Public Health - B.S.P.H. Download to print

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree broadly prepares students to enter the workforce as a public health professional or to enter an advanced program of study. Students explore the five disciplines of public health: biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, health policy and management and the social and behavioral sciences through general coursework. Students augment their core coursework by selecting a concentration (listed below) for more in-depth study.

The Allied Health concentration seeks to augment the career portfolio of the allied health professional or student. Students interested in this concentration must currently hold or must be actively pursuing a state licensure in an allied health field. This concentration adds depth to the students’ prior clinical experiences by adding the liberal education and public health components to broaden the professional’s career path. Students holding state licensure in select fields may be eligible to receive up to 12 hours of upper division credit for their prior experience and demonstrated competency in select areas. Students in this concentration will be exposed to broad areas of public health including epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, global health and health policy. Thus, preparing students to meet the increased demands for a trained and educated public health workforce. This concentration is offered 100 percent online or in person.

The Environmental Health Science concentration prepares students to help reduce the burden of human illness and injury that can result from natural and man-made environmental exposures. The program trains students for a challenging, dynamic, and interdisciplinary career focused on public environmental health and occupational health and safety risks associated with human activities. Students use their basic sciences and environmental health and safety training to learn how to solve problems in their community and the workplace.  They learn risk assessment principles and control measures to correct problems and effect policy change, along with the administration and enforcement of environmental, public, and occupational health and safety laws. In addition to classroom lectures, the program include laboratory and field experiences. Graduates typically enter the environmental health and safety workforce at local, state, and national levels. They also work in academic institutions, private industry, and for international health organizations.

The Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety concentration provides students with a working knowledge of the source, nature and scope of conditions that are or could be hazardous to the employer, employee and the environment. This program will prepare students for employment as a safety, health, and environmental professional. Topics covered in the program include toxicology, occupational safety, industrial hygiene, accident investigation, fire prevention, emergency planning and response and environmental concerns. In addition to the environmental, health and safety core programs, students complete selected required math and science courses, and elective courses from an approved list. Students must participate in at least two internships, cooperative positions, or cumulative experience for academic credit that allows students to gain practical on-the-job experience. Students learn the use of risk assessment along with the administration and enforcement of environmental, health and safety regulations. This concentration is offered at the Trumbull Campus only.

The Global Health concentration aims to educate students in identifying and working to address the critical public health and human needs of diverse, underserved and vulnerable populations locally and globally. Students learn the need for multidisciplinary (biological and social sciences) approaches and cooperation to address the major global public health problems. Students have the opportunity to focus on a specific aspect of global health, e.g. HIV/AIDS, health policy, health disparities, health education, environmental health, nutrition, through various elective groupings. The Global health concentration prepares students to work at entry level positions in public health with local, regional, national or international public health agencies in both public and private sectors. Students who pursue this concentration are required to participate in a study abroad experience and complete four courses (Elementary I and II; Intermediate I and II) of either Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish.

The Health Promotion and Education concentration focuses on the social determinants of health behaviors. Such behaviors include alcohol, tobacco, other drug use, exercise, physical activity, injury and violence and sexual activity. Prevention approaches address community-level strategies to promote healthy behaviors, including media, policy and education initiatives. Students typically work in the public sector in social service agencies or non-profit agencies. There is also a demand in the private sector as large corporations actively promote healthy lifestyles among employees as a means of increasing productivity and lowering health care costs. This concentration is offered 100 percent online or in person.  

The Health Services Administration concentration prepares students for entry-level positions in health care management and establishes a foundation for graduate work in health policy and management. Students analyze national and local public health infrastructure, evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of health care delivery and explore the legal and ethical issues of health care administration. Graduates enter the health care workforce as finance managers, compliance officers, patient navigators, insurance specialists and other health care managers. In addition, students are encouraged to pair this concentration with a minor. This concentration is offered 100 percent online or in person. 

The Pre-Medicine, Dentistry, Osteopathy concentration includes preparatory courses for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), and other professional schools. Courses include those in the Kent Core, public health core requirements, concentration electives and general electives. The overall curriculum of the Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree program focusing on biological, social and economic determinants of health, prevention and control of diseases, introduction to biostatistics and public health research, makes this program highly desirable for admission to professional schools. The unique features of the program open new opportunities and offers competitive advantages for students seeking to enter into clinical medicine. 

The Prevention and Preparedness concentration of the BSPH offers the student a unique view of public health. Courses introduce the concepts of preparedness and prevention by alerting the student to common injuries requiring first aid or ergonomic correction. The student is then introduced to hazardous materials and safety issues that are common in environmental and occupational environments. Finally, more advanced courses teach the student the practical sides of preparedness and prevention by (1) explaining the mechanisms by which chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards impact public health; (2) using epidemiological methods to trace criminal activities; and (3) demonstrating how the public health practitioner partners with others in the first responder community to provide joint leadership.Admissions suspended through fall 2014 and will resume contingent on university approval procedures.

Health educators held about 58,000 jobs in 2010. They work primarily in two industries with 20 percent working in State and local government and 53 percent working in health care and social assistance. In addition, a small percent of health educators work in grant-making services and social advocacy organizations. The average wage for health educators is around $50,000.
(Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

General Admissions for New Freshman: Students most likely to be admitted and succeed at the Kent Campus are those who have graduated with at least 16 units of the recommended college preparatory curriculum in high school, who have achieved a cumulative high school grade point average of 2.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale), and whose composite ACT score is 21 or better (980 combined critical reading and math SAT score). For more information on admissions, visit the admissions website for new freshmen.

General Admissions for Transfer Students: Generally, a transfer applicant who has taken 12 or more semester hours with a college cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale may be admitted.

An applicant who has taken fewer than 12 semester hours will be evaluated on both collegiate and high school records. For more information on admissions, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Minimum 121-126 total credit hours, depending on concentration chosen. Minimum 39 upper-division credit hours. Minimum 2.000 GPA cumulative and in major.

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Identify key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes.

2. Identify the principles and limitations of public health screening programs.

3. Describe a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time, and place.

4. Explain the importance of epidemiology in discussion of health issues.

5. Comprehend the basic role of human rights in epidemiology.

6. Apply basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology.

7. Calculate fundamental epidemiology measures.

8. Understand the strengths and limitations of epidemiological data.

9. Define terms and applications used in biostatistics.

10. Design studies and be able to distinguish different methods of sampling.

11. Compare different populations in terms of the extent of disease.

12. Summarize data collected from a sample.

13. Comprehend the basic principles of probability.

14. Describe confidence interval estimates. 

15. Apply hypotheses testing procedures.

16. Understand multivariable statistical methods. 

17. Use power and sample size determination methods.

18. Describe basic ecological principles.

19. Describe basic genetic, physiologic, and psychosocial factors that affect susceptibility to adverse health outcomes following exposure to environmental hazards.

20. Discuss the role of federal and state regulatory programs, guidelines, and authorities that control environmental health issues.

21. Describe approaches for assessing, preventing, and controlling environmental hazards that pose risks to human health and safety.

22. Explain the basic general mechanisms of toxicity in eliciting response to various environmental exposures.

23. Discuss various risk management and risk communication approaches in relation to issues of environmental justice and equity.

24. Identify basic theories and determinants of social and behavioral factors that affect health and used in Public Health Research.

25. Identify stakeholders, resources, concerns and deficits for Social and Behavioral Science (SBS) interventions.

26. Describe steps and procedures for planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs/policy.

27. Describe the merits of SBS interventions and policies.

28. Understand the role of evidence-based approaches in the development and evaluation of SBS interventions.

29. Appreciate how ethical principles influence SBS interventions.

30. Specify multiple targets and levels of SBS interventions and policies

31. Explain how the public health system operates and links to other systems.

32. Identify effective public health policy and management techniques.

33. Describe major governmental health insurance programs.

34. Understand the role of law and ethics in public health.

35. Compare and contrast healthcare administration domestically and globally.

There are many study abroad/away opportunities including two-week classes and full semesters or year away. For more information contact the Office of Global Education.

$75/semester

The College of Public Health is an associate member of the Association of Schools of Public Health and intends to become a fully accredited school of public health through a formal review process administered by the council on Education of Public Health (CEPH).

Schools of public health are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). The College of Public at Kent State University has applied to CEPH for accreditation and is in the process of preparing for the formal review process. Being an accredited institution adds great value to the degrees conferred and ensures a comprehensive student experience. Feedback from a variety of constituents is required by CEPH for accreditation. Feedback from students is critically important to the process. Accordingly, it is an expectation of the college that students participate in Student Surveys of Instruction (SSI) as well as annual, exit, and alumni satisfaction surveys. Participation in the feedback process will not only assist in the College's accreditation but allow the administration to quickly identify and address any problems as they arise. 

Public Health (M.P.H) with concentrations in biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health policy and management, and social and behavioral sciences.