The grant, awarded by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), is intended for “fostering collaborative partnerships that will innovatively enhance the education of undergraduate public health students.”
The CUW Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) program got a lift in May when the CUW School of Pharmacy (CUWSOP) was one of just six schools to receive the new ASPPH grant. The BSPH program, launched the fall of 2022, includes two concentrations: Community Health and Pre-Clinical. Currently, it is only offered on the CUW campus, with classes taught in person.
The plans proposed by the CUWSOP would create a three-pronged approach to helping and encouraging students to pursue a public health degree at CUW.
1. Expand online availability
- The first, explained Dr. Sandy Slater, Director, Bachelor of Science in Public Health Program at CUW, is to explore shifting some of the course work to an online/virtual approach. “This would enable us to reach more students who are unable to attend CUW in person, including students at Concordia University Ann Arbor,” she said.
2. Create a “three plus two” path
- The second pathway is to examine creating a “three plus two” option for public health. “This would give our public health majors a fast track option for completing a master’s in public health at our sister school in Irvine, California,” Slater said. “They’d be able to earn both a bachelor’s degree, from CUW, and a master’s degree, from Irvine, in just five years.”
3. Partner with MATC
- Finally, the grant will fund exploring a partnership with Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). “We’re working on a potential articulation agreement that would give those graduating with certain MATC associate degrees the opportunity to enroll and earn a bachelor’s degree at CUW,” Slater explained. “MATC has also some nutrition courses that we don’t offer, so it would fill in some gaps for us, as well.”
Besides being one of just six programs to receive the award, another reason to feel proud is that this is the grant’s inaugural year. “We were selected for the first cohort to receive this grant,” Slater said. “We’re excited to be selected alongside some very prominent schools, and look forward to make the most of this opportunity.”
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Develop the skills, compassion, and knowledge to successfully master the two key principles of public health, prevention and health equity. The Bachelor of Science in Public Health program will prepare you to work with interdisciplinary teams to improve health and well-being at a local, national or global level. Engage in real-world experiences to better understand the goals and challenges you will encounter in public health.