B.S. in Public Health

B.S. in Public Health

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health trains students to identify the distribution of diseases, illnesses, and injuries in diverse communities, then plan, implement and evaluate evidence-based programs to solve those health problems. This program is 100% online.

Graduates are prepared for careers in chronic disease prevention and in areas such as substance abuse prevention, nutrition/dietetics, social work, sexual and reproductive health promotion, and are employed in local/state/national public health agencies or local/state non-profits.  We offer a specialized Nutrition pathway that prepares students for a Masters in Dietetics.

Completion of the Bachelor of Science in Public Health makes students eligible to sit for the Community Health Education Specialist Exam (CHES), a certification nationally recognized by employers as a gold standard in public health practice.

Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• identify the behavioral/social determinants of diseases/illness/injuries occurring in diverse sets of communities.
• create a public health program.
• develop an evaluation plan for a public health program.
• work effectively as public health professionals with other staff, programs and agencies through the implementation of a planned initiative with a community partner and focused on that agency’s area of expertise.
• InternshipsPublic Health interns have served agencies across areas of the field including sexual health, nutrition, access to healthcare, maternal health, drug and alcohol treatment and recovery and more. Some past internship sites include:
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County, as well as counties across NYS
  • Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley
  • State and County Public Health Departments
  • Planned Parenthood of the North Country and other locations
  • WIC locations including Community Health Center of the North Country
  • Seaway Valley Prevention Council
  • The American Red Cross in the North Country, NYC, and more

  • Partnerships

    A dynamic partnership between the State University of New York (SUNY) and the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) provides direct pathways to degree completion related to military healthcare career fields building on credit for METC courses.

    In the area of Preventative Medicine, SUNY Potsdam offers a B.S. in Public Health. View the METC webpage to learn more.