The Bachelor of Science in Public Health trains students to identify the distribution of diseases, illnesses, and injuries in diverse communities, then plan, implement and evaluate evidence-based programs to solve those health problems. This program will be 100% online beginning Fall 2025.
Graduates are prepared for careers in chronic disease prevention and in areas such as substance abuse prevention, nutrition/dietetics, social work, sexual and reproductive health promotion, and are employed in local/state/national public health agencies or local/state non-profits. We offer a specialized Nutrition pathway that prepares students for a Masters in Dietetics.
Completion of the Bachelor of Science in Public Health makes students eligible to sit for the Community Health Education Specialist Exam (CHES), a certification nationally recognized by employers as a gold standard in public health practice.
identify the behavioral/social determinants of diseases/illness/injuries occurring in diverse sets of communities.
create a public health program.
develop an evaluation plan for a public health program.
work effectively as public health professionals with other staff, programs and agencies through the implementation of a planned initiative with a community partner and focused on that agency’s area of expertise.
Career Outlook
Employment in public health fields is projected to increase 12 to 28 percent in the next 10 years.
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Othman Ladan ’19, a community health alum, returned to Ghana to educate Muslim women about breast cancer and co-founded an organization to help blind people.
Keely Fetterly '23 received real-world training through the Cornell Cooperative Extension's 21st Century After School Program. The capstone experience, a paid internship offered through CCE, allowed Fetterly to take on a leadership role by teaching mindfulness and health education to children at local elementary schools.
“I majored in public health because I want to help people from low-income communities learn about their wellness and be a support system for them. Every professor genuinely cares about their students and helps prepare them for careers in disease prevention, injury prevention, sex education and much more."
Grace Harwood '19Public Health major
No stranger to challenges, Theresa Adams ’24 draws from a deep well of lived experience to help remote First Nations people get the health care they need.
A standout hockey player in her youth, Olivia Cook ’24 went on to achieve great success as a Division I athlete and make a significant impact in both her Mohawk community of Akwesasne and in remote First Nation communities throughout Canada. Now, she’s a leader at SUNY Potsdam as head coach of the women’s hockey team where she mentors student-athletes, while simultaneously completing her degree in public health.
Ever since the inception of SUNY Potsdam’s public health program (formerly community health), internships have been strategically integrated into the curriculum. The culminating capstone experience has allowed students to take the skills they’ve learned in the classroom, apply them in a real-world setting, and then fluidly transition to full-time jobs immediately after receiving their degrees. This semester, nine students are in the field gaining real-world training at sites ranging from Canton-Potsdam Hospital to the Canadian Ministry of Health.
As a young hockey player, Travis Crickard ’11 dreamed of one day becoming a head coach in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Years later, after completing his undergraduate degree at SUNY Potsdam, a master’s degree at the University of Ottawa, and working for numerous hockey organizations around Canada, he has reached his goal. Last year, Crickard landed a job as the head coach for the Saint John Sea Dogs, one of 60 junior hockey programs in the CHL that regularly funnels athletes directly into the NHL.
After graduating with a degree in community health, Danielle Thompson ’15 immediately landed a job with the New York State Department of Health. She’s now an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and in 2022 she launched her own business, Bloom Breastfeeding, to support new mothers with their breastfeeding goals.
Relocating from Ghana to New York City when she was 10 years old, Jessica Semenyo ’22 found herself looking for a college experience away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. That’s when she discovered SUNY Potsdam. Over the past four years, she has embarked on many adventures through the Live Now program, while completing her degree in community health. After walking across the stage at commencement in May, Semenyo plans on attending graduate school to become a registered dietician.
Ever since graduating from SUNY Potsdam with a degree in community health, Missi Wooldridge ’08 has continued to make a positive impact on the world around her—focusing her career on drug policy reform and harm reduction. This fall, she will be giving back to her alma mater, and returning as an adjunct professor in the College’s fully online master’s degree program in community health.
Always encouraged by her mother to help those in need, Kristy Coyle ’22 has harnessed those values as she pursues a degree in community health at SUNY Potsdam. Her internships and faculty mentorship opportunities have reinforced her educational experiences—as she looks ahead to a career focused on assisting the less fortunate and educating the community about health disparities.
