Mission Statement for the Public Health Program (BS & MPH)
The mission of the Southern Connecticut State University Public Health Program is to offer appropriate instruction, research and service to advance the broad mission of public health, defined by Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH) as "enhancing health in human populations, through organized community effort," with a focus on preparing entry-level and advanced public health professionals with state-of-the-art generalist and specialized training required to address present and emerging public health challenges.
Program Goals
The goals of the Program are characterized as instructional, research and service goals. Each set of goals demonstrates how the Program intends to fulfill its mission.
1. Instructional Goals
The Program recognizes that the enhancement of health in human populations is dependent, in part, on a competent, public health workforce. Therefore:
a. M.P.H. graduates will serve as productive members of the public health workforce in advanced positions.
b. B.S. graduates will serve as productive members of the public health workforce in entry-level positions.
c. M.P.H. graduates with specialized study in health education will serve productively as health educators in advanced positions.
d. B.S. graduates with a concentration in health promotion will serve productively as entry-level health educators.
e. B.S. graduates with a concentration in environmental health will serve productively as entry-level local environmental health practitioners.
f. B.S./B.A. graduates in other majors with a minor in public health will exhibit knowledge that supports the mission and priorities of public health.
2. Research Goals
The Program recognizes its professional obligation to advance the mission of public health and the profession through scholarship. Therefore:
a. M.P.H. graduates will engage in independent research that is relevant to public health.
b. B.S. graduates will able to assess and utilize professional literature.
c. Program faculty will engage in scholarly activities that are relevant to public health.
3. Service Goals
The Program recognizes professional and community service as moral and pragmatic imperatives. It is accepted that there is a responsibility to provide the community with competent, ethical and appropriate services to improve the human condition, in accordance with "Healthy People 2010" and "Healthy Communities." Therefore:
a. M.P.H. graduates will perform health-related community service.
b. B.S. graduates will perform health-related community service.
c. The faculty will demonstrate civic and professional behavior that advances the mission and profession of public health.
d. The faculty will demonstrate civic and professional behavior that
contributes to the elimination of health inequities in local communities and the state.
e. The Program will offer professional-development services to improve the capacity of local and state public health and health-care professionals.
Program Objectives
The Program objectives are presented as instructional, research and service objectives. Each set of objectives is deduced from instructional, research and service goals.
1. Instructional Objectives
a. M.P.H. students will demonstrate the capacity (knowledge, affect and skill) to contribute in advanced positions to the essential services of public health.
b. B.S. students will demonstrate the capacity (knowledge, affect and skill) to contribute in entry-level positions to the essential services of public health.
c. M.P.H. students pursuing specialized study in health education will demonstrate the capacity (knowledge, affect and skill) to fulfill the responsibilities of a health educator at Levels II and III of the CHES certification standards.
d. B.S. students pursuing a concentration in health education will demonstrate the capacity (knowledge, affect and skill) to fulfill the responsibilities of a health educator at Level I of the CHES certification standards.
e. B.S. students pursuing a concentration in environmental health will demonstrate the capacity (knowledge, affect and skill) to fulfill the duties of an entry-level local environmental health practitioner.
f. B.S./B.A. students with a minor in public health will demonstrate a knowledge and affect that is favorable to displays of support for the mission and priorities of public health.
2. Research Objectives
a. M.P.H. students will conduct an independent thesis or special project that is relevant to the essential services of public health and/or responsibilities of a health educator.
b. B.S. students will write a annotated bibliography of the public health literature that reflects a fundamental understanding of research methodology.
c. Program faculty will conduct sponsored research and produce scholarly works that advance the mission of public health, and the science and art of public health practice.
3. Service Objectives
a. M.P.H. students will perform health-related internships at community-based agencies and organizations.
b. B.S students will perform health-related internships at community-based agencies and organizations.
c. Program faculty will provide volunteer and paid professional services to communities and/or professional organizations.
d. The Program will conduct a deliberate agenda of education and training to advance the health of minority, disadvantaged and underserved populations in local communities and the State.
e. The Program will conduct a deliberate agenda of education and training to promote the professional development of local and State public-health and health-care professionals.
