Public Health and Related Programs at Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University appears in our ranking of the 10 Most Affordable MPH Programs Not Requiring GRE.
Students interested in earning degrees in public health will find several offerings at this school in undergraduate degrees, minors and certificates, and in graduate programs.
Undergraduate offerings begin with the Bachelor of Science in Public Health. This is a face-to-face degree program that contains 120 credit hours. There are 58 hours in the core in courses such as Personal Health; Foundations of Health Education; Biostatistics; Epidemiology and an internship. There are 12 hours of electives, six of which must be in upper-level courses.
There is a Bachelor of Science, Interdisciplinary Studies which is offered online or on campus that allows students to design their own programs within 12 areas of emphasis. The Health emphasis is offered online and contains 120 credit-hours. Students may select courses including public health. Some of the courses available to build the degree program in the public health emphasis are Rural Health and Safety; Immunology; Pathogenic Microbiology and others. Students must include at least 36 hours in the area of emphasis.
The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences is a degree for students who want to work in some aspect of health. There are three concentrations: Health Services Leadership and Management; Health Sciences, Allied Health and Preparatory Health Sciences. The Health Services Leadership and Management concentration addresses health provision in home and community arenas. It is offered online. There is also a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Occupational Health that can also be earned as a minor.
Minors in health fields include Global Health Services; Healthcare Administration; Health Education; Occupational Health and Safety and Worksite Health Promotion among others.
There are undergraduate certificates in Environmental Health; Health Education and Promotion; Health Informatics; Long-Term care Administration; Occupational Safety and Health; Public Health and Worksite Health Promotion. These programs average 21 credit-hours.
The Master of Science in Public Health contains 42 credit-hours. It is offered on campus or online. There are 30 hours in required courses and 12 hours in electives. Additionally, there is a 100-hour graduate applied practice experience, an integrative learning experience, and presentation; CITI training; a course in how to recognize plagiarism and an exit survey. CITI training is a required program in ethics. Some of the required courses are Introduction to Public Health; Biostatistics; Health Disparities; Epidemiology and others.
Students may complete the JUMP program which allows them to earn a BS and an MS in five years.
The Master of Science in Environmental and Occupational health contains 36 credit-hours. Of these, 18 are in the core including Biostatistics for Public Health; Epidemiology: Practice and Theory; Principles of Environmental Health; Environmental Toxicology; Principles Occupational Safety and health and Environmental Management and Risk Assessment. Students take 12 or 15 hours of electives depending upon whether they choose a thesis track, an internship and capstone, or an applied practice and capstone. This program is also available online and can be completed as part of a JUMP accelerated program
The thesis option is a six-hour course that involves selection and defense of a proposal and the research, writing and oral presentation of the thesis.
About Western Kentucky University
This public research university at Bowling Green, Kentucky, was founded in 1906. It has a student population of just over 20,000. The school comprises five colleges and an honors school: The College of Educational and Behavioral Sciences; The College of Health and Human Services; the Gordon Ford College of Business; the Ogden College of Science and Engineering; the Potter College of Arts and Letters and the Mahurin Honors College. Through these schools, the university offers 80 majors and 70 minors, 15 associate degrees and 13 areas of graduate study.
One unique aspect of this school is the Master’s Degree in Folklore.
The US News and World Report ranks this university as 293rd through 381st of National Universities. The student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1.
Western Kentucky University Accreditation Details
- The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- The Council on Education for Public Health
Western Kansas University Application Requirements
Students applying to WKU do so online. Those applying as first-time freshmen arrange to have their high schools send their official transcripts and for the agency that administered the SAT or ACT test to submit those official results as well. There is a $45 non-refundable application fee.
Students applying as graduates apply directly to the Graduate School. They complete an online application which includes a personal statement essay and requires the submission of a resume and contact information from two professional recommending sources. Students applying to the Public Health degree also must take the GRE and submit that official result as well as transcripts from any undergraduate coursework. Additional documents may be required by individual programs.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The estimated tuition for a traditional resident undergraduate is $10,802 per year. Room and board are estimated at $8,432. There are also additional fees and personal expenses as well as books and supplies to consider. Part-time undergraduate students are charged $450 per credit hour.
Graduate students pay per credit hour as do distance learners. The average graduate program is $607 per credit hour plus fees and online programs are $707 per credit hour.
Students are seldom able to pay for their degree programs without financial assistance. For this reason, most schools ask all students to complete the FAFSA form. This federal program awards grants, subsidized and unsubsidized loans and work-study opportunities based on financial need.
When a student receives his awards letter from FAFSA he will have a better idea of the amount he will have to contribute to his educational bill.
There are a few state grants that are available on a limited basis, and Kentucky administers some grants and scholarships funded by individuals. Western Kentucky University has some financial help available in the form of grants, scholarships, and loans as well. Most of these are based on academic merit, some on financial need and some on both.
Individual departments sponsor scholarships as well. There are also awards for students in specified activities such as athletics. To find these resources, check the school financial aid page.
Outside scholarships are funded by individuals, service organizations and corporations. These can be found by searching the Internet.
Graduate students may apply for assistantships that pay salaries used to defray academic expenses.
Private loans and part-time employment are other ways to afford a degree program at Western Kentucky University.