About Our Public Health Programs

Are you interested in exploring a career in health or improving the health of your community? 

Our Public Health programs are designed for students who are interested in entering the health field and supporting the health of their communities. Pursuing one of our degrees will provide you with a framework to understand the complex causes of health and illness in communities and give you tools to help make change as well as transfer to the CSU system for further study in health education, public health, and related academic fields.

The Peer Health Educator Certificate includes health topics that most impact young people today, including personal wellness; harm reduction and drug use; and sexual and reproductive health. The certificate also provides skills in leadership development, facilitation, and conflict resolution. The certificate is based on public health principles from an equity perspective to support students in working within their own diverse communities. 

Explore Potential Careers

Pursuing a degree in the field of public health can lead to a variety of different jobs or career paths. Below are just some of the many options you will have:

  • Health Educator
  • Community Health Educator
  • Education Program Manager
  • Community Outreach Coordinator
  • Program Resource Coordinator
  • Community Organizer
  • Health Education Programmer
  • District Wellness Coordinator
  • School Health Educator
  • Youth Program Specialist
  • Health and Wellness Coordinator
  • Patient Education Coordinator
    Peer Health Educator

Students may also pursue advanced studies in areas such as Health and Social Behavior; Environmental Health;  Epidemiology; Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health; Health Policy and Infectious Disease Prevention.

Program Options 

Click on the degree or certificate you're interested in earning to see a sample map of courses to take to complete your goal from start to finish. 

Please note that the course maps provided are just an example to help you get started. Please meet with a counselor to personalize the plan to you and your Academic goals. 

View Requirements in College Catalog

Semester 1 

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
HLTH 25 or HLTH 27 or HLTH 53 Women's Health, Men's Health, or Personal and Community Health 3  
HLTH 54 Introduction to Public Health 3  
ENGL 1A + 1AS University-Parallel Reading and Composition + Support 4-6  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  

Total Units: 13-15

Semester 2

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
MATH 80 + 80S or ECON 5 or LALS 5 or PSYC 5 Statistics 5-8  
Additional Major Requirement (See Counselor) 3  
GE Area D Social and Behavioral Sciences Requirement 3  
GE Area G2 Physical Skills Requirement 1-3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  

Total Units: 15-20

Semester 3

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
BIO 9 or BIO 11 Human Biology or Science of Living Organisms 4  
GE Area E Humanities Requirement 3  
GE Area F United States History and Government Requirement 3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  

Total Units: 16

Semester 4

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
Additional Major Requirement (See Counselor) 3  
GE Area H Ethnic Studies, Women's and Gender Studies and LGBTQ Studies 3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  
Degree Applicable Elective   1-3  

Total Units: 16-18

View Requirements in College Catalog

Semester 1 

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
HLTH 54 Introduction to Public Health 3  
ENGL 1A + AS University-Parallel Reading and Composition + Support 4-6  
Additional CSU GE Area C1 or C2 (See Counselor) 3-5   
BIO 9 or BIO 11 Human Biology or Science of Living Organisms 4  
POLS 1 U.S. Government 3  

Total Units: 17-21

Semester 2

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
HLTH 53 Personal and Community Health 3  
CHEM 40 Introduction to Chemical Principles 5  
MATH 80 + 80S Probability and Statistics + Support 5-7  
CSU GE Area A3 Critical Thinking 3-4  

Total Units: 16-19

Semester 3

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
BIO 108 General Human Anatomy 4  
CHEM 101A General Human Anatomy 6  
CSU GE Area A1 Oral Communication 3  
CSU GE Area C1 Arts 3  

Total Units: 16

Semester 4

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
Additional Major Requirement (See Counselor) 3  
BIO 111 or BIO 112 Human Physiology or Introduction to Human Physiology 4-5  
PSYC 1 General Psychology 3  
CSU GE Area C2 Humanities 3-5  
CSU Graduation Requirement Group 2 (See Counselor) 3  

Total Units: 16-19

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

  • Integrate public health and equity principles and perspectives to support the health of diverse communities
  • Assess and integrate professional skills necessary for entry-level employment in health-related fields
  • Develop and facilitate health education presentations that address relevant issues in diverse communities
     

View Requirements in the College Catalog

Required Courses and Recommended Sequence 

Semester 1 

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
HLTH 30 Drugs, Health, and Society 3  
HLTH 33 Introduction to Health and Wellness 2  
HLTH 65 Youth Development & Leadership 3  
HLTH 90B Harm Reduction and Health .5  

Total Units: 8.5 

Semester 2

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
HLTH 64 Health Education Training: Skills and Practice 3  
HLTH 116 Conflict Resolution Skills in Health 1  
HLTH 300 Work Experience in Health and Social Services 1  
WGST 55 Ending Sexual Violence: Peer Education3 3  

Total Units: 8 

 

Transfer Options

The program coursework you complete at City College will satisfy lower-division requirements for related majors at several colleges and universities. Start planning your transfer by exploring Health Education programs at the following institutions: 

  • San Francisco State University
  • San Jose State University
  • California State University, East Bay

Have questions about transfer? Visit the Transfer Center for help, transfer information, and/or to speak with college representatives.