Health and nursing - Public health or global health

With preventable diseases on the rise globally, there's a growing demand for international public health professionals. Pursuing this bachelor's in international public health allows you to make a positive impact on the health of people around the world. This career field emphasizes the importance of preventive care and treating chronic conditions for patients globally. This program also prepares you to fight epidemics and pandemics, which is essential to international public health efforts. In this field, you can create effective public health practices within the principles of equity, ethics and sustainable development. You can also work to improve infrastructure to provide public health, preventative and clinical services to communities in need.

The knowledge and skills you’ll develop

This international public health degree provides the knowledge and skills needed for a career addressing systemic issues in global wellness and health care. In your coursework, you’ll cover topics ranging from health policy and advocacy to epidemiology and data analysis. Upon graduating, you’ll be equipped to evaluate, synthesize and communicate evidence-based public health information to diverse audiences throughout health care.

Additionally, you’ll gain valuable transferable skills that you can apply to many careers, including:

• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Cultural competency
• Leadership
• Problem-solving

Global coursework and learning abroad opportunities

In this program, you can participate in global intensive experiences, study abroad programs and internships abroad that focus on international and comparative health systems. There are over 250 study abroad experiences available, which can be as long as a semester or as short as one week. All programs offer the opportunity to earn course credit and some also include international internship placements.

Studying health services coordination provides you with a strong foundation to connect clients with the best care and guide them through the health care system. This program focuses on three key components:

• Community and public health resources
• Health policy and financing in modern care
• Patient advocacy and education

Health services coordinators are not health care providers; however, you’ll be an essential advocate for patients. Assisting clients through the health care system also allows nurses and medical teams to focus more fully on clinical care. This degree doesn’t lead to licensure but prepares you for a meaningful career as a health care advocate.

Supportive tasks include coordinating treatment plans, explaining options, scheduling appointments and sharing information. You’ll also identify and address potential issues in care delivery while working creatively and collaboratively with professionals to secure the best outcomes with limited resources.

How this program compares to our integrative health and community health programs

While ASU’s online bachelor’s programs in health care coordination, integrative health and community health all center on health care, they differ in how you’re prepared to support patients, families and communities.

• Health care coordination: Focuses on patient advocacy and care navigation to prepare you to help individuals access, understand and move through the health care system with confidence.
• Integrative health: Combines evidence-based health science with wellness practices, teaching you to support a person’s physical, mental and spiritual well-being for a more holistic approach.
• Community health: Improves public well-being on a broader scale and equips you to address health challenges at the community level and promote long-term health education and illness prevention.

You can also complete this bachelor’s degree as part of an Accelerated Master’s program, earning a master’s degree in as little as one year after graduation. This saves time and money while deepening your expertise. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Healthcare
• Innovation Master of Science in aging

In this program, you’ll learn how to implement community-wide and inclusive responses to health challenges. As a future community health leader, you can pave the way for better advocacy for patients and empower people of all backgrounds. Learning in this program emphasizes:

• Advocating for diverse individuals, families and communities.
• Providing health education, health promotion and care coordination.
• Navigating health-focused partnerships between organizations across sectors.
• Understanding components of a healthy, sustainable community.

Additionally, this bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master's degrees include:

• Master of Healthcare Innovation.
• Master of Science in aging.

The importance of community health workers

Extending beyond hospitals and offices, modern health care is a community matter. Community health workers fulfill various roles to improve access to health care resources and treatments. This can include increasing access to nutritious and fresh foods, providing vulnerable populations with preventative checkups and forging partnerships between public and private organizations to leverage resources.

With a background in community health, you can make an impact in your passion area. Your knowledge and skills can lead to opportunities in advocacy and connecting patients with health care providers and social services agencies. You can also pursue roles that assess community intervention effectiveness. Earning this community health degree will set a foundation to pursue a variety of career paths in the field.

Can this program lead to a career in community health nursing?

No, while this health-related program shares similar prerequisites with undergraduate nursing programs, it doesn’t prepare you for nursing licensure. If you’re interested in following a nursing path, a Bachelor of Science in nursing program is a better option for you. Upon completing this community health degree, you’ll be an excellent candidate for roles in health education, community health supervising and health administration.

Additionally, for those seeking professional certification, this program prepares you to sit for the CHES exam. This respected credential can give you a competitive edge when applying for roles in health fields as diverse as nutrition and kinesiology. As a CHES-certified health care professional, you can make an impact by educating individuals and communities on ways to improve health behavior and outcomes.

In this program, you’ll build a foundation in integrative health, a holistic approach to wellness that focuses on the mind, body and spirit. The curriculum dives into broad treatment perspectives from allopathic and complementary medicine to nontraditional methods and body-based therapies. You’ll learn how to engage patients as individuals, understanding that their unique backgrounds and needs require expanding beyond the one-size-fits-all approach to health care.

Throughout the program, you’ll be exposed to the patient-centered practices that define integrative health care. In addition to learning about physical health, you’ll explore mental fitness, social connection and spiritual well-being. You’ll also understand the ethics, legalities and standards of practice in integrative health. Graduates can demonstrate expertise in coordinating traditional and alternative approaches to treat patients holistically.

Focus your studies with one of two tracks

Coursework emphasizes research and evidence-based practices, as well as historical and cultural foundations of integrative health. You’ll take various science courses and learn about complementary approaches to wellness. To tailor your learning, you’ll also choose from two tracks:

• Nursing and general health
  • This track includes the prerequisites for ASU’s nursing program and is meant for students looking to pursue a path in nursing. It’s also an ideal choice if you have a general interest in the health care field.
• Pre-health professional graduate school
  • This track includes the core courses required for most graduate programs, such as allopathic medicine, naturopathic medicine, chiropractic care and physician assistant studies. Those interested in advanced health care studies are well-suited for this option.

Additionally, this bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Healthcare Innovation.
• Master of Science in aging.

How does this program compare to an alternative medicine degree?

This integrative health degree is distinct from an alternative medicine degree because it doesn’t qualify you to become a practitioner upon graduation. Rather, the curriculum provides an understanding of whole-body healing concepts and emphasizes integrating traditional and modern health approaches.

Additionally, while alternative medicine focuses on treating the mind, body and spirit to strengthen immune systems and prevent illnesses, this program explores how ancient healing practices can complement conventional medicine. By strategically combining these approaches, you’ll learn to support the body’s natural healing processes in holistic and informed ways. Pursuing this degree provides excellent preparation for advanced studies in naturopathic medicine, chiropractic health and osteopathic medicine.

This program drives creative problem-solving and original solutions for promoting the health of people. You’ll investigate the intersections of disciplines such as anthropology, epidemiology, evolutionary theory and more. You’ll also build competencies in critical thinking, research abilities, service learning and advocacy.

Earning a global health degree is an ideal option if you're interested in exploring health promotion with an emphasis on cultural influences, evolutionary factors and social issues. This program is intended to support your efforts in asking the right questions and imagining new answers that create meaningful change in the world. To enhance your learning, you’ll be encouraged to explore study abroad opportunities and gain hands-on experience in the field.

What you’ll learn in this program

The study of global health addresses many crises ranging from infectious diseases, chronic conditions and age-related illnesses to mental health concerns from war, violence and displacement. In this program, you’ll learn about each of the social, ecological and biological dimensions of health to develop solutions for these challenges. Courses include cross-cultural studies, statistics, human evolution, epidemiology and more. The main takeaway you’ll gain from this program is the knowledge to protect the well-being of families and communities around the world through various elements.

What’s the difference between a BA and BS in global health?

In both the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science global health programs, you’ll focus on key core competencies such as the global burden of disease and the social and environmental determinants of health. In this BA program, you’ll analyze the process of building community partnerships to tackle health challenges. Whereas, the BS program takes a much more quantitative approach to studying the global health issues at hand. The BA is also broader, allowing you to learn the foundations of global health and other disciplines.

Additionally, this bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. Applicable master's degrees with this opportunity include the Master of Science in global health.

This program combines the study of health education and promotion, health coaching and fitness science. You’ll gain the abilities needed to lead individuals and communities in improving their health. Key learning areas include nutrition, exercise, stress management, behavior change, social determinants of health and health promotion management.

Additionally, you’ll learn to communicate effectively, employ emotional intelligence and build relationships with clients to help them reach their health goals. You’ll also gain competencies in community advocacy, motivational interviewing, positive psychology coaching, scientific writing, social media literacy and more.

Tailor your coursework to match your career goals

This healthy lifestyles and fitness science concentration is customizable to support your professional goals. You’ll develop a foundation and then specialize your studies through a track that equips you to pursue nationally accredited certification. Available tracks include:

• Fitness science
  • This track prepares you to assess clients, as well as design and deliver individualized fitness plans that focus on improving cardiovascular health, strength, flexibility and lifestyle habits to help them maximize their health potential. Upon completion, you can pursue certification as a personal trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine.
• Health and wellness coaching
  • This track delves into the art and science of coaching for improved health and well-being. With one extra course, you will be eligible for the exam to become credentialed by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaches.
• Health education and health promotion
  • In this track, you’ll focus on assessing and advocating for individual and community health needs. You’ll also learn how to develop, lead and evaluate health promotion programs. You’ll graduate equipped to take the Certified Health Education Specialist exam through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.

Health sciences refers to a broad spectrum of disciplines related to improving health care delivery, medical outcomes and treatment for individuals, communities and systems.

Throughout this BAS in health sciences, you’ll engage with a cross-disciplinary curriculum designed to support your development of the knowledge and abilities required for career growth in health-related fields. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore topics related to your chosen occupation in greater depth. You can customize your degree based on your areas of interest, such as:

• Health sciences
• Behavioral and mental health
• Emergency medical services

How is a Bachelor of Applied Science degree different from a BA or BS degree?

Bachelor of Applied Science degrees are designed specifically for students who’ve earned an Associate of Applied Science.

• Students who’ve earned an AAS from a regionally accredited institution may transfer 60 credit hours toward their BAS.
• Students who’ve earned an AAS from a regionally accredited Arizona community college may be eligible to transfer up to 75 credits toward their BAS.

While an Associate of Applied Science in disciplines related to health and health technology can lead directly to a career in your chosen area, earning your bachelor’s degree will assist in your pursuit of management roles. Please connect with an academic advisor to ensure your courses meet degree requirements.

If you don’t have an AAS and aren’t planning to earn one, please look into ASU's online Bachelor of Science in health sciences.