B.S. in Public Health
No matter what career path you choose to pursue, a degree in public health will equip you with a solid foundation to answer your calling to serve individuals, families, communities, and populations.
Is This Program for Me?
Public health is a great fit for students who are looking for a foundation in community and population health on which they can build their careers. The program will enhance one’s natural critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills, helping reveal the answers to unknown questions relating to health and well-being. By studying public health, students will be challenged to look beyond the symptoms that bring individuals into a clinic and, instead, identify and improve health from the source—where people live, work, eat, sleep, learn and play.
One Degree, Many Paths
It truly is a remarkable time to earn a degree in public health. Phrases like social distancing and community spread are now commonplace in conversation, and the world has experienced first-hand the impact of prevention-focused measures.
Public health is a field that intersects with a broad spectrum of professions. Only 10% of a person’s overall health is affected by direct medical services, like doctor visits and treatments. The remaining 90% is shaped by social and environmental factors, individual behavior and genetics. No matter what career path you choose to pursue, a degree in public health will equip you with a solid foundation to answer your calling to serve individuals, families, communities, and populations.
We live in an age when knowledge and technology are changing at a rapid pace, and because of this, public health professionals require a broad education that emphasizes problem solving, critical thinking, interdisciplinary teamwork and strong communication skills. Samford's cutting-edge curriculum and diverse faculty prepare graduates for a career in service to humanity.
Our public health degree will provide you the opportunities to:
- Explore both quantitative and qualitative aspects of public health at all levels of analysis
- Study issues and concerns that impact the health and well-being of populations and communities, like cardiovascular disease, suicide, obesity, environmental health and more
- Confront complex health issues from a prevention- and population-based approach
- Understand how culture impacts health, through topics like behavior, health communication, program management and cultural competence.
“Current events have emphasized the importance of public health and have made familiar the names of our public health leaders. As we move forward, it will be fascinating to study the world’s response, analyzing what we did well and how we can improve for the future.”
—Taylor Tucker, public health graduate
What Makes Us Different?
A Personalized Degree
We often say public health is one degree with many paths for the careers in public health are diverse and dynamic. Samford allows students to personalize their degree—through elective courses, scholarly projects and internship experiences—to expose them to a range of professions within the industry and to align their education with their future career goals.
Interprofessional Approach
Samford’s public health major utilizes the expertise of many disciplines within the School of Public Health, including healthcare administration and health information management. This collaborative nature provides a diversity of discussion, faculty expertise and resources.
In addition, the School of Public Health is one of four schools that comprise Samford’s College of Health Sciences, and through interprofessional education, students are empowered to learn alongside their peers in a variety of programs. This commitment reflects today's team-based approach to patient care and ensures that students learn about, from and with the individuals who will one day be their colleagues.
Faith and Health
Distinct in its Christian mission, Samford encourages public health majors to consider the needs of the whole person, including mind, body and spirit. Faith plays an important role in public health, and students are able to study this interaction and the outcomes it displays in the lives of communities and individuals. At Samford, we believe that those who study public health are answering a calling to serve others, and faculty seek to not only mentor students professionally but personally and spiritually, as well.
Fast-track Options
By declaring public health as a major, students become eligible to apply for a fast-track program offered by Samford University, enabling them to complete their bachelor's degree and a Master of Public Health in just five years of study.
Career Preparation
Market Ready
At Samford, students graduate with more than a degree. They also gain a unique skillset that prepares them for their future careers. Samford considers what skills employers seek when hiring new professionals and develops curriculum to meet and exceed those expectations.
For example, public health students will graduate with critical thinking skills, allowing them to consider evidence and make informed decisions; analytical skills to analyze and interpret data or read and critique policy; and geographical information system experience, wherein they can create maps to examine the density of a disease.
Whether they go on to advance their careers or to continue their education, graduates will be prepared to face the emerging challenges to human health — today and tomorrow.
Internships
- The 410 Bridge
- Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention
- Children’s Hope (community health/orphanage in Haiti)
- Cooking Well/Christian Service Mission
- Coosa Riverkeeper
- Jefferson County Department of Health
- Los Rayos de Esperanza (maternal and child health program in Nicaragua)
- New Mexico Donor Services
- Saving Our Black Youths
- Sickle Cell Foundation of Central Alabama
- Texas Hospital Association
- Uganda Village Project
- Women’s Health Specialists of Birmingham
Career Opportunities
Our public health major prepares graduates for the diverse career opportunities in the field of public health, including areas like:
- Government (local, state and federal health agencies)
- Hospitals and health systems
- Industry
- Nonprofit health organizations
- Private sector health organizations
- International or domestic missions
Graduate/Professional Schools
While graduates of this program are prepared to immediately enter the workforce, some choose to continue their education and earn a graduate or professional degree in such fields as medicine, veterinary medicine, physician assistant studies and physical therapy.
Plans of Study
The professional studies online bachelor of science in public health offers three options:
In this field, there is not just one set thing you can do. I became a public health major because you get to see all of it… Being able to apply what I’ve learned to everyday things is what makes me so glad I’m a public health major.—Olivia Hogue, public health major
