Welcome to Public Health at Lehman!
Upon completion of Lehman College Public Health programs, students will be trained in:
- the history of public health as a discipline and practice
- social justice and health equity as foundational public health principles
- determinants of health: environmental, socioeconomic, behavioral, and other factors
- concepts and application of public health ethics
- biological science (e.g., introductory anatomy and physiology)
- scientific underpinnings of chronic and infectious disease: e.g., etiology of disease, environmental effects and interactions)
- fundamental characteristics of the U.S. health system in comparison with other nations
- global health concepts (e.g., differing disease burdens, global health agencies, intersections with human rights, resource-specific challenges)
- public health statistical literacy (e.g., preparing descriptive statistics, reading and interpreting public health statistical data and evidence, using relevant software (e.g., Excel), mastering terminology to communicate and collaborate with other professionals on data)
- public health data collection and surveillance (e.g., common methods, challenges in real-world data collection, assessing data quality and limitations)
- planning, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based interventions (e.g., community needs assessment; program delivery; process, formative, and summative evaluation)
- critical thinking to define and address problems in public health practice (e.g., problem solving to address implementation challenges; applying basic public health frameworks, models, and theories; identifying misinformation)
- legislative and governmental processes relevant to public health policy and advocacy
- policy analysis (e.g., health in all policies, concepts of feasibility and impact)
Undergraduate and Certificate Offerings
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health is a competitive major that challenges students to think critically about public health issues and propose solutions using anti-racism and social justice frameworks. Students learn to analyze behavioral, social, and structural determinants of health. Students may choose either (1) the public health science or (2) environmental and global health concentration based on their career aspirations.
The Public Health minor is an opportunity for students of any major to integrate public health studies in their Bachelor’s degree. This interdisciplinary minor stresses the intersectionality of public health challenges and the need to develop skills across multiple disciplines to solve complex population health problems. The 15-credit program requires: HSD 269 Fundamentals of Biostatistics for Health Professionals; HSD 306 Epidemiology; and HEA 300 Equity in Public Health; and 6-8 credits in electives.* Electives include courses in American Studies, Data Analytics, Economics, English, Geography, Health Education and Promotion, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.
*Review the course bulletin for the full list of approved electives.
The Applied Research Methods Advanced Certificate in Public Health prepares students to examine population health challenges through rigorous quantitative and qualitative approaches. The certificate is designed to prepare health care professionals working in hospitals, community health centers, and other healthcare facilities in the Bronx and/or the metropolitan region to develop or upgrade their research skills and knowledge of public health. Courses include: PHE 600 Biostatistics in Public Health; PHE 606 Public Health Epidemiology; PHE 723 Advanced Methods in Epidemiology; PHE 710 Applications of Research Methods in Public Health; and PHE 700 History and Philosophy of Public Health.
The Lehman College – CUNY Graduate School of Public Health 4+1 Program is a partnership that allows current undergraduate public health majors and minors to apply to an MPH or MS program at SPH once they have completed 60 credits and, if accepted, pursue 3-18 credits of graduate-level courses that will dually apply to undergraduate requirements. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required. Current majors and minors should schedule an appointment with their faculty advisor to discuss their interest. Students are also encouraged to attend open houses at the CUNY SPH.
Graduates of our programs are equipped with skills and competencies to advance population health in the New York City region and to meet both national and global demands of current and emerging health trends. We are excited to embark on this journey with you!
For more information on any of our programs, please email the Director, Dr. Tailisha M. Gonzalez, at public.health@lehman.cuny.edu
New York State prides itself in the high quality of its licensed and certified professionals. For the protection of its citizens, each license and certificate has requirements that individuals must meet in order to be licensed or certified in New York State. CUNY’s academic programs leading to licensure or certification are carefully designed to meet and exceed these State requirements. This is a role CUNY plays in protecting the public. Other states frequently have their own requirements, so if your goal is to practice in another state, this disclosure will help you check to see what that state requires.
Per U.S. Federal Regulations, §668.14 and §668.43, and in compliance with the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) Manual, CUNY Lehman College provides the following disclosure related to the educational requirements for professional licensure and certification.
This Disclosure is strictly limited to the CUNY Lehman College determination of whether this academic program, that if successfully completed, would be sufficient to meet the educational licensure or certification requirements in a State for Teaching. CUNY Lehman College cannot provide verification of an individual’s ability to meet licensure or certification requirements unrelated to its educational programming. Such individual determinations are made by state licensing boards and are fact-specific determinations.
This disclosure does not provide any guarantee that any particular state licensure or certification entity will approve or deny your application. Furthermore, this disclosure does not account for changes in state law or regulation that may affect your application for licensure and occur after this disclosure has been made. Enrolled students and prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact their state’s licensure entity using the links provided to review all licensure and certification requirements imposed by their state(s) of choice.
CUNY Lehman College has determined this academic program curricula, if successfully completed, is sufficient to meet the licensure and certification requirements for an initial teaching certification license in the following states:
New York State: New York State Education Department Teacher Certification
CUNY Lehman College has made no determination that the curricula is insufficient to meet the licensure and certification requirements for initial teaching certification in any of the 50 states and territories. After making all reasonable efforts, CUNY Lehman College cannot determine whether its educational programs curricula for this academic program, if successfully completed, is sufficient to meet the licensure and certification requirements for certification in the following states:
List of states(pdf)
