Health Sciences, B.S. - Community Health Education Concentration

The Community Health Education concentration prepares students for a career promoting and protecting the health of our most underserved communities. With a career in community health, BS Health Sciences  students will learn how to provide health and disease prevention education through direct care and community outreach. Graduates from UB’s Community Health Education track go on to have rewarding careers providing patient care and influencing health policy.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program requirements, graduates will be competent in areas of responsibility that define the role of an entry-level community health specialist. The learning outcomes for the community health concentration, include:

1. Understand community health principles in disease prevention, disease control, and promotion of health.
2. Assess community health needs utilizing epidemiological and biostatistical data.
3. Plan, implement, and evaluate community health programs at local, state, and national levels with a focus to reduce health disparities and inequities. 
4. Examine socio-economic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities.
5. Identify the basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of health care and public policy.
6. Collaborate with community organizations to apply public health principles in a real-world setting.

Accelerated master’s degree: BS-MPH option

For students wanting to continue in a career path in public health, the Community Health track offers an accelerated master’s degree: BS-MPH option for eligible UB undergraduate Health Sciences students with a concentration in Community Health. Students will be able to complete both a BS degree in Health Sciences and a Master of Public Health  degree within five (5) years of their initial matriculation as undergraduate Health Sciences students. During the senior year of their undergraduate Health Sciences program, eligible students will be able to take up to 15 credits of graduate MPH core curriculum courses. These 15 credits will double-count as undergraduate electives and MPH graduate credits. To be eligible for this accelerated MPH program, students must maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA and have completed 75 credits of undergraduate coursework.