< College of Applied Life Studies

CURRICULUM IN COMMUNITY HEALTH

The Department of Community Health at the University of Illinois offers two programs at the undergraduate level which prepare students to participate in the changing world of health care and health behavior: Health Education and Health Planning and Administration. Both curricula are built on a foundation of general education courses which emphasizes communication skills and critical thinking. The Professional Core courses are designed to help students develop skills in planning, implementation, and evaluation in the context of health services and programs.

Students must complete an internship during their senior year in a setting related to the degree and their interests. Recent internship sites have included the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, hospitals, nursing homes, fitness centers, work site health education programs, and substance abuse prevention centers.

Current information can be found at www.als.uiuc.edu/chlth or you may e-mail the Community Health Department at chlth-help@als.uiuc.edu with any questions.

REQUIREMENTS Including general education

The Faculty Senate, the General Education Board, and the colleges and departments are working to implement enhanced general education requirements. Additional changes are expected to be implemented over the next several years. Thus, new students should confirm their general education requirements by consulting college and departmental offices, handbooks, or advisers. The Department of Community Health also requires that certain courses from the approved lists be taken as noted below. The prescribed courses prepare the student for upper division study and may be used to satisfy General Education requirements provided they are on the appropriate General Education List.

Hours     COMMUNICATION ARTS
6-7     RHET 105 or RHET 108 and an approved speech performance course; 
        or SPCOM 111 and 112 
3     Advanced Composition (CHLTH 204 fulfills requirement)
Hours     HUMANITIES and the ARTS
9     From approved campus list
Hours     QUANTITatIVE REASONING
3     Departmentally approved course in statistics
3     One course from approved campus list 

Hours     NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
9     From approved campus list
Hours     SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
3     At least one course in Behavioral Sciences from approved campus list 
6     From approved campus list
Hours     CULTURAL STUDIES1
3     At least one course from Western cultures list
3     At least one course from U.S. minority cultures or non-Western cultures list

1. Courses in cultural studies may be completed through other categories where appropriate.

Hours     PROFESSIONAL CORE REQUIREMENTS
3     CHLTH 100-Contemporary Health
3     CHLTH 101-Introduction to Public Health
0     CHLTH 111-Professional Seminar
4     CHLTH 204-Foundations of Health Behavior
3     CHLTH 210-Community Health Organizations
3     CHLTH 250-Health Care Systems
2     CHLTH 274-Introduction to Epidemiology
4     CHLTH 310-Public Health Practice
3     CHLTH 321-Health Data Analysis

AREAS OF CONCENTRATION

An area of concentration will be determined by the junior year. Areas of concentration are health education, and health planning and administration. Specific requirements for each option are described in the following sections.

Hours     HEALTH EDUCATION
3     FSHN 120-Contemporary Nutrition
2     CHLTH 143-Drug Use and Abuse
2     CHLTH 200-Mental Health
2     CHLTH 206-Human Sexuality
0     CHLTH 280-Orientation to Internship
8     CHLTH 285-Internship in Community Health
Hours     HEALTH PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION
0     CHLTH 280-Orientation to Internship
8     CHLTH 285-Internship in Community Health
3     CHLTH 355-Health Services Financing
3     CHLTH 357-Health Planning
3     CHLTH 358-Health Administration

CORRELATE AREAS

Each student completes a correlate area that is a planned program of courses taken primarily outside the department, designed to be supportive of the area of concentration.

Hours     HEALTH EDUCATION
18     Select minimum number of courses indicated from the departmentally 
       approved list in each of the following categories to total six courses: 
       communications, health care delivery, organization and leadership, 
       and community problems.
Hours     HEALTH PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION
18     Select minimum number of courses indicated from the departmentally approved list in each of the following categories to total six courses: administration and organization, planning, accounting and economics, and marketing and communications.

SUMMARY OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

HOURS     REQUIREMENTS
50     General education requirements and department required courses
25     Professional core
17     Area of concentration
18     Correlate 1 or 2
     Electives to total hours required for graduation
128     Total minimum required for graduation

Interdisciplinary MINOR IN GERONTOLOGY

A minimum of 18 hours in gerontology, distributed as follows, is required. At least six of the total of 18 hours must be taken from outside the student's own department. See academic adviser for further explanation of correlate requirements.

Hours     Courses
3-7     Choose one of the following options:
     3     BIOL 108-Biology of Human Aging
     4     CSB 234-Functional Human Anatomy and PHYSL 103-Human Physiology1
     7     PHYSL 103-Introduction to Human Physiology and KINES 359-Physical 
           Activity and Aging as a substitute for BIOL 108 2 
     3     HDFS/CHLTH/LEIST/PSYCH/REHAB 214-Introduction to Aging or equivalent
6     Two courses from:
     3     HDFS 304-Gerontology
     3     KINES 359-Physical Activity and Aging
     3     LEIST 231-Leisure and Aging
     3     SOC W 315-Social Work Services for the Aged
     3     SOC 348-Sociology of Aging

The total may be achieved through electives in gerontology which may include up to three hours of internship or independent study.

1. Only four of the nine hours for these two courses are credited to the minor.

2. Students electing this option will receive credit for both courses toward the total of 18 hours.

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