MSU Denver
One of the biggest challenges facing the public health field is the question, What is Public Health? If you ask different people in the community, some may answer, “health care for the poor,” while others might say “washing your hands,” “protecting our food,” “passing smoke-free policies,” or perhaps given our experiences today “protecting us from infectious diseases like COVID-19.” The truth is that all these statements are correct. The American Public Health Association states that Public Health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play.
At MSU Denver, a degree in public health will give the student a broad understanding of the public health field, while allowing students to gain experience in focused specialties of public health practice.
By completing the public health core, students will have skills to understand basic public health functions such as monitoring and assessing the health of communities, identifying health problems and priorities, and implementing evidence-based strategies to promote population health, as well as advanced functions such as planning various health programs and policies to serve the Healthcare needs in the community.
The required curriculum was designed to build student knowledge and skill in eleven Public Health Competency Domains identified by the Counsel on Public Health Education (CEPH), which is an accreditation body and sets quality benchmarks in the field. Students that graduate with a degree in Public Health will be prepared for many entry-level public health positions, while also providing the background knowledge required to pursue a broad range of graduate degree programs, including a Masters in Public Health (MPH) or a Masters in Health Administration (MHA).
The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) designed a campaign “This Is Public Health” to let people know that public health affects them on a daily basis and that we are only as healthy as the world we live in.
This is Public Health
Public Health has a broad range of professional areas suited to a variety of interests and skills, in both traditional public health, service-focused organizations, as well as new practice settings, including private and non-profit organizations. Public health graduates can look forward to a wealth of opportunities in each state and city of the country and even other countries around the world. Common areas of employment include federal, state, and local health agencies, consulting firms, consumer advocacy organizations, hospitals and integrated health care systems, non-government and private business and industry.
According to the website, Careers in Public Health.Net (2020) there is a growing list of 173 public health positions and related careers with average salaries between $40,000- $200,000 annually. US News & World Report states that public health graduates of all levels : associates degrees through doctoral degrees, can find a range of jobs in both public and private sectors. Primary areas for public health employment fall into these main categories: epidemiology, biostatistics, healthcare research, chronic and acute illness, applied healthcare projects, environmental & occupational health, health education & behavioral sciences, infectious disease, public policy, global health, nutrition, and maternal child health. Given the current challenges of a global pandemic, there are even higher chances of continued growth in these professional areas.
For more information on Colorado Careers in Public Health, visit the Colorado Public Health Career Pathway.
It is highly recommended that General Studies and Support Courses be completed prior to enrolling in Public Health courses. The Public Health Major requires the following required courses. In addition to the courses listed below, many courses will require prerequisite courses prior to registration.
Required Core Courses: 45 Credits
Required Elective Courses: 3 Credits
Required Support Courses: 6 Credits
Total for Major: 54 Credits
*NOTE: This course should be taken when at least 80% of the major coursework in completed
Core Options Course: In addition to the courses above, pick one of the provided required course options:
The undergraduate minor in Public Health will provide students with a basic understanding of the Public Health field by exploring social, cultural, and biological dimensions of health.
The Public Health Minor requires the following courses and electives. In addition to the courses listed below, many courses will require prerequisite courses prior to registration.
Required Core Courses: 15 Credits
Required Elective Courses: 3 Credits
Total for Minor: 18 Credits
Public Health Foundation (Credits: 6)
Study in Health Science
Pick ONE of the following course options (Credits: 3)
Public Health Foci
Pick ONE of the following course options (Credits: 3)
Academic Accreditation is an assurance of the quality of an academic program. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation that was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, including Colorado and 18 other states. The mission of the HLC is to serve the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher learning. For more information, please visit the Higher Learning Commission.
As a new program, launching Fall 2021, the Public Health program will be seeking accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). For more information about this accreditation process, please visit: https://ceph.org/
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The Department of Health Professions is located:
Auraria Campus, West Classroom #239
Mailing Address
Department of Health Professions
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Campus Box 33, PO Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362
