The Bachelor of Science in Public Health is an interdisciplinary degree that prepares students to improve community health and wellness through education, advocacy and service.

Students will learn to promote healthy lifestyles and tackle pressing community health needs, such as chronic disease, substance use addiction, aging populations, mental illness, outbreaks and disaster preparedness.

What makes this program different? 

1. Attend classes online, hybrid or on-campus. You can complete the program 100% online or as a hybrid of online and on-campus classes. Full-time and part-time plans of study are available.
    
2. Interprofessionalism. By studying within the vibrant interprofessional, healthcare learning community of Radford University Carilion, you will be ready to serve as an active collaborating member of the health team.
    
3. High-impact experiential learning. You partner with a health organization in your community to complete two semesters of a culminating Capstone project or internship to apply knowledge and skills. 
    
4. Personalized instruction and advising. The program offers small class sizes that enhance student/faculty relationships. You will be assigned a faculty advisor to work with you to develop a career plan for a future in public health. 
    
5. Transfer friendly. The program is designed so students from other programs or schools can easily transfer in.  The 2+2 plan has 60 credits eligible for transfer from the community college.

The umbrella of public health covers many types of positions and has broad appeal.  It’s one of the fastest growing undergraduate degrees in the United States, with a 16-21% faster than average expected employment growth by 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Public health professionals are in high demand.

Many graduates find successful employment as Health Education Specialists in healthcare, government, community/non-profit organizations, schools, and corporate settings. Other graduates discover careers in epidemiology, environmental health, food safety, policy, and research.

Career opportunities to enter the public health workforce include:

• Chronic Disease Case Manager
• Community Outreach Coordinator
• Disaster Preparedness Coordinator
• Environmental Health Inspector
• Epidemiologist
• Health and Wellness Coach
• Health Education Specialist
• Population Health Manager
• Project Coordinator
• Research Coordinator, and
• Wellness Programmer

Students also pursue graduate programs in public health, health education, health promotion or other health-related fields.

This program is designed for new students directly from high school or for students transferring from another college or university. 

To be considered for admission:

1. Meet all admission requirements for Radford University Carilion. Incoming undergraduate students must have completed a core of selected high school or college courses, and recent high school graduates (within the past three years) should provide SAT or ACT scores (SAT Code 5099, ACT Code 4367). For additional general undergraduate requirements, please visit Undergraduate Admissions.)
2. Submit the online Radford University Carilion Application.
3. Submit official transcript(s) from all institutions – high school OR all higher education institution(s) to the admissions department.  A minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA is required for admission, with at least a minimum cumulative 2.8 GPA preferred.

Current community college students may be admitted for the “2+2” format.  Students begin the program at their community college with a two-year associate degree, and then transfer to Radford University Carilion to complete their remaining requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Students must take certain courses and electives at their community college to transfer into the program.

Radford University Carilion is authorized by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to offer postsecondary education in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Radford University Carilion is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award Associate, Baccalaureate, Masters and Doctorate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Radford University Carilion.