
The Public Health department seeks to educate students with a social determinants of health perspective; identify the economic and social context within which individuals make health choices; examine social forces (e.g. social class, gender, racism) that shape individuals’ destinies; and plan, implement, evaluate and advocate health programs and policies throughout the world.
The Public Health department at SUNY Old Westbury has offered a B.S. degree in Health and Society in since 1975, with a focus on social determinants of health. The major offering in the Department of Public Health is a 120-credit academic program that results in a B.S. degree. This program will prepare students for entry into a broad range of professions in public health at the local, state, and national levels. Students from this program go on to graduate school in public health and other health-related disciplines, enter professions such as those in hospitals and local non-profit health agencies, and many go on to obtain training in health professions such as nursing, physical and occupational therapy and physician assistant.
Undergraduate Offerings

Council on Education for Public Health
The B.S. in Health and Society is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, the independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Old Westbury's degree is one of just 20 standalone degrees in the nation to earn CEPH accreditation.