Public Health

What is public health?

Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and communities. Public health professionals work to prevent disease, promote healthy behaviors, and build the systems and policies that keep communities safe and well. From controlling infectious disease outbreaks to addressing chronic illness, reducing health disparities, and preparing for emergencies, public health operates at every level - local, state, national, and global. If you care about improving lives at scale, public health is where that work happens.

Why public health at OSU?

OSU's Public Health program prepares students with the skills and hands-on experience employers are looking for. Grounded in the core domains of public health like epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health policy, and community health, the program builds practical, job-ready skills in data analysis, program planning, policy, and communication.

Every student completes an applied internship, gaining real-world experience in a professional setting before graduation. This hands-on training connects classroom learning to the workforce and gives students a competitive edge when entering the job market or applying to graduate and professional programs.

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Career Paths

Career options may include:

Health education specialist
Epidemiologist
Community health worker
Healthcare administrator
Governmental agency program manager
Health policy developer
Employee wellness coordinator

Occupational health and safety specialist
Emergency manager
Corporate wellness officer
Physical or occupational therapist
Athletic trainer
Chiropractor
Physician

400 HOURS OF INTERNSHIP

completed in your chosen focus area

Highlights

Community Health

Develop the knowledge and skills to understand the multi-faceted nature of health issues, build community engagement, empower afflicted populations and facilitate problem solving with research-based strategies. The program's broad health and wellness curriculum prepares graduates to develop and implement preventative health services in community, corporate or clinical settings as well as pursue professional education in public health, healthcare administration, counseling and psychology and medical and allied health fields. Curriculum also provides preparation for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) professional exam.

Exercise and Health

Incorporate comprehensive health knowledge into total wellness plans that help others enact healthy living choices. Graduates are well-prepared with the science-based insight and skills needed to enter careers as corporate wellness officers, trainers, lifestyle coaches or public health professionals or to pursue further professional study in chiropractic, allopathic or osteopathic medicine, athletic training, physical and occupational therapy or other allied health fields. Curriculum also provides preparation for professional certification exams to become Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES), exercise physiologists and group exercise instructors.

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Student Perspective

“I chose public health because I believe that health is a human right. I want to be able to help people by preventing problems before they start. But, I also wanted to help people achieve their health goals by thinking beyond the individual and thinking about the community as a whole.”

- Kaitlyn Potter
Community health student

College of Education and Human Sciences

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