Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Medical Sciences

A successful track to medical school and the public health industry

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Medical Sciences (PHMS) is an interdisciplinary degree that prepares undergraduate students for medical school, physician assistant programs, and leading careers in public health. Graduates of the PHMS program develop a strong science foundation while learning how social, environmental, and policy factors impact health outcomes – giving Salva SNHP students a competitive edge in building their health care futures.

Career and Graduate School Preparation

The PHMS degree is ideal for students planning to pursue:

Medical school (MD or DO)
Physician assistant (PA) programs
Public health graduate degrees (MPH)
Health-related careers in clinical, community, or policy settings

Graduates are also eligible to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam, a recognized credential in public health.

Build a Future in Medicine and Public Health

The PHMS program prepares you to become a health care professional who not only treats individuals, but also improves the health of communities. Whether your goal is medical school or a career in public health, this degree provides the knowledge and credentials to move forward with confidence.

Program Objectives

Our graduates will have a foundational understanding of public health practice, which will help them create programming and support policies in their medical practice that align with public health efforts. A comprehensive list of our student outcomes for the PHMS is below.

Our graduates will:
Identify and access reputable public health databases, journals, and official websites	Describe major behavior theories and models (e.g., Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, Social Cognitive Theory) and their core components.
Assess the reliability of public health information from different sources, including databases, journals, and official websites	Explain how specific theories or models can be applied to real-world health problems or used to design behavior-change interventions
Interpret and apply public health information to answer specific health-related questions or inform decision-making	Describe ways medical and public health professionals collaborate to plan and deliver wellness programs.
Clearly present public health information in an organized and understandable way tailored to a specific audience	Review relevant research, establish appropriate goals, and evaluate the effectiveness of a wellness program based on measurable results
Use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication techniques (e.g., voice, pacing, visuals) to effectively convey public health messages	Analyze how social determinants of health (e.g., income, education, environment, discrimination) contribute to differences in global health outcomes across populations
Create written public health materials (e.g., summaries, briefs, reports) that are clear, accurate, and tailored to a specific audience.	Evaluate patterns of wellness and disease by examining population health data and identifying factors that contribute to health disparities
Use appropriate writing techniques including organization, tone, formatting, and evidence integration to effectively communicate public health information	Evaluate and recommend evidence-based strategies to address specific global health
Create public health communication products (e.g., infographics, short videos, social media posts, podcasts) that effectively translate complex information for a non-specialist audience	Evaluate real world health disparities and justify interventions aimed at promoting global health justice
Apply appropriate design, messaging, and media techniques to ensure their communication product is accurate, accessible, and audience appropriate	Understand how cells are internally organized and function within populations or organisms.
Compile and compare public health information from various sources (e.g., datasets, reports, peer-reviewed articles) to identify patterns or key theme	Discuss biological attributes of current problems across local to global scales, including but not limited to the integrated challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and health/disease
Produce a synthesized conclusion or summary that accurately reflects the combined evidence and addresses a specific public health question or issue

Departments

BS in Public Health and Medical Sciences