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Undergraduate Catalog 2024-2025

Health Sciences B.S. – Public Health Concentration

College of Natural and Health Sciences

See "Health Sciences B.S. to Master of Public Health"

Program Overview

College of Natural and Health Sciences

Email: nhs@unco.edu

Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/health-sciences/

Advising Information:

Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.

To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.

The program consists of four parts:

  1. Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
  2. Required Major Credits
  3. Major Elective Credits
  4. University-Wide Credits

Program Description:

The Public Health concentration offers students a chance to pursue a four-year degree in a rapidly expanding field nationally and internationally. Students who complete this degree will be well-positioned to become leaders in a broad range of public health fields.

Program Admission Requirements:

Academic Good Standing

Minor Required:

No Minor required.

Program Requirements:

In accordance with University Policies, coursework earned more than 10 years prior to the date of matriculation to UNC may not be used to satisfy any major or minor requirements. Any exception to this policy is at the discretion of the academic program.

Degree Requirements — 120 Credits

1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits

To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 70 required major credits.

Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.

Written Communication — 6 credits

ENG 123 or SCI 291 is recommended to fulfill the Intermediate Writing Course requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

See Written Communication courses

Mathematics — 3 credits

STAT 150 is recommended to fulfill the Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

See Mathematics courses

Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits

To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.

PHIL 250 is recommended to fulfill the Arts and Humanities: Ways of Thinking requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

HUSR 205 and PSY 230 are recommended to fulfill the Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses

Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits

BIO 110 or BIO 100 and BIO 105 and, CHEM 281, CHEM 281L, are recommended to fulfill the Natural & Physical Sciences LAB requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

FND 250 is recommended to fulfill the Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.

See Natural & Physical Sciences courses

See Liberal Arts Curriculum

2. Required Major — 70 credits

BIO 110Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL

4

or

BIO 100Exploring BiologyLAS1

3

and

BIO 105Exploring Biology LabLAS1LASL

1

BIO 245Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology

4

BIO 246Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology

3

BIO 251Allied Health Microbiology

4

CHEM 281Fundamentals of BiochemistryLAS1

3

CHEM 281LFundamentals of Biochemistry LaboratoryLAS1LASL

1

ENG 123Writing and Research MethodsLAW2

3

or

SCI 291Scientific WritingLAW2

3

FND 250Principles of NutritionLAS1

3

HUSR 205Introduction to Human ServicesLAB3

3

HUSR 209Foundations of Health Promotion/Health Education

3

HUSR 300Human Services Helping Skills

3

HUSR 336Human Sexuality

3

HUSR 342Modern Concepts of Health and Disease

3

HUSR 410Human Services Program Planning and Evaluation

3

HUSR 350Introduction to Environmental Health

3

HUSR 492Internship in Human Services

1-15

NURS 225Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare

3

NURS 326Pathophysiology

3

PHIL 250Medical EthicsLAA3

3

PSY 230Lifespan DevelopmentLAB3

3

STAT 150Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1

3

HUSR 492: Take 9 credits

3. Major Electives - 15 credits

Choose 15 credits from the list below.

ANT 292Culture and ConflictLAA3

3

ANT 313Anthropology of Globalization

3

ANT 355Medical Anthropology

3

CH 509Behavior Change Theories

3

CH 530Strategies for Community Health Promotion

3

CH 535Effective Community Health Engagement

3

CH 550Environmental Health

3

FND 210Medical Terminology

2

HUSR 380Rehabilitation Principles and Case Management

3

HUSR 397Foundations of Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment

3

PSY 255Introduction to Mental Health

3

PSY 265Social PsychologyLAB3

3

PSY 323Health Psychology

3

PSY 340Psychology & Culture

3

PSY 380Behavioral Neuroscience

3

SOC 170Social ProblemsLAB3

3

SOC 237Sociology of Race, Racism, and PowerLAB3LAMS

3

SOC 275Society & Mental Health

3

SOC 375Sociology of Health and Illness

3

STAT 451Intermediate Applied Statistics

3

Some courses have pre-requisites.

4. University Electives — 4-26 credits*

Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program, that will typically be 4-26 credits.

*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.

Accelerated (4 + 1) Public Health B.S. and Public Health M.P.H.

This degree offers a combined BS/MPH 4+1 degree option where students can complete their BS in Health Sciences and their Master of Public Health (MPH) in Community Health Education degrees in five years. This is possible by taking some of the MPH graduate courses as an undergraduate, and having those courses apply to both degrees. See your advisor for details.

Accelerated MPH Admission

To be eligible for application to the BS/MPH 4 +1 program, students must currently be enrolled in Health Sciences BS degree at UNC. Students who want to switch their major to the Health Sciences degree must have achieved a sophomore or higher standing within their current major and be in good academic standing with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students who choose to change majors/programs later than their sophomore year may have course conflicts in meeting both the undergraduate degree requirements and taking the graduate public health courses that are to transfer to the MPH program, which can result in the student sharing fewer credits between the BS and MPH programs. Students in this situation will be advised of this potential so that they can make an informed decision about their academic plans related to this degree option.

Individuals who wish to be considered for admission to the MPH program will submit their application to the Schools and Programs of Public Health portal (SOPHAS) in the Fall of Year 4, and by the January 15 application deadline. In addition to the application itself, individuals will submit 3 letters of recommendation, official transcripts, a resume or CV, and a statement of purpose. Of the three required letters of recommendation at least two of them will need to come from a faculty or academic advisor within their undergraduate program. Some public health related experience (paid, volunteer, or internship) is beneficial. These applicants will also select their MPH concentration in Community Health Education or Global Health/Community Health Education at the time that they submit materials through the SOPHAS system.

Accelerated MPH Timeline

For the accelerated (4+1) Master of Public Health, take 12 credits from the courses below. The remaining three hours can be selected from other focus areas. To be able to take 500-level graduate courses, students must have a junior or senior standing and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

In years three and four of the program, students in the 4+1 MPH program must choose STAT 451 and 9 of the 12 credits listed below to complete the BS and MPH in 5 years. Students who have been accepted into the 4+1 program are eligible to apply these courses to the undergraduate Health Sciences BS degree.

Fall Semester, Senior Year

Apply for admission to the MPH program

Complete 120 credits required for BS which should include STAT 451 and 9 credits comprised of 3 of the following 4 courses: CH 509, CH 530, CH 535, CH 550.

During Years 4 & 5, students will complete the following MPH courses in a sequence recommended by their assigned advisor:

PUBH 6600 (2), CH 612 (3), CH 615 (3), CH 635 (3), CH 610 (3), CH 620 (3), MPH Electives (9), CH 686 (2), CH 693 (2).

Admitted students will meet with the ColoradoSPH at UNC assigned faculty advisor after they accept their offer of admission to review the curricular plan and requirements for matriculating into the MPH program. Students will also be expected to meet with their undergraduate advisor at the UNC NHS Advising Center as they normally would while in the undergraduate program, and to meet with the Campus Director of ColoradoSPH@UNC or MPH advisor once per semester. Once students have completed their undergraduate degree, the MPH program will take over all advising.

Accelerated MPH Advising

Faculty Advising

Students who matriculate from the BS into the MPH program will be assigned a faculty advisor following the ColoradoSPH at UNC advising structure. Faculty advisors are assigned based on the student’s selected concentration.

Student Consultation and Advising

BS: Regular undergraduate advisor in the UNC NHS Advising Center.

MPH (for interested students): Campus Director of the ColoradoSPH@UNC

MPH (for admitted and active 4+1 students): Assigned MPH faculty advisor

Four Year Plan

This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance.

Year 1 – 29 credits

Fall Semester

BIO 110Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL

4

or

BIO 100Exploring BiologyLAS1

3

and

BIO 105Exploring Biology LabLAS1LASL

1

STAT 150Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1

3

ENG 122College CompositionLAW1

3

University-Wide Elective

5

Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

BIO 245Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology

4

CHEM 281Fundamentals of BiochemistryLAS1

3

and

CHEM 281LFundamentals of Biochemistry LaboratoryLAS1LASL

1

ENG 123Writing and Research MethodsLAW2

3

or

SCI 291Scientific WritingLAW2

3

or

LAC Advanced WritingLAW3

3

LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4

3

Total Credit Hours:14

LAC Arts and Humanities: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or International Studies (IS) course.

Year 2 – 31 credits

Fall Semester

BIO 246Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology

3

FND 250Principles of NutritionLAS1

3

HUSR 205Introduction to Human ServicesLAB3

3

PHIL 250Medical EthicsLAA3

3

PSY 230Lifespan DevelopmentLAB3

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

BIO 251Allied Health Microbiology

4

HUSR 209Foundations of Health Promotion/Health Education

3

NURS 225Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare

3

NURS 326Pathophysiology

3

LAC HistoryLAH1

3

Total Credit Hours:16

LAC History: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or International Studies (IS) course.

Year 3 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

HUSR 300Human Services Helping Skills

3

HUSR 336Human Sexuality

3

Major Elective

3

Major Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

HUSR 342Modern Concepts of Health and Disease

3

HUSR 350Introduction to Environmental Health

3

Major Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Year 4 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

HUSR 410Human Services Program Planning and Evaluation

3

Major Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

HUSR 492Internship in Human Services

1-15

Major Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

HUSR 492: Take 9 credits

Advising Notes –

  • Students interested in study abroad are encouraged to do so between Year 2 Spring and Year 3 Spring.

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