As the COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us, health problems can be incredibly complex. Effective, efficient, and equitable solutions require not only individual patient treatment but also changes in global, national and local policy, innovations in our health care systems, outreach and health promotion programs from local health departments and community organizations, and campaigns to inform, motivate, and mobilize whole populations to shift their behavior.<br><br>As a public health major, students take courses to develop skills and understanding across the five core public health competency areas (Behavioral Social Sciences, Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, and Health Policy and Management) to tackle questions as broad as:<br><br>Why are cancer deaths so much higher in some communities than in others Is it that people there are more likely to develop cancer than others, or are they not diagnosed as early, or do they not have equal access to effective treatment, or all three What can a community do to make a real difference And what about a state, a hospital, a school, or a local employer<br>What barriers have made it challenging to improve access to mental health care in rural areas, and what strategies have worked best to address this What role can evolving technology play to improve access to care What works best in reducing the stigma around mental health care Does it make a difference when patients have providers who have shared some of their life experiences and know where they are coming from<br>The Public Health major prepares students to plan, implement, and evaluate public health programs for individuals, groups, and populations in a variety of settings that include worksites, hospitals, schools, and communities, and includes an internship to gain real-world public health experience whether at a worksite or in a clinical, community, or government public health setting.