Ambition has a new timeline.
Bachelor of Applied Public Health (BAPH)
Lead the future of healthcare and impact your community.
Bachelor of Applied Public Health
The MaxImpact Bachelor of Applied Public Health at the University of Lynchburg is a high-performance, reduced-hour degree program designed for students who are academically driven and passionate about making an impact in their healthcare community.
In the Bachelor of Applied Public Health program, you won’t just learn how to treat illness, you’ll learn how to prevent it and improve the health of your community in a holistic way.
Picture yourself on the frontlines of healthcare — tracking the spread of infectious diseases, studying why certain neighborhoods have higher asthma rates, or creating a campaign that helps teens eat healthier, grow stronger, and live longer, more fulfilling lives.
You’ll explore all the factors that shape a healthy community; where people live and work, the food they can afford, the air they breathe, and even how laws and policies play a role. You’ll learn practical, real-world skills to build programs, analyze health problems, and work with organizations to help thousands of people live safer, healthier lives.
By taking the MaxImpact route, you’ll complete your degree in just three years — saving 25% on tuition and launching your career a full year ahead of traditional four-year graduates.
Why Pursue a MaxImpact Degree?
Built for the ready. Focused on the future
- Maximize Your Time: Finish your degree in three years and hit the workforce while others are still in the classroom
- Maximize Your Money: Save up to a full year of tuition and fees.
- Maximize Your Potential: Add one year of graduate study to earn two degrees in four years and skip the “entry-level” stage.
Public health is about improving lives at every level — physical, social, emotional, environmental, and communal. As a Lynchburg student, you will learn firsthand how community impact in healthcare works.
The MaxImpact Bachelor of Applied Public Health program includes:
- 96 total credit-hours
- 6 elective credits
- 6 semesters
- The full DELL general education curriculum
- Career-oriented, competency-focused coursework
- Early integration of graduate-level expectations
- A seamless pathway to Lynchburg’s Master of Public Health (MPH)
You’ll graduate ready to lead initiatives that improve population health — in healthcare systems, nonprofits, community agencies, schools, and beyond.
Qualified students may complete a bachelor’s and MPH in as little as four years.
Start Earning Sooner
Graduating one year earlier provides meaningful financial and professional momentum. By saving a year’s worth of tuition, room, and board combined with an early-career earnings advantage, Public Health graduates completing the MaxImpact pathway may save approximately $133,600.*
That additional year of income can often offset the cost of the entire degree.
Career Pathways
As a MaxImpact public health major, there are many postgraduate pathways available to you:
- Behavioral Health Specialist
- Community Health Educator
- Director of Health Promotion
- Education Program Manager
- Health Counselor
- Wellness Consultant
Some roles may require advanced study — which is why the 3+1 option of pursuing your Master of Public Health at the University of Lynchburg provides a powerful advantage.
*Salary projections are based on national averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other reputable sources. Actual salaries vary by region and role. Some positions may require graduate education.
Who should apply?
The MaxImpact Bachelor of Applied Public Health degree is ideal for students who are:
- In good academic standing, with a high school or transfer GPA of 3.0
- Goal-oriented and motivated
- Interested in early entry into the workforce or graduate school
- Comfortable in a structured, accelerated academic pathway
You will need to submit:
- A Statement of Intent (Essay): Applicants must submit a specific essay response to the following prompt: Discuss your motivation for choosing an accelerated, applied degree pathway. How are you prepared for a curriculum focused on practical competencies and career-oriented learning?
- A Recommendation Letter: Applicants must provide a letter of recommendation from a current or former teacher that describes why the student should be considered for admission into an accelerated, applied degree pathway.
As an applied public health student at Lynchburg, you'll:
- Study the factors that influence individual and community health
- Learn how to promote healthy behaviors and prevent disease
- Gain hands-on internship experience before graduation
- Customize coursework based on your professional goals
- Prepare to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam
”The coursework connects real health issues with real solutions“
- LACEY TEAL ’21, ’22 MPH
