Two new concentrations have created new career pathways for students majoring in public health at St. Bonaventure University.

The health education specialist concentration is a 25-credit program that, upon graduation, allows graduates with a degree in public health to sit for the Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis credentialing exam to become a certified health education specialist (CHES).

The PH/CHES bachelor’s degree can be completed in three years or less with some summer and winter session coursework. Health education specialists develop research-based programs to teach people about conditions affecting well-being, the prevention of disease, and how to modify health behaviors to extend lifespans.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that health education specialist jobs will grow by 7% by 2032, faster than the average of all occupations. The median salary in 2022 for an HES with a bachelor’s degree was $60,000.

The 3+2 occupational therapy concentration in public health supplies the prerequisite courses necessary to enter St. Bonaventure’s master’s degree program in occupational therapy. Students will graduate in five years with a bachelor’s degree in public health and a master’s degree in OT.

Interested public health majors can complete both concentrations concurrently within a four-year timeline without the need to complete summer or winter coursework. Students who prefer not to accelerate their public health bachelor’s degree by taking summer or winter session courses can still take the OT concentration in public health, making it a 4+2 program.

The median salary in 2022 for an occupational therapist with a master’s degree was $93,180, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).