New degree meets world’s healthcare needs

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 8/25/20

Just as the world grapples with a global pandemic and a new generation of students are drawn to healthcare, the Montana Board of Regents approved a new bachelor’s program in public health at the University of Montana. Offered through UM’s School of Public and Community Health Sciences, the degree has four concentrations: generalist public health, community health, population health and global public health. 40 students are already enrolled and the program’s undergraduate advisor believes the pandemic has increased interest in the healthcare industry as we watch how it translates into the real world in real-time. Viable careers in public health include epidemiologists, medical doctors, health educators and public health officials.

“The pandemic has definitely increased the visibility of this major, and I think that we’re going to see an influx of students into this program in the near future,” Stephanie Domitrovich, UM’s School of Public and Community Health Sciences undergraduate advising director said in an Aug. 24 press release. “It has also demonstrated a critical need for these professionals in the workforce, and I believe that this will be a strength of the degree. Students now have an idea of how this type of education can translate into careers in the field of health.”