School of Public Health

203 Lombardi
(775) 784-4041

The School of Public Health 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 public health faculty, the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technology (CASAT) and the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory (NSPHL). At present there are four degrees offered: B.S. in Community Health Sciences with emphases in Kinesiology or Public Health, a Master of Public Health with four emphases, a Master of Science in Biostatistics, and a Ph.D. in Public Health with two emphases. Programs for current M.D. students and M.D. residents provide the opportunity to obtain an M.D./M.P.H. Both CHS and CASAT offer minor programs.

The mission of the School of Public Heath is to develop, disseminate, and apply knowledge from multiple disciplines for the promotion and protection of the health of diverse populations utilizing an 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 Epidemiology, Health Administration and Policy, Social and Behavioral Health and an online M.P.H. 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 Master of Science in Biostatistics prepares students for work in health analysis and statistics in many professional settings.

The Ph.D. in Public health degree offers emphases in Epidemiology or Social and Behavioral Health. The Ph.D. 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 M.D./M.P.H. can do so in two ways. Current M.D. students can spend their third year of study in an intensive M.P.H. curriculum sequence. M.D. Residents can obtain their M.P.H. 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 must take additional courses designed specifically for their field. Advisors from Health Sciences Advising will assist students in course selection.