In order to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health, a student must earn at least 120 credits comprised of General Education requirements, major courses, and general electives. All students in the Community Health major must complete all major requirements and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and a major GPA of 2.0 to graduate with the degree. All degree requirements and policies can be found in the Undergraduate Program Handbook (entered the major Spring 2021 or later), Undergraduate Program Handbook (entered the major Fall 2018-Fall 2020).

In order to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health, a student must earn at least 120 credits comprised of General Education requirements, major courses, and general electives.

Undergraduate Program Competencies

No matter which path you take within our program, upon graduation, you will have mastered each of the Department’s undergraduate competencies:

  • Discuss the history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts, and functions across the globe and in society.
  • Use basic public health concepts, methods, and tools for data collection and analysis.
  • Identify the major health-related needs and concerns of populations and formulate basic processes, approaches, and interventions as possible solutions.
  • Describe the underlying science of human health and disease including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the lifespan.
  • Examine the socio-economic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities.
  • Demonstrate the fundamental concepts and features of project implementation, including planning, assessment, and evaluation.
  • Compare and contrast the fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the health systems of the United States and other countries.
  • Characterize the basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of health care and public policy.
  • Illustrate the basic concepts of public health-specific writing and communication.
  • Assess and communicate individual and community-level needs for health promotion and disease prevention.
  • Create and apply strategies that effectively incorporate cultural competences with health promotion and community health initiatives.
  • Synthesize and apply principles and theories of community health that are needed for the development of effective and evidence based health promotion and disease prevention strategies. 
  • Promote and advocate for effective community health initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels.
  • Collaborate with community organizations to apply public health principles in a real-world setting.
  • Demonstrate requisite competencies in professional etiquette and career readiness to allow for a successful transition into the workplace (adapted from NACE).
  • Critically analyze the impact racism has on population heath and reflect on what it means to be anti-racist.

University General Education Requirements

In addition to completing a major course of study, students are required to complete a set of General Education requirements intended to provide exposure to broad areas of historic and contemporary human thought and experience. The program that each student must follow is determined by his/her date of matriculation at the University of Maryland--College Park.

General Education: The following students are required to complete General Education requirements:

  • New freshmen who matriculated in Fall 2012 or later.
  • Transfer students (from private or non-Maryland public institutions of higher education) who matriculated to the University of Maryland--College Park in Fall 2012 or later.
  • All transfer students who matriculated to the University of Maryland--College Park starting in Fall 2016 regardless of the date of their matriculation to another Maryland public institution.
  • Returning or transfer students who have had a separation from the University of Maryland--College Park of five or more continuous years.

To learn more about the General Education program, please visit http://www.gened.umd.edu/.

*If you are a University of Maryland student who falls under the CORE program, please contact an academic advisor for more information on requirements.

Community Health Major Requirements

All Community Health majors must take required coursework and may select from various health electives of their choosing. All Community Health major requirements must be completed with grades of "C-" or higher. A student’s Community Health major required coursework will depend on when he/she entered the major, as indicated in the links below:

Please click on when you entered the major to see the major requirements

Entered Fall 2018 and later| Entered Spring 2011-Spring 2018 |  Entered Before Spring 2011

Entered Fall 2018 and later: 

Public and Community Health Core (13 credits total)

  • SPHL 100: Foundations of Public Health (recommended in first semester in SPH)
  • HLTH 124: Intro to BCH (recommended first semester in BCH)
  • EPIB 301: Epidemiology for Public Health Practice
  • EPIB 315 (AR): Biostatistics for Public Health Practice
  • HLTH 306: Macro Level Influences on Community Health

Public and Community Health Foundational Science (8 credits)

  • BSCI 170 (NL): Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • BSCI 171: Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab
  • BSCI 201 (NL): Human Anatomy and Physiology I

Social and Behavioral Public Health (9 credits)

  • HLTH 200: Introduction to Research in Community Health
  • HLTH 230 (HS): Introduction to Health Behavior
  • HLTH 364: Social Media and Digital Tools

Community Public Health (9 credits)

  • HLTH 140: Personal and Community Health
  • HLTH 302: Methods of Community Health Assessment 
  • HLTH 391: Making a Difference: Applying Community Health 

Health Electives (12 credits)

Professional Preparation and Public Health Practice (18 credits)

  • HLTH 420 (OC): Effective Strategies for Public Health Practice
  • HLTH 490: Professional Preparation in Community Health 
  • HLTH 491: Community Health Internship 

Entered Spring 2011-Spring 2018:

Supportive Requirements (21 credits total): 

  • HLTH 130: Introduction to Public & Community Health
  • HLTH 140: Personal and Community Health
  • HLTH 230: Introduction to Health Behavior
  • BSCI 170/171 (formerly BSCI105): Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology/Lab
  • BSCI 201: Anatomy & Physiology I
  • BSCI 202: Anatomy & Physiology II

Health Electives (18 credits total): Health electives allow the student to tailor their educational experience and to be exposed to a variety of topic areas in the context of community health. Students may select any six (18 credits) health electives from a pre-determined list. 

Below is a list of courses that count as electives in the Community Health major.

Please remember: 

  • Not all courses are offered each semester, and some are only offered in summer and winter. 
  • Restrictions and prerequisites for all courses must be met, and may change over time. 
  • When permission to enroll is required for courses offered outside the BCH Department, you must contact the specific department offering the course for that permission. 
  • Honors courses listed below are restricted to students who have applied and then been accepted into the BCH Honors program.
  • If you find another UMCP course that you believe is clearly related to public/community health, please email a justification to your academic advisors (Mr. Wootten) who will consider adding it to the approved list of electives.  
  • Mr. Wootten will notify students of any additions to the list

Course Code

Course Name

HLTH106

Drug Use and Abuse

HLTH106H

Drug Use and Abuse: Honors Section

HLTH234

Global Health Messages: Understanding Exposure and Impact
HLTH246

The U.S. Tobacco Epidemic

HLTH285

Controlling Stress and Tension

HLTH285H

Controlling Stress and Tension: Honors Section

HLTH325

Poor in America: Health and Wellbeing

HLTH325H

Poor in America: Health and Wellbeing: Honors Section

HLTH352

Portrayal of Drug Use and Addiction on Screen: Does Hollywood Get it Right?

HLTH352H

Portrayal of Drug Use and Addiction on Screen: Does Hollywood Get it Right?: Honors Section

HLTH366

Behavioral and Community Issues in Public Health (Note: This course is primarily for Public Health Science students, but if a HLTH major is given permission to take, will count as a health elective—contact Public Health Science major advisor for permission)

HLTH371

Communicating Health and Safety

HLTH377

Human Sexuality

HLTH377H

Human Sexuality: Honors Section

HLTH410

Honors Seminar (Note: must be accepted into DBCH Honors Program to be eligible to take this course)
HLTH424

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health
HLTH 431

Health Literacy in Action
HLTH 432

Medical Terminology

HLTH434

Introduction to Public Health Informatics

HLTH460

Multicultural Population Health

HLTH460H

Multicultural Population Health Honors Section

HLTH471

Women’s Health

HLTH471H

Women’s Health: Honors Section

HLTH498I

India: East Meets West—Contrasting Public Health Priorities, Pragmatics, and Polemics in the US and India (study abroad, winter term)

HLTH289, HLTH386, HLTH389, HLTH489 (Independent Study)

Independent Study: By Permission Only. To learn more, go to our website: http://sph.umd.edu/department/bch/independent-study

PEER____

Any 3-credit Peer Education Program course (Note: must be accepted into UMD’s Peer Education Program to be eligible to take PEER courses)

FGSM320

Federal Fellows Seminar: Public Health Policy (Note: must be accepted into UMD’s Federal/Global Fellows Program to be eligible to take this course. Go to http://www.federalsemester.umd.edu/ for more information.)

FGSM398

Federal Fellows Internship (Note: must be accepted into UMD’s Federal/Global Fellows Program to be eligible to take this course. Go to http://www.federalsemester.umd.edu/ for more information.)

FGSM380

Global Fellows Seminar: Responses to Global Challenges: A Practitioners Perspective (Note: must be accepted into UMD’s Federal/Global Fellows Program to be eligible to take this course. Go to http://www.globalsemesterdc.umd.edu/ for more information.)

FGSM370

Global Fellows Seminar: Science Diplomacy—Foreign Policy and Science, Technology, and Innovation (Note: must be accepted into UMD’s Federal/Global Fellows Program to be eligible to take this course. Go to http://www.globalsemesterdc.umd.edu/ for more information.)

UNIV389K

Global Fellows Internship (Note: must be accepted into UMD’s Federal/Global Fellows Program to be eligible to take this course. Go to http://www.globalsemesterdc.umd.edu/ for more information.)

NFSC100

Elements of Nutrition

Non-Standard Courses BCH will Count as Health Electives: DBCH academic advisors email Community Health majors the list of updated non-standard courses that will count as health electives each semester prior to registration. 

Professional Preparation (30 credits total):

  • HLTH 200: Intro to Research in Public Health
  • HLTH 300: Biostatistics for Public Health Practice
  • HLTH 301: Epidemiology for Public Health Practice
  • HLTH 391: Principles of Community Health I
  • HLTH 420: Effective Strategies for Public Health Practice
  • HLTH 490: Principles of Community Health II
  • HLTH 491: Community Health Internship (12 credits)

This chart outlines the sequence of Community Health major required coursework as well as co and pre-requisite courses for students who entered the major between spring 2011-spring 2018. Students entering the major in fall 2018 or later must follow separate course requirements.  Note that the 6 required health electives for the major are not listed on the chart, as these can be taken at any point in time prior to the HLTH491 Community Health Internship.

Entered before Spring 2011

Contact an advisor.

Community Health Specialization Areas

The Department of Behavioral and Community Health is excited to offer our students the following three guided specialization areas in the Community Health major!

Special Populations:  Life circumstances and related bio/psycho/social conditions can warrant special attention in understanding health risks of populations.  People with characteristics or circumstances that have unique health implications may include the groups and subgroups in the following categories:   women, children, ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities, the LBGT community, older adults, and people living in poverty, as examples.  Specific health risks and approaches to addressing these risks are explored within this specialization area.

Health Communication:  Health communication is the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence decisions that enhance health. Health communication is fundamental in disease prevention, health promotion, health care policy, and the business of health care. Health communication uses a variety of approaches to deliver targeted messages to diverse audience segments ranging from at risk groups, to health professionals, to policy makers.  This specialization focuses on theory and practice in understanding health communication uses, and methods and materials that can be applied to health campaigns and social marketing efforts.

Health Risk Behavior: Risk behaviors are those associated with increased susceptibility to disease and/or injury.  Risk behaviors are many and varied and include cigarette smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, poor nutrition practices, unprotected sexual behavior, distracted driving, and violence, as examples.  Understanding health risks associated with specific patterns of behavior, why people engage in health risk behaviors, and methods of prevention are explored in this specialization. 

What does this mean for you?

  • You can take a cluster of courses in a specific area while earning health elective credit
  • You can strengthen your knowledge in a specific area of interest to you
  • You can cite your specialization area on your resume, cover letter and/or graduate/professional school application
  • You can start anytime and apply classes retroactively

How does this work?

  • You are required to take 12 credits in your specialization area
    • At least 9 credits must be taken in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health
    • 3 credits of approved courses can be taken outside of the Department of Behavioral and Community Health (advance approval is required by a Community Health Academic Advisor)
  • Your specialization will be recognized in a letter from the Department of Behavioral and Community Health. This letter will be provided after you have completed all requirements for the Community Health major.  The specialization will not be noted on your transcript. 
  • Grades of C- or higher are required in all coursework applied to your Specialization. 
  • Questions? Contact your Community Health advisors!  Mr. Matt Wootten: mwootten@umd.edu

What steps should I take to declare a specialization?

  • Review the Specialization table and guidelines in this document (also provided on the Department website).
  • If selecting a course outside of the approved list, email Matt Wootten with the syllabus and a brief justification for why you think the course fits in your Specialization.
    • The syllabus will be reviewed for applicability and you will be notified via email.
    • Outside courses must be submitted for approval prior to the HLTH491 internship semester.
  • Track your Specialization progress.
  • In the semester in which you are graduating, you will receive an email through the listserv requesting confirmation of completion.
    • Upon review and approval, a letter from the Department Chair will be emailed to you as recognition of your Specialization.
    • Keep this letter as documentation of your Specialization.  

Which courses can count toward my specialization area?

Approved courses must:

  • Have a minimum of 3 credits.
  • Clearly address your specialization area theme.
  • Directly address health content/promotion, or address one or more social determinants of health (e.g., physical environment, policy, societal/cultural forces, economics).

FAQs

1.Can Peer Education experiences count for more than one specialization area?

  • No. Peer Education experiences cannot be double counted and will be applied toward one Specialization only.
  • No more than 3 credits of Peer Education coursework can count toward a Specialization.

2.Can courses used as health electives outside of the Department of Behavioral and Community Health be used as one of the three required HLTH courses?

  • Because these courses do not have the “HLTH” course code, they fall in the “other” category and can be used once to ensure that students are getting Specialization information from an accredited and monitored entity. 

Click here for more info!