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Kansas State University

Graduate Certificate Program

This certificate program is designed to give individuals, both working professionals and graduate students on campus with no formal public health education, a strong foundation of knowledge in the five core concept areas of public health.  These five areas meet the Council of Education for Public Health (CEPH) program accreditation standards.

  1. Biostatistics
  2. Epidemiology
  3. Environmental Health
  4. Health Services Administration
  5. Social and Behavioral Sciences

The courses required for the certificate are the same ones required in the core concept areas for the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program currently offered at Kansas State University. The courses necessary to complete the Certificate Program are:

  1. Biostatistics:  STAT 701 Fundamental Methods of Biostatistics (3 credit hrs)
  2. Environmental health sciences:  DMP 806 Environmental Toxicology (2 credit hrs)
  3. Epidemiology:  2 options:
    • DMP 754 Introduction to Epidemiology (3 credit hrs) OR
    • DMP 708 Veterinary Epidemiology (2 credit hrs) and DMP 854 Intermediate Epidemiology (3 credit hrs) (TOTAL of 5 credit hours)
  4. Health services administration:  HMD 720 Administration of Health Care Organizations (3 credit hrs)
  5. Social and behavioral sciences:  KIN 818 Social and Behavioral Basis of Public Health (3 credit hrs)

These courses provide sufficient breadth to allow each student, as a current or future public health professional, attain knowledge and skills in the core public health concepts. The common focus of all public health professionals, whether educated in public health or a related discipline, is population-level health. The basis of this focus is an ecological model of health which assumes that health and well being are affected by interaction among the multiple determinants of health.

Requirements for application:

  • An applicant must have completed an undergraduate degree
  • The applicant must be enrolled in a graduate program at K-State OR be admitted in the graduate program as a non-degree student
  • The applicant must submit a narrative letter that describes their interest and experience in public health and objectives for completing the certificate
  • The applicant must submit a letter of recommendation from their major professor or employer (if working as a public health professional)

To apply for admission to the certificate program:

  • Go to the Graduate School on-line application webpage at: http://www.k-state.edu/grad/gsprospective/apply/ and apply.  At Step 2, Select a Degree and Program choose “Graduate Certificate” for degree and “Public Health Core Concepts – Graduate Certificate” for program
  • At this time, there is no application fee for certificate programs at K-State  

After review of the application documents by the Director of the Master of Public Health Program, the Director may:

  • Admit the applicant to the certificate program
  • Conditionally admit the applicant to the certificate program and indicate which pre-requisite courses must be completed prior to enrollment in some or all of the certificate program courses
  • Reject the applicant for the certificate program

If at a later time the student applies to the MPH Program at Kansas State University and is admitted, all the graduate credit hours taken for the graduate certificate may be applied to the MPH degree.

Send all documentation to:
  Dr. Michael Cates
  Director, Master of Public Health Program
  311 Trotter Hall
  Kansas State University
  Manhattan, Kansas 66506

More information can be found at:
http://catalog.k-state.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=2&poid=2920&bc=1