Public Health Minor
A public health minor strengthens any major by providing a foundation in prevention, health equity, and population-level problem solving, adding valuable insights and skills to your chosen field.
If you have a GMercyU major other than Public Health, you can earn a minor in Public Health by completing 18 credits of public health coursework with a minimum grade of C in each course.
Curriculum
PUB 100 Introduction to Public Health
PUB 200 Health Behavior and Health Education
PUB 310 Introduction to Epidemiology
PUB Elective
PUB Elective
PUB Elective
Compatible Majors
Here's how GMercyU's Public Health minor can benefit your major.
Biology Majors: Prepares students to understand health from both scientific and population perspectives. Biology focuses on the micro level of cellular processes, disease mechanisms, and human physiology. Public Health examines macro factors that influence health across communities and populations. Together, they provide insight into how environmental conditions, prevention strategies, and health behaviors affect disease outcomes.
Business Majors: Complements a business major by helping students understand how health and well-being affect workplaces, consumers, and organizational success. It provides insight into employee wellness, mental health, and workplace safety. These factors influence productivity, retention, and organizational culture. Public health coursework also strengthens data analytics skills, including interpreting population data, identifying trends, and using evidence to guide strategic decisions.
Criminal Justice: Prepares students to understand safety and justice from both individual and community perspectives. Criminal Justice examines patterns of criminal behavior, the philosophy of punishment, and the American legal system, using criminological theory, forensic science, and crime scene investigation to analyze crime. Public Health adds a macro perspective by addressing violence prevention, substance use, mental health, and community conditions that influence safety and well-being.
Education Majors: Strengthens an education major by preparing future teachers to support the whole child, not just academic learning. It helps teachers understand student mental health, social factors that affect learning, and the conditions that influence success in the classroom. This knowledge helps educators create safe, inclusive environments where all students can thrive.
Exercise Science Majors: Prepares students to improve health at both the individual and community levels. Exercise Science focuses on fitness, performance, and rehabilitation, while Public Health adds knowledge about prevention and the social factors that influence wellness. Together, they prepare graduates to promote active lifestyles, prevent chronic disease, and improve community health through wellness and health promotion programs.
Nursing Majors: Prepares students to provide patient care while understanding population health and the broader factors that influence wellness. It strengthens skills in prevention, health education, and community health, while building the ability to interpret health data and identify trends to improve care. Together, these skills equip nurses to promote wellness, prevent disease, and support healthier communities in clinical and community settings.
Occupational Therapy Majors: Prepares students to support individual functioning while understanding population health and the broader factors that influence well-being. Students learn how environment, access, and social conditions affect participation in daily life and independence. Public health knowledge strengthens skills in prevention, community-based care, and health promotion.
Psychology Majors: Prepares students to understand mental health within the context of population health and community well-being. Students learn how social and behavioral factors affect mental and emotional health and apply public health approaches in research, counseling, and advocacy to support well-being. The minor broadens understanding of prevention and population health, strengthening future professional practice.
Radiation Therapy Majors: Prepares students to support all aspects of radiation care while understanding population health and the factors that influence patient outcomes. Students learn how prevention, early detection, and access to care affect cancer risk, treatment, and recovery. Public health training strengthens skills in patient education, safety practices, and interpreting health data to improve quality of care.
Respiratory Therapy Majors: Prepares students to provide respiratory care while understanding population health and the factors that influence lung health and disease. Students learn how air quality, environmental exposures, smoking, and access to care affect respiratory outcomes. Public Health training strengthens skills in prevention, patient education, and interpreting health data to improve care.
Sports Management Majors: Public Health minor adds expertise in injury prevention, wellness promotion, and understanding the health factors that influence participation and performance. It also builds data analysis skills, including evaluating participation trends, injury patterns, and wellness outcomes to inform decisions.
Social Work Majors: Prepares students to address needs at both the individual and community levels. Social work focuses on micro practice supporting individuals, families, and small groups while public health emphasizes macro approaches that address population health and the social conditions affecting well-being. This combined perspective equips student to advocate for individuals while advancing prevention, equity, and healthier communities.