Public Health at Western Kentucky University

What traits are you looking for in a public health school? To help you decide if Western Kentucky University is right for you, we've gathered the following information about the school's public health program.

WKU is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky and has a total student population of 17,517. In the 2020-2021 academic year, 12 students received a bachelor's degree in public health from WKU.

Want to know more about the career opportunities in this field? Check out the Careers in Public Health section at the bottom of this page.

WKU Public Health Degrees Available

• Basic Certificate in Public Health (Less Than 1 Year)
• Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health
• Master’s Degree in Public Health

Online Classes Are Available at WKU

Online courses are a good option for students who need a more flexible schedule that allows them to pursue an education when and where they want. Whether you're going to school part-time or full-time, you may find distance education the right choice for you.

WKU does offer online education options in public health for the following degree levels for those interested in distance learning:

• Master’s Degree

WKU Public Health Rankings

Each year, College Factual ranks public health programs across the country. The following shows how WKU performed in these rankings.

Note: While rankings may be a good starting point when you're researching a school, they don't necessarily highlight all of a school's strengths. Don't forget to check out the other details that are available for a school to see if it has what you're looking for in a program.

Bachelor’s Degree Overall Quality & Other Notable Rankings

The public health major at WKU is not ranked on College Factual’s Best Colleges and Universities for Public Health. This could be for a number of reasons, such as not having enough data on the major or school to make an accurate assessment of its quality.

Ranking Type	Rank
Most Popular Public Health Basic Certificate Schools	22
Best Value Public Health Graduate Certificate Schools	23
Most Focused Public Health Graduate Certificate Schools	30
	33
Best Public Health Graduate Certificate Schools	54
	73
Most Popular Public Health Master’s Degree Schools	158
	201
Best Value Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools	230
Best Public Health Bachelor’s Degree Schools	250
	270
Most Focused Public Health Schools	342
Best Public Health Schools	362

In 2021, 25 students received their master’s degree in public health from WKU. This makes it the #158 most popular school for public health master’s degree candidates in the country.

How Much Do Public Health Graduates from WKU Make?

The median salary of public health students who receive their bachelor's degree at WKU is $34,104. This is great news for graduates of the program, since this figure is 6% higher than the national average of $32,238 for all public health bachelor's degree recipients.

Public Health Student Demographics at WKU

Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the public health majors at Western Kentucky University.

WKU Public Health Bachelor’s Program

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 12 students earned a bachelor's degree in public health from WKU. About 50% of these graduates were women and the other 50% were men. The typical public health bachelor's degree program is made up of only 21% men. So male students are more repesented at WKU since its program graduates 29% more men than average.

About 67% of those who receive a bachelor's degree in public health at WKU are white. This is above average for this degree on the nationwide level.

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor's in public health.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	0
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	8
International Students	2
Other Races/Ethnicities	1

WKU Public Health Master’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 25 public health majors earned their master's degree from WKU. Of these graduates, 12% were men and 88% were women.

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from Western Kentucky University with a master's in public health.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	2
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	1
White	12
International Students	6
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

WKU also has a doctoral program available in public health. In 2021, 0 student graduated with a doctor's degree in this field.

Concentrations Within Public Health

Public Health majors may want to concentrate their studies in one of these areas. The completion numbers here include all graduates who receive any type of degree in this field from Western Kentucky University. Some of these focus areas may not be available for your degree level.

Concentration	Annual Degrees Awarded
General Public Health	19
Environmental Health	15
Public Health Education and Promotion	11
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	7

Related Majors

• Allied Health Professions
• Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science
• Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services
• Mental & Social Health Services
• Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions

Careers That Public Health Grads May Go Into

A degree in public health can lead to the following careers. Since job numbers and average salaries can vary by geographic location, we have only included the numbers for KY, the home state for Western Kentucky University.

Occupation	Jobs in KY	Average Salary in KY
Medical and Health Services Managers	5,000	$91,820
Health Specialties Professors	2,070	$64,560
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	1,580	$66,730
Community Health Workers	1,220	$38,210
Environmental Scientists and Specialists	1,200	$51,740

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By OPMaster under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.