Public Health

The program described below applies to students graduating in 2015 or 2016; a new program has been approved and will appear in the next catalog revision.

Program director:  Dr. Beth Gotwals

Moravian College offers a cooperative program with East Stroudsburg University (ESU), leading to a bachelor of science with a major in public health.  Students earn their degree from Moravian College, completing half of their major here and half at the ESU-Bethlehem campus.  All elective, prerequisite, and Learning in Common courses are completed at Moravian College.

The Public Health program provides students with an innovative curriculum to pursue a variety of career paths in the health field, as well as providing the foundation needed for future graduate studies. The health field is the second largest employer in the United States.  Students receive innovative academic preparation, with an emphasis on public health practice, public administration and management theory and extensive applied experiences within professional settings. The Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Services Administration provides broad exposure to the health sciences, as well as the natural and social sciences.

Upon completion of the degree programs, students are prepared to assess community needs, and design, implement and manage health and medical programs that promote health and prevent disease. The curriculum provides students with the opportunity to network with practicing professionals.

East Stroudsburg offers a Public Health major with two concentrations.  The concentration in Community Health Education program prepares students for a rewarding service career that improves the health behavior and health outcomes of residents living in local communities, counties, as well as statewide.  The Community Health Education program also provides a solid foundation for those wishing to pursue graduate training in the public health sciences. The curriculum provides a solid foundation in assessing community needs, planning and implementing community-based health education and health promotion programs; program evaluation; and resource acquisition and development.  Moravian recommends that students complete courses in both tracks as part of their Moravian College degree program.

Students may begin ESU courses at any time after the freshman year.  Unlike most transfer courses, because of our special arrangement with ESU, all grades earned at ESU through this cooperative program are recorded on the Moravian transcript and count in the student’s quality point average.   Credits are transferred to Moravian at face value (3 ESU credits = .75 Moravian units).  The curriculum includes the following courses, taken at Moravian:  Biology 205; Economics 152 and 211; Education 140.2 (optional); Management 223 and 253; Mathematics 107 or Economics 156; Nursing/Interdisciplinary 216 or 322 (but not both); Philosophy 259 or Nursing 360 (but not both); Political Science 237. Biology 103 and 104 are prerequisites for the program, and must be taken before enrollment in Biology 205.  At ESU, students enroll in the following courses:  Health 210, 230, 260, 270, 280, 370, 380, 355 (community health concentration), 409, 440, and 460.  An internship is strongly recommended for students who maintain an overall quality point average of 2.70 or higher.  The internship may be taken pre-baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate.