Bachelor's in Public Health
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health requires the following courses. See below for more information about each option.
Class Course Title Credit Hours
PH 100 Personal Health 3 hrs.
SFTY 171 Safety and First Aid 1 hrs.
PH 261 Foundations of Health Education 3 hrs.
PH 381 Community Health 3 hrs.
PH 383 Biostatistics in the Health Sciences 3 hrs.
PH 384 Introduction to Epidemiology 3 hrs.
BIOL 131 Anatomy & Physiology 4 hrs.
BIOL 207 General Microbiology 4 hrs.
CHEM 109 Chemistry for Health Science 4 hrs.
PSY 100 Intro. Psychology 3 hrs.
COMM 145 Public Speaking 3 hrs.
Total Credit Hours: 34 hrs
Public Health Education - 30 hrs
Public health work is done in a wide variety of settings in the public and private sectors. Graduates of the baccalaureate program in Community Health 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 in communities. Graduates have a comprehensive knowledge base in health science, and skills in planning educational programs, designing instructional materials, conducting community health needs assessments, working with mass media, writing grants to support program activities, conducting individual health assessments, and completing common administrative duties, such as budgeting and supervising volunteers. Graduates have gone on to find employment throughout Kentucky and in other states. Many students choose to pursue advanced degrees in public health, and this is strongly encouraged.
Admission:
Students who have completed a minimum of 30 semester hours, including COMM 145, PH 100, PSY 100, BIOL 131 and CHEM 109, with an overall GPA of 2.3, qualify for admission into the program. Equivalents of these courses from other accredited institutions will be accepted, but the minimum GPA requirement must be met.
Degree Requirements:
Class Course Title Credit Hours Class Course Title Credit Hours
PH 100 Personal Health 3 hrs. SFTY 171 Safety & First Aid 1 hrs.
PH 261 Foundations of Health Education 3 hrs. PH 381 Community Health 3 hrs.
PH 383 Biostatistics in Health Sciences 3 hrs. PH 384 Epidemiology 3 hrs.
PH 461 Comprehensive School Health Program 3 hrs. PH 385 Environmental Health 3 hrs.
PH 483 Administration of Health Programs 3 hrs. PH 484 Community Organization 3 hrs.
PH 485 Methods of Community Health Education 3 hrs. PH 490 Internship 6 hrs.
BIOL 131 Anatomy & Physiology 4 hrs. BIOL 207/208 General Microbiology 3 hrs.
CHEM 109 Chemistry for Health Science 4 hrs. MATH 116 College Algebra 3 hrs.
PSY 100 Intro. Psychology 3 hrs. COMM 145 Public Speaking 3 hrs.
Electives (12 hours required)
Class Course Title Credit Hours Class Course Title Credit Hours
HCIS 290 Medical Terminology 2 hrs. CFS 111 Human Nutrition 3 hrs.
HCA 340 Health Care Organization & Management 3 hrs. SFTY 270 General Safety 3 hrs.
PH 382 Peer Health Education 3 hrs. PH 390 Wellness and Fitness Assessment 3 hrs.
PH 402 Worksite Health Promotion 3 hrs. PH 443 Health Problems of the Aged 3 hrs.
PH 444 Death Education 3 hrs. PH 447 Human Values and the Health Sciences 3 hrs.
PH 464 Women's Health 3 hrs. PH 467 Drug Abuse Education 3 hrs.
PH 468 Sexuality Education 3 hrs.
Internship:
Students in the Community Health program are required to complete CH 490, Fieldwork in Community Health. During this twelve week internship students are placed in a public health and health promotion agency, for practical experience in a real-world setting. Students will be placed in internships in the type of agency and the geographic location of most interest to the individual student. Students are expected to just like permanent employees of the agency in which they are placed. They will be supervised by an agency staff member that serves as a preceptor. Activities will include completing assignments made by the preceptor and participating to the fullest extent possible in the program activities of the agency.
For More Information, Contact:
Dr. Grace Lartey
Public Health Program Director
AC 129D
grace.lartey@wku.edu
(270) 745-3941
