The Health Science Program, now in the expanded Department of Health Science and Recreation, prepares leaders and practitioners who promote health and improve the environments in which we live, work, and play. The undergraduate curriculum in health science examines the multiple dimensions of health (physical, emotional, social, environmental, spiritual) and the scientific basis for understanding health at the population level (epidemiology and biostatistics). Founded in 1970, the Master of Public Health program (MPH) is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and offered in two formats: on campus (regular session) and distance (through International and Extended Studies). Our department is involved in many innovative community-base programs, including Salud Familiar en McKinley, the SJSU Peer Health Education Program, Project SHINE, Smokefree SJSU, and our annual Intercambio with artisans in Oaxaca, Mexico. Our special events throughout the year offer excellent networking and professional development opportunities.<br><br>All of our programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels incorporate student-centered curriculums with our commitment to community development, social justice orientations, interdisciplinary and intercultural/globalized approaches with its emphasis on rigor and innovation, high-impact experiential learning, and career-focused applied orientations. Developed by our recent strategic planning process, our new vision statement of the department is as follows - ''We aspire to be innovators and leaders in learning and teaching, scholarship, and professional practice by integrating public health and recreation to ignite social change and work towards a more vibrant, prosperous, and just world where the optimal health and wellbeing of individuals and communities are achieved and sustained.''