Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Adds New Bachelor's Program in Public Health

ALBANY, NY--(Marketwired - March 14, 2016) -  Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) announced today that it has received approval from the New York State Education Department to offer a Bachelor's Degree program in Public Health. Students will be eligible to enroll in the new program beginning in fall 2016.

The Bachelor of Public Health represents the evolution of the College's current B.S. program in Health and Human Sciences. Whereas that program placed an emphasis on the basic sciences, the Public Health program will expand the focus to integrate a greater variety of coursework in areas that include social science, applied science, epidemiology, statistics, and research.

"As a college focused on human health and health care, the addition of a Bachelor's program in Public Health is a logical extension of our academic offerings," said Wendy Parker, Ph.D., Director of the Public Health program at ACPHS. "By leveraging our collective strengths as an institution, we have created a true interdisciplinary program that will educate students to be scientifically grounded and socially engaged."

The B.S. in Public Health curriculum -- which is based on the accreditation standards published by the Council on Education for Public Health -- will require students to select one of two tracks: Community Health or Health Analytics. Each track will culminate with a capstone project (typically an internship or research project) in which students will focus on an aspect of public health that aligns with their career interests.

Students in the program will find that it offers particularly strong preparation for positions in Health Education and Promotion as well as those in Research and Program Coordination. Examples of such positions include Community Health Educator, Community Health Worker, Public Health Data Analyst, Biostatistical Data Technician, and Health Communications Specialist. The program will also prepare students well for graduate or advanced training in public health, health administration, data analytics, and health services research.

The career prospects for the program's graduates are strong, according to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS projects that employment of health educators and community health workers will grow 21% from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations. The BLS notes: "Growth will be driven by efforts to improve health outcomes and to reduce healthcare costs by teaching people about healthy habits and behaviors and utilization of available health care services."

The College has created a new department to house the B.S. in Public Health: the Department of Population Health Sciences. The department will also be home to the existing M.S. in Health Outcomes Research, a strategic coupling that links two programs with natural synergies. A search is currently underway to hire a chair for the department.

"The addition of the Public Health program and the formation of the Department of Population Health Sciences are part of a strategic realignment for the College," said Tarun B. Patel, Provost of ACPHS. "The new structure is going to help facilitate collaborations between the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the School of Arts and Sciences with faculty from both schools now having joint appointments in the new department. These inter-school and inter-disciplinary collaborations will further advance teaching and research at the College and ultimately enrich the academic experience of students across all of our programs."

About Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is a private, independent institution with a long tradition of academic and research excellence. The College is committed to educating the next generation of leaders in the health care professions and translating scientific discoveries into therapies that benefit humankind. In addition to its doctor of pharmacy program, ACPHS offers six bachelor's programs and five graduate programs in the health sciences. The College has campuses in Albany, New York and Colchester, Vermont. For more information, please visit www.acphs.edu.