Public Health, Bachelor of Science (521P, 521)
Department website: http://www.wku.edu/publichealth
Program Coordinator
Grace K. Lartey, grace.lartey@wku.edu, (270) 745-3941
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Graduates are prepared to use their skills in a variety of government agencies, hospitals and other facilities of the health care system, community mental health agencies, employee health programs in business and industry, student health services on college campuses, and many non-profit health agencies and communities. Many students choose to pursue advanced degrees in public health, and this is strongly encouraged.
Program Requirements (70 hours)
A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.
Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.
The program in public health consists of a core of 30 credit hours of coursework, 28 credit hours of other required courses, and 12 hours of electives for a total of 70 hours in the major.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| PH 261 | Foundations of Public Health Education | 3 |
| PH 381 | Public and Community Health | 3 |
| PH 384 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 3 |
| PH 385 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| PH 410 | Global Perspectives on Population Health | 3 |
| PH 412 | Health Disparities and Health Equity | 3 |
| PH 484 | Community Organization for Health Education | 3 |
| PH 485 | Fundamentals of Public Health Planning | 3 |
| PH 488 | Public Health Senior Seminar | 3 |
| PH 490 | Internship | 3 |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Required Courses | ||
| BIOL 131 | Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| BIOL 207 & BIOL 208 | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 109 | Chemistry for the Health Sciences | 4 |
| MATH 109 | General Mathematics | 3 |
| or MATH 115 | Applied College Algebra | |
| or higher level math course | ||
| PH 100 | Personal & Public Health | 3 |
| PH 383 | Biostatistics in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| SFTY 171 | Safety and First Aid | 1 |
| COMM 145 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking and Communication | 3 |
| Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Lifespan Developmental Psychology | ||
| Introductory Sociology | ||
| Total Hours | 28 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Electives | ||
| Select 12 hours of the following courses: 1 | 12 | |
| Ecology | ||
| Quantitative Analysis | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Science | ||
| Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene | ||
| Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene Laboratory | ||
| Air Pollution Control | ||
| Air Pollution Control Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Water Resources | ||
| Principles of Environmental Toxicology | ||
| Water Treatment Processes | ||
| Water Treatment Processes Laboratory | ||
| Radiological Health | ||
| Environmental Management | ||
| Environmental Risk Assessment | ||
| Hazardous and Solid Waste Management | ||
| Food Safety | ||
| Global Hydrology | ||
| Medical Terminology | ||
| General Safety | ||
| Human Nutrition | ||
| Health Care Organization and Management | ||
| International Comparisons of Health Care Systems | ||
| Global Health Service-Learning Practicum | ||
| Introduction to Leadership Studies | ||
| Leadership Theory and Application | ||
| Leading Change | ||
| Leadership Ethics and Decision-Making | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Peer Health Education | ||
| Wellness and Fitness Assessment | ||
| Worksite Health Promotion | ||
| Health and Aging | ||
| Death, Dying and Bereavement | ||
| Human Values and the Health Sciences | ||
| Independent Study in Health and Safety | ||
| Women’s Health | ||
| Drug Abuse Education | ||
| Sexuality Education | ||
| Administration of Public Health Programs | ||
| Government and Ethics | ||
| Systems of Social Inequality | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| The Community in Rural and Urban Settings | ||
| Social Institutions: Race, Class, and Gender | ||
| Diversity in American Society | ||
| Sociology of Globalization | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Software | ||
| Foundations of Human Services | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
- 1
Six of these hours must be upper division.
Requirements for Admission to Public Health (reference number 521)
30 hours including the following courses with an overall GPA of 2.3 or better:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 131 | Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| CHEM 109 | Chemistry for the Health Sciences | 4 |
| COMM 145 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking and Communication | 3 |
| PH 100 | Personal & Public Health | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Lifespan Developmental Psychology | ||
| Introductory Sociology | ||
| Select 13 additional hours | 13 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Finish in Four Plan
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PH 100 | 3 | PSY 100, PSYS 100, PSY 220, PSYS 220, or SOCL 100 | 3 |
| PH 261 | 3 | COMM 145 | 3 |
| ENG 100 | 3 | MATH 109 or MATH 115 | 3 |
| BIOL 131 | 4 | CHEM 109 | 4 |
| Colonnade: Arts & Humanities | 3 | ENG 200 | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PH 381 | 3 | PH 383 | 3 |
| BIOL 207 & BIOL 208 | 4 | Connections - Local to Global | 3 |
| HIST 101 or HIST 102 | 3 | SFTY 171 | 1 |
| Connections - Social and Cultural | 3 | General Elective (CIS 141 suggested) | 3 |
| World Language or General Elective | 3 | PH Elective (See advisor) | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENG 300 | 3 | PH 384 | 3 |
| PH 410 | 3 | PH 484 | 3 |
| PH 385 | 3 | PH Elective (see advisor) | 3 |
| PH Elective (see advisor) | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PH 412 | 3 | PH 490 | 3 |
| PH 485 | 3 | PH 488 | 3 |
| PH Elective | 3 | PH Elective (see advisor) | 3 |
| Connections - Systems | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 2 | ||
| 14 | 12 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||