The Bachelor of Community Health (BCH) The NMSU Department of Health Science
The Department of Health Science offers a degree program leading to a Bachelor of Community Health (BCH). This program is one of only seven in the nation meeting the stringent accreditation requirements for SABPAC Approval. Approval is a designation awarded by the joint committee of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and the American Association for Health Education (AAHE). SABPAC Approval is recognized by the profession as a standard for entry-level health education preparation programs.
Effective communication skills and an enjoyment of working with people can lead you to a promising career as a community health educator. Hospitals, managed care organizations, state public health offices, senior citizens' centers, and corporations all hire graduates of the NMSU program.
As a health educator, you may develop and present programs on such topics as nutrition, HIV prevention, stress management, prenatal care, fitness education, sexual health, and substance abuse. Graduates are qualified to participate in the Certified Health Education Specialist examination given annually by the National Commission on Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
Program Goal
The overall goal of the Bachelor of Community Health program is to educate and train the enrolled students to become community health education specialists. Program Objectives
The objectives of the Bachelor of Community Health program are to:
- Prepare individuals for careers in community and public health programs and education in voluntary, private, and governmental agencies.
- Encourage and practice health education within the framework of legal, ethical, moral and professional standards.
- Prepare individuals for successful participation in the professional certification examination process.
- Provide leadership within the health education profession.
- Collaborate with other professionals, staff, communities, and consumers in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of health education programs.
- Conduct and incorporate research findings in health education into practice settings.
- Develop a commitment to intellectual inquiry, self-directed learning and professional growth.
- Promote undergraduate education as a basis for graduate study.
Program Approval
The Society for Public Health Education/Association for the Advancement of Health Education Baccalaureate Program Approval Committee (SABPAC) has granted full approval to the undergraduate community health program. This designation places the program within the top three percent of the nation's health education programs and assures prospective students that his program meets stringent professional standards for entry-level community health educators.
Field Experience
Hands-on application of course content strengthens your training as a health educator. After three years of study, students in the Bachelor of Community Health program become eligible to complete a semester-long field experience of 320 clock hours in a community-based health program. Available settings - all in the Southern New Mexico area - include public health offices, community health centers, clinical sites, nonprofit health agencies, and worksite health promotion programs. Students arrange for their own transportation to and from the field-experience site.
Professional Credentials
Students completing the program at New Mexico State University are eligible to apply for professional registration with the National Environmental Health Association by completing examination for the designation Registered Environmental Health Professional (REHP).
CHSS and University Resource Links
- College of Health & Social Services advising center - course and degree advising for pre-BCH and BCH majors
- College of Health & Social Services scholarship information
- Media & Resource Center (HSS 326) - available by appointment
- Comprehensive NMSU student resource listing - current students
- Comprehensive NMSU student resource listing - prospective students
- NMSU Graduate School
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Department of Health Science New Mexico State University P.O. Box 30001, MSC 3HLS Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003 Telephone: 575.646.4300 Facsimile: 575.646.4343 |