School of Community Health Sciences

203 Lombardi
(775) 784-4041

The School of Community Health Sciences was approved by the Board of Regents in August 2004 and was built on the former Department of Health Ecology and its popular degree programs. The school includes CHS faculty, the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technology (CASAT) and the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory (NSPHL). At present there are three degrees offered: B.S. in Community Health Sciences with emphases in Kinesiology and Public Health, a Master of Public Health, and a PhD in Public Health. Programs for current MD students and MD residents provide the opportunity to obtain an MD/MPH. Both CHS and CASAT offer minor degrees.

The mission of the School of Community Health Sciences is to develop, disseminate, and apply knowledge from multiple disciplines for the promotion and protection of the health of diverse populations utilizing and ecological approach. The Bachelor of Science degree in community health science with emphasis in public health or kinesiology provide students a broad, integrated, interdisciplinary perspective on health and wellness. The curriculum was designed to be responsive to the challenges and changes of the 21st century. The curriculum stresses the importance of cross disciplinary training, the importance of a broad core of courses related to health promotion and disease/disability prevention, the importance of good communication skills, the importance of relevant work experience, the importance of undergraduate research, and the importance of intra-university cooperation.

Preparing students for future success is the department’s primary goal. Graduating with a community health sciences degree will prepare students to attend graduate or professional school in several fields, such as medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, recreation therapy, exercise physiology, public health and many others.

Students interested in applying for the UNR nursing program will be enrolled as Community Health Sciences majors in either public health or kinesiology while pursuing requirements for nursing school admittance. This pre-nursing option will fulfill CHS and nursing requirements and will include pre-nursing advising to ensure timely graduation.

Students who do not choose further schooling will have a wide range of career/job choices including rehabilitation services, AIDS education, exercise specialist, physical trainer, health policy analyst, health insurance advisor, corporate wellness advisor, and many more.

The Master of Public Health degree offers emphases in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Administration and Policy, Social and Behavioral Health and an online MPH in Public Health Practice. The goal of the Master of Public Health program is to prepare students to be effective public health professionals. Public health professionals work in a variety of organizations and agencies to contribute to the common aim of promoting and protecting health in human populations.

The PhD in Public health degree offers emphases in Epidemiology and Social and Behavioral Health. The PhD is designed to prepare students for careers in which advanced analytical and conceptual capabilities are required, such as university teaching, research, consulting, policy development or other high-level positions. The Ph.D. in Public Health emphasizes the expertise necessary for a research career in either epidemiology or social behavioral health.

Students interested in pursuing an MD/MPH can do so in two ways. Current MD students can spend their third year of study in an intensive MPH curriculum sequence. MD Residents can obtain their MPH degree while in their residency. 

The Community Health Sciences degree offers an integrated program of study and research in the multidimensional aspects of health promotion and disease/disability prevention. It is suited for students who are interested in working in a wide range of health or wellness settings. People interested in specific health careers, special health settings or in teaching credentials will need to take additional courses designed specifically for their field. Advisors from Health Sciences Advising will assist students in course selections.