The Department of Public Health Sciences’ vision is “Healthy communities partnered with responsive population health systems.”  The department’s mission is to advance health equity and well-being in an urbanizing world.  The Department of Public Health Sciences is a premier academic unit providing collaborative and integrated approaches to improving health and healthcare.  An interdisciplinary, research-focused faculty provides educational experiences for researchers and practitioners that are relevant to contemporary public health and health care administration.  The department supports an environment that enhances the preparation of competent leaders in community health behavior, healthcare administration and policy, and health services research at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels; for local, national, and international partnerships that enhance students’ knowledge of health care issues; and for its focus on vulnerable populations.

The Department of Public Health Sciences is committed to academic excellence.  The department received the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2012, and the Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree program has been recognized by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as a model program.  Our Public Health baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).  The Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).  The department is a member of the Association of Accredited Public Health Programs, Association of University Programs in Health Administration, and an affiliate member of AcademyHealth.  The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is an official testing site for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam.  

At the undergraduate level, the department offers the Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Bachelor of Science in Health Systems Management, and a Minor in Public Health.  Undergraduate interdisciplinary experiences provide students better flexibility in working across disciplines as well as within their own specialty as they grow their careers.  The department also provides opportunities for students to work closely with individual members of the faculty through either Independent Study or Undergraduate Research experiences.

At the graduate level, the department offers the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, the Master of Health Administration (MHA), and doctoral degrees (PhD) in Public Health Sciences and Health Services Research.  Additionally, the department collaborates in a Master of Science (MS) degree in Health Informatics and Analytics.  See the Graduate Catalog for details about the graduate programs.

Programs

• Health Systems Management, B.S.
• Public Health, B.S.P.H.

• Public Health, Minor

• Health Systems Management, Honors Program

• Health Administration, MHA, Early Entry
• Public Health, MPH, Early Entry