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Public Health

The Public Health major at Miami University, housed in the College of Arts and Science (CAS), is a field of study focused on preventing illness and promoting health in individuals, communities, and society as a whole. This program builds on the university’s strengths in 3 areas: human disease and epidemiology; health policy and administration; and public health promotion and education.

What is Public Health?

Public Health is a field of study focused on preventing illness and promoting health in individuals, communities, and society as a whole. The Public Health major at Miami builds on the university's strengths in 3 areas:

  • Human Disease and Epidemiology
  • Health Policy and Administration
  • Public Health Promotion

Bachelor of Arts in Public Health

Students in the Public Health major choose to complete their concentration in Human Disease and Epidemiology, Health Policy and Administration, or Public Health Promotion. Doing so will complete all of the requirements of the College of Arts and Science.

petri dish

Human Disease and Epidemiology

This concentration utilizes basic concepts in biology and focuses on the factors that cause illness and promote health in human populations. This concentration explores differences in health across time and population subgroups as well as the reasons for those differences.

Contact:
Dr. Kelly Abshire
513-529-5422
abshirk@MiamiOH.edu
Student with employer at white board writing information during internship

Health Policy and Administration

This concentration focuses on critical policy and programmatic issues in public health. The emphasis of this concentration is to examine how public policy impacts the public health delivery system and how administrators work to develop and implement programs in the field of public health.

Contact:
Dr. Sara McLaughlin
513-529-2658
mclaugsj@MiamiOH.edu
Student on treadmill while faculty stands on the side and speaks to them

Public Health Promotion

This concentration examines the principles and practices of health promotion to address current and emerging public health problems. The focus of the concentration is on the development of public health education prevention strategies across the life span.

Contact:
Dr. Paul Branscum
513-529-3022

Other Academic Information

Learning Objectives

Public Health

Learning Objective Core Courses Addressing Objective
Identify and address the concepts of population health, and the basic processes, approaches, and interventions which focus on the major health-related needs and concerns of populations Introduction to Public Health
Social and Health Policy
Applied Health Behavior Change
Describe the basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of health care and public health policy Social and Health Policy
Introduction to Public Health
Integrate the core elements of public health with a selected area of specialization to recognize how the field of public health applies to individuals, communities, and society overall Advanced Epidemiology Capstone 
Internship Capstone 
Internship or Research Capstone 

Human Disease and Epidemiology 

Learning Objective Courses Addressing Objective
Describe the underlying science of human health and disease including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the life course Introduction to Public Health
Epidemiology
Human Physiology
Introduction to Cell Biology
Biological Concepts
Demonstrate the use of research tools and analytic methods to critically analyze, monitor, and assess the health status of populations and current public health-related issues Epidemiology
Advanced Epidemiology
Microorganisms and Human Disease
Doctors, Clinics, and Epidemics
Immunology Principles

Health Policy and Administration 

Learning Objective Courses Addressing Objective
Evaluate the impact of policies and legislation on individual and population health Policies and Programs in an Aging Society
Public Policy Analysis
Public Administration
Explain the fundamental characteristics and organizational structure of the U.S. health systems as well as the differences in systems in other countries Social Policy and Programs in Gerontology
Social and Health Public Health Policy
Policy and Programs in an Aging Society
Developing Solutions in Global Health
Health Economics
Public Policy Analysis

Contact the Public Health Program

143 Upham Hall
100 Bishop Circle
Oxford, OH 45056