Public Health BS, Pre-Nursing Specialization

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The pre-nursing specialization allows future professionals to enter nursing school with a solid background in public health theory and practice. CWU does not offer a degree program in nursing, but offers prerequisite courses suited for admission to professional nursing programs available across Washington.

IMPORTANT: Students MUST take responsibility for understanding current requirements of their chosen nursing program before applying to it. It is recommended and expected that students considering nursing careers will contact advisors at nursing programs of interest and ensure their own readiness for admission. Students choosing the pre-nursing specialization should take CHEM 111 and CHEM 111LAB at their earliest opportunity; additionally, students choosing the pre-nursing specialization are advised to choose PSY 101 as a general education fulfillment, given that it is a prerequisite for PSY 313.

Program Learner Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

Assessing individual /community needs for health education.
Planning health education strategies, interventions, or programs.
Implementing health education strategies, interventions, or programs.
Conducting evaluation/ research related to health education.
Administering health education strategies, interventions, or programs.
Serving as a health education resource person.
Communicating /advocating for health and health education.

Public Health Core

The public health profession focuses on preventing disease, addressing inequities and developing policies and programs that help communities achieve optimal health and well-being. Our program aims to educate and empower the emerging generation of public health leaders. The Bachelor of Science in Public Health prepares students for graduate work or careers in the field and exposes them to evidence-based research and practice experiences.

Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the public health program a student must meet with and be signed in by a member of the public health faculty.

Graduation Requirements
Students seeking the Bachelor of Science in Public Health must earn a C average or higher in all core courses.

Program Requirements
Public health majors will complete 62 credits of core coursework and select a specialization in either Population Health (90 credits total) or Pre-Nursing (106 credits total). All majors are also required to complete a 5-credit capstone experience which includes one of the following applied tracks: research, internship, or academic service learning. All students will also complete a culminating experience course that fulfills the general education and program requirements. PUBH 488 (3 credits) will be taken in the final quarter of a student’s enrollment. Students may take their capstone and PUBH 488 cocurrently.

Special Requirements (other than departmental)
ENG 101 and ENG 102 must be completed prior to enrollment in PUBH 240.

Public Health Core Requirements

PSY 362 - Introductory Statistics Credits: (5)
PUBH 230 - Foundations of Public and Community Health Credits: (4)
PUBH 240 - Writing in the Health Sciences Credits: (4)
PUBH 250 - Introduction to Health Policy and Systems Credits: (4)
PUBH 311 - Cross Cultural Practices for Health and Medicine Credits: (4)
PUBH 317 - Global Health Issues and Solutions Credits: (4)
PUBH 320 - Environmental Health Credits: (4)
PUBH 324 - Infectious and Non-infectious Disease Credits: (4)
PUBH 375 - Theories of Health Behavior Credits: (4)
PUBH 380 - Epidemiology Credits: (4)
PUBH 422 - Community Health Communication and Promotion Credits: (4)
PUBH 445 - Professionalism in Public Health Credits: (2)
PUBH 460 - Public Health Ethics Credits: (3)
PUBH 470 - Public Health Programming Credits: (4)
PUBH 465 - Research Experience in Public Health Credits: (5) (Must be taken for 5 credits)
OR PUBH 489 - Academic Service Learning in Public Health Credits: (1-12) (Must be taken for 5 credits)
OR PUBH 490 - Cooperative Education Credits: (1-12) (Must be taken for 5 credits)
PUBH 488 - Culminating Experience in Public Health Credits: (3)

Total Core Credits: 62

Pre-Nursing Specialization

Specialization Required Courses

BIOL 220 - Introductory Cell Biology Credits: (5)
BIOL 322 - Introductory Microbiology Credits: (5)
BIOL 305 - Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health-Related Majors I Credits: (5)
OR BIOL 355 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I Credits: (5)
BIOL 306 - Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health-Related Majors II Credits: (5)
OR BIOL 356 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II Credits: (5)
CHEM 111 - Introduction to Chemistry Credits: (4)
CHEM 111LAB - Introductory Chemistry Laboratory Credits: (1)
CHEM 112 - Introduction to Organic Chemistry Credits: (4)
CHEM 112LAB - Introduction to Organic Chemistry Laboratory Credits: (1)
CHEM 113 - Introduction to Biochemistry Credits: (4)
CHEM 113LAB - Introduction to Biochemistry Laboratory Credits: (1)
PSY 101 - General Psychology Credits: (5)
PSY 313 - Developmental Psychology Credits: (4)

Total Required Specialization Credits: 44

Total Credits: 106

College and Department Information

Health Sciences Department
College of Education and Professional Studies

Program Codes
Major plan codes: PUHE, PUHEO, PUHEOP, PUHEP
Specialization plan code: PNPH