Public Health

About the Department

Kara Zografos, Department Chair
McLane Hall, Room 184
559.278.4014
chhs.fresnostate.edu/public-health/

The Bachelor of Science in Health Science and the Master of Public Health (MPH) are designed to prepare students for careers with official and voluntary health agencies at the federal, state, or local levels of government as well as the private sector. The Master of Public Health degree is designed for individuals seeking a professional degree in public health. This degree is recognized throughout the world and is fully accredited by the Council of Education for Public Health (CEPH). A minor in Health Science is also offered by the department.

Pre-Health Major

The College of Health and Human Services Pre-Health Program provides support to students exploring careers in the health and human services professions with academic advising and career exploration. The Pre-Health Program allows students interested in:  Communicative Sciences - Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology options, Health Science - Community Health, Kinesiology - Exercise Science, Nursing, and Social Work to explore these majors and career pathways. The Pre-Health Program is a three-semester program that will blend in all lower-division general education. Students in the Pre-Health Program will enroll in HHS 18: Career Pathways in Health and Human Services in their first semester and HHS 100T: Career Exploration in Health and Human Services in their second semester to help in the exploration process. During the second semester an academic counselor will work with students to identify a major appropriate to their career path and then in the beginning of their third semester they will apply to the major of their interest.

Bachelor of Science Degree

The Department offers curricula based on principles of public health practices leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science with options in:

1. Community Health Option is designed to prepare individuals to enter the workforce as competent health educators in the private and public arenas.  Students in this option are encouraged to seek the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) certification upon graduation.
2. Environmental/Occupational Health and Safety Option is designed to prepare individuals as health professionals responsible for protecting the public’s health from environmental hazards.  This degree program provides a balanced approach between the theoretical concepts and applied principles of environmental health, occupational health, and safety.  The curriculum builds on a scientific base (biology, chemistry, math, and physics) and includes core courses in Public Health, foundation courses in environmental and occupational health, and elective courses that allow for specialization, such as food protection, hazardous waste management, and water and wastewater. 
3. Health Administration Option provides a broad-based program to prepare students for administrative positions within the health care system.  The curriculum is designed with an emphasis on exposing students to the principles of health services administration and the application of these principles.  Health administration students receive extensive exposure to health economics, finance, accounting, and management.  The emphasis in these courses is to develop “hands-on” skills. 

Master’s Program

The mission of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program is to prepare public health professionals for leadership roles in the field of health promotion so that they may contribute to the process of improving the health of communities located within the San Joaquin Valley, California, and the southwest. This mission is fulfilled by attaining several program goals which address the health needs of the ethnically and socioeconomically diverse populations living in the San Joaquin Valley and the southwest. Coursework for the (MPH) is varied and designed to provide the maximum opportunity for problem-solving approaches to the complex issues in the operation, environment, and human factors confronting the health care systems.

Career Opportunities

Community Health. The community health curriculum requires courses in the basic sciences (Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy/Physiology) as well as in:  Statistics, Community Health, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Health Administration, Health Behavior, Principles of Health Education, Human Disease, Health Education Methods, Emergency Preparedness, Global and Cultural Health, Drugs and Alcohol, Alternative and Complementary Medicine, and many other topics.  Program planning, dissemination, implementing, and evaluating are emphasized throughout the curriculum.

What You Can Earn

• Health Educator, $60,600 (in our region)

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021

Environmental/Occupational Health and Safety Option. Students are academically prepared to make significant contributions to society by anticipating, evaluating, and controlling environmental and occupational health hazards.  Career opportunities exist in government agencies, private industry, consulting, and research organizations.  The program also provides preparation for graduate studies and acceptance into professional schools, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, veterinary medicine, and law.  The option is also approved as an Option V program by the California Department of Health Services.  As a result, students are eligible for paid internships with federal agencies, such as the U.S. Public Health Service, national and state scholarships, and entrance to the Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) exam immediately following graduation.

What You Can Earn

• Environmental Scientists and Specialists, $76,530 (in our region)
• Occupational Health and Safety Specialists, $106,340 (in our region)

Source:  US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021

Health Administration. Health administration students receive extensive exposure to health economics, finance, accounting, and management

What You Can Earn

• Medical and Health Services Manager, $101,340 (in our region; less than 5 years of experience in related occupation)
• Human Resources Manager, $126,230 (in our region; more than 5 years of experience in related occupation)

Source:  US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021 

Programs

• Alcohol/Drug Studies, Certificate of Special Study
• Emergency Management, Certificate of Special Study

• Health Science - Community Health Option, B.S.
• Health Science - Environmental/Occupational Health & Safety Option, B.S.
• Health Science - Health Administration Option, B.S.

• Public Health - Health Promotion Option, M.P.H.

• Public Health, Minor