Public Health, Master of Public Health (152)
Department website: https://www.wku.edu/publichealth/mph/mph.php
Program Coordinator
Xiuhua Ding, xiuhua.ding@wku.edu, (270) 745-3618
The Master of Public Health (MPH) is a professional practice degree that prepares students for a wide range of health professions. The 42 credit-hour program, accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), is offered on WKU’s campus and in a fully online format. Beyond the required core courses, MPH students work in partnership with their advisor to select electives and tailor a program that meets their professional and academic goals related to public health. The MPH program is competency-based and focuses on applied and integrative learning. Students are required to successfully complete and defend a capstone project, which could include a thesis, prior to graduation.
Joint Undergraduate Master's Program (JUMP)
This degree offers a Joint Undergraduate Master's Program (JUMP) which provides academically outstanding students the opportunity to complete both an undergraduate and graduate degree in an accelerated timeframe. Contact the graduate program coordinator for additional information.
Program Admission
In addition to the criteria set forth by Graduate Studies, applicants must meet one the following criteria to be fully admitted into the MPH program:
- cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 on 4.0 scale from a regionally-accredited US institution of higher education; OR
- cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 on 4.0 scale from a regionally-accredited US institution of higher education AND a minimum of three years of professional public health experience; OR
- current enrollment in a regionally-accredited US medical school or doctoral program; OR
- graduation from a regionally-accredited US medical school, master's, or doctoral program; OR
- completion of a WKU graduate certificate with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Applicants who do not meet any of these criteria may be admitted conditionally into the MPH program.
All Applicants must submit the following:
- Written personal statement
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae
- Contact information for at least two professional references
Graduate Studies Admission
Please refer to the admission section of this catalog for Graduate Studies admission requirements.
Program Requirements (42 hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core | ||
| PH 520 | Biostatistics for Public Health | 3 |
| or PH 620 | Advanced Biostatistics | |
| PH 575 | Program Planning in Public Health Practice | 3 |
| PH 578 | Health Inequities | 3 |
| PH 580 | Public Health Foundations and Practice | 3 |
| PH 581 | Applied Methods in Public Health Practice/Field Epidemiology | 3 |
| PH 582 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| PH 584 | Principles of Environmental Health | 3 |
| PH 548 | Community Organizing in Public Health | 3 |
| PH 587 | Health Behavior Theory | 3 |
| PH 591 | Health Program Evaluation | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Advisor approved electives including: | 12 | |
| Contemporary Business Analytics | ||
| Data Management | ||
| Predictive Analytics | ||
| Visualization and Decision Making | ||
| Advanced Organizational Behavior | ||
| Applied Micro Economic Theory | ||
| Advanced Marketing | ||
| Contemporary Human Resources Management | ||
| Supply Chain Management | ||
| Procurement Management | ||
Any 600-level course | ||
| Total Hours | 42 | |
Joint Undergraduate Master's Program (JUMP)
The Master of Public Health program offers a Joint Undergraduate Master's Program (JUMP) which provides academically outstanding students the opportunity to complete both an undergraduate and graduate degree in an accelerated timeframe. Contact the graduate program coordinator for additional information.
This JUMP program allows students to start working toward their MPH while completing their Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health, Health Sciences, or Environmental and Occupational Health Science. Undergraduate students admitted into JUMP may take graduate courses that count toward both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Up to 12 credit hours can be double counted toward both degrees, and up to 15 hours of graduate courses can be taken while a student is completing the undergraduate degree. The key benefit of the JUMP program is that it allows students to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in an accelerated timeframe.
To be considered for admission to the JUMP program to earn a BS and a MPH in
an accelerated timeframe, a student must meet the following requirements:
- Be an undergraduate student in the major of Public Health, Health Sciences, or Environmental and Occupational Health Science in the department of Public Health.
- A minimum of 60 credit hours earned and 15 or more credit hours remaining to complete the undergraduate degree.
- A minimum of 24 undergraduate hours earned at WKU.
- A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.25 for individuals earning their first baccalaureate degree.
- A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.00 for individuals earning their second baccalaureate degree.