that have resulted in health inequities. Everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to achieve good health and well-being.
Assess and monitor population health status, factors that influence health, and community needs and assets
Investigate, diagnose, and address health problems and hazards affecting the population
Communicate effectively to inform and educate people about health, factors that influence it, and how to improve it
Strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships to improve health
Create, champion, and implement policies, plans, and laws that impact health
Utilize legal and regulatory actions designed to improve and protect the public's health
Assure an effective system that enables equitable access to the individual services and care needed to be healthy
Build and support a diverse and skilled public health workforce
Improve and innovate public health functions through ongoing evaluation, research, and continuous quality improvement
Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health
Career paths in public health include health education, community health, epidemiology, biostatistics, health administration, environmental health, and health policy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected continued growth in all of these public health career paths.
Learning outcomes for the A-State Public Health program are listed below and align with the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the Public Health accrediting organization. Students enrolled in the A-State Public Health program will:
Understand how to assess and monitor population health
Learn how to investigate, diagnose, and address health hazards and root causes
Develop effective public health communication strategies to inform and educate
Develop public health strategies to strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships
Learn how to create, champion, and implement public health policies, plans, and laws
Understand how to utilize public health legal and regulatory actions
Identify avenues to enabling equitable health access
Contribute to building a diverse and skilled public health workforce
Develop strategies to improve and innovate through public health evaluation, research, and quality improvement
Learn how to build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health
