Graduate Studies

Public Health
2024-2025

Admission | Courses | Program | Requirements | Certificate | Profile

Interim Chairperson:  Eric C. Sheffield
Graduate Coordinator: Renee Polubinsky
Office:  Brophy Hall 221
Telephone: (309) 298-1981 Fax: (309) 298-2981
E-mail: HealthSciences@wiu.edu
Website: wiu.edu/coehs/kinesiology
Location of Program Offering: Macomb, Quad Cities

Graduate Faculty

Professor

  • Tamara L. Bories, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • Christopher R. Kovacs, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • Lorette S. Oden, Ph.D., The University of Toledo
  • Jennifer M. Plos, Ed.D., Nova Southeastern University
  • Renee L. Polubinsky, Ed.D., Nova Southeastern University

Associate Professors

  • Maureen Bezold, Ph.D., Virginia Tech
  • Timothy J. Piper, Ed.D., Northern Illinois University

Associate Graduate Faculty

Professors

  • Lorri Kanauss, Ph.D., Walden University
  • Emily Shupe, Ph.D., Walden University
  • Mei Wen, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University

Associate Professor

  • Miguel Narvaez-Silva, Ph.D., Michigan State University

Learning Outcomes

For student learning outcomes, please see wiu.edu/provost/learningoutcomes.

 Program Description

The Department of Kinesiology offers a specialized program of study leading to the Master of Public Health. Candidates choose an option in Public Health or School Health. Graduates of the program typically are hired as practitioners in and directors of health education and health promotion programs in community health agencies, hospitals, business and industry, health related governmental departments, and private organizations; as health education teachers in local school districts; as supervisors of health education at the local and state levels; and as college and university health educators.

 Admission Requirements

  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 OR 3.0 or higher GPA for the last two years (60 s.h.) of undergraduate work

  • International students whose native language is not English must have a minimum TOEFL score of 73 or obtain a satisfactory score on the IELTS (academic format) of 6.0 overall bands or better, or must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university within the USA with four years in residence at the awarding institution(s) within two years of enrolling at WIU.

Each candidate must show evidence of having completed course work in human diseases either prior to admission as a degree candidate or before completion of their programs of study. The graduate coordinator, in accordance with policies established by the departmental graduate committee, will also determine if program deficiency requirements in human anatomy and physiology course work have been met. If these deficiencies have not been satisfied, the applicant may be required to take courses prescribed by the committee and/or coordinator.

Applicants admitted probationally must earn at least a B in nine hours of graduate coursework. A degree plan must be filed immediately after the student completes 15 semester hours of graduate credit.

 Degree Requirements

A professional internship will be required for those candidates choosing the Public Health option if no professional health education/public health internship was completed as an undergraduate. School Health candidates without student teaching and/or actual teaching background will be required to complete a school‑related professional experience comparable to the Public Health internship. Prior to the professional internship or the school‑related professional experience, students must have completed 24 hours of course work that includes HS 505, HS 506, HS 511, HS 512, and HS 530, and must have a minimum of a 3.25 GPA in all graduate work.

Public Health Option

I. Core Courses: 15 s.h.

HS 505 Research Design in Kinesiology and Public Health (3)
HS 506 Measurement and Statistical Analysis (3)
HS 511 Health Education and Promotion in the Community (3)
HS 512 Planning and Evaluation of Health Education Programs (3)
HS 530 Health Behavior Theories (3)

II. Public Health Requirements: 18 s.h.

EM 561 Foundations of Emergency Management (3)
EOS 510 Environmental Health Sciences (3)
HS 513 Methods in Health Education and Promotion (3)
HS 551 Public Health Epidemiology (3)
HS 590 Professional Internship (3)
HSM 514 Health Service Administration (3)

III. Select one of the following exit options: 9 s.h.

For elective courses, students may choose from among the courses in the Health Sciences department or from other departments’ offerings to augment and enhance their program objectives and employment opportunities.

A. Thesis

HS 601 Thesis (4)
Electives (5)

B. Professional Portfolio

HS 602 Professional Portfolio (1)
Electives (8)

C. Comprehensive Exam

HS 603 Comprehensive Exam (0)
Electives (9)

TOTAL PROGRAM: 42 s.h.

The comprehensive examination will cover the content of courses which comprise the student's program of study. The exam is usually administered on the second Saturday in April and November. Additional information about the comprehensive examination may be obtained from the department.

School Health Option

I. Core Courses: 15 s.h.

HS 505 Research Design in Kinesiology and Public Health (3)
HS 506 Measurement and Statistical Analysis (3)
HS 511 Health Education and Promotion in the Community (3)
HS 512 Planning and Evaluation of Health Education Programs (3)
HS 530 Health Behavior Theories (3)

II. School Health Requirements: 15 s.h.

EM 565 Evacuation Planning and Response (3)
HE 432G The Coordinated School Health Program (3)
HE 433G School Health Curriculum (3)
HE 440G Sexuality Education in the Home, School, and Community (3)
HE 442G Drug Education in the Home, School, and Community (3)

III. Select one of the following exit options: 6 s.h.

For elective courses, students may choose from among the courses in the Health Sciences department (EM, EOS, HE, HS) or from other departments’ offerings to augment and enhance their program objectives and employment opportunities.

A. Thesis

HS 601 Thesis (4)
Electives (2)

B. Professional Portfolio

HS 602 Professional Portfolio (1)
Electives (5)

C. Comprehensive Exam

HS 603 Comprehensive Exam (0)
Electives (6)

TOTAL PROGRAM: 36 s.h.

Specific programs of study will be designed for each individual based on personal interests and undergraduate major.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program

The department offers a post-baccalaureate certificate in Health Services Administration. For program details, go to the post-baccalaureate certificates page.

 Course Descriptions

Emergency Management (EM)

460G Weapons of Mass Destruction in Public Health. (3) Provides an overview of weapons of mass destruction from the public health and emergency management perspectives. Examination of various forms of weapons of mass destruction and discussion of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention practices facing future professionals are included. Prerequisites: CHEM 101 and EM 304.

561 Foundations of Emergency Management. (3) Provides an overview of emergency management and disaster sciences for application in public health, education, health care, and other settings. Topics will include basic emergency management concepts, the four phases of the disaster cycle, specific operational and policy frameworks for disaster management, roles of public health, schools and health care in disaster, and special topics in health and emergency management.

565 Evacuation Planning and Response. (3) Focuses on emergency evacuation issues resulting from natural disasters and human intentional injuries. Students will learn to develop proper evacuation techniques for a wide range of areas, such as public schools, colleges and universities, as well as private buildings, and governmental institutions.

Environmental and Occupational Safety (EOS)

450G Environmental Health Workshop. (1, repeatable to 2 with change in topic) Examination of environmental concerns that may impact directly or indirectly on humans and their surroundings. Educational strategies and abatement measures are included.

510 Environmental Health Sciences. (3) The study and analysis of a variety of environmental problems and issues emphasizing the interrelationship between humans and the myriad environmental concerns.

Health Education (HE)

432G The Coordinated School Health Program. (3) A description and analysis of the eight components of a K-12 coordinated school health program and the relationship of these components to the reduction of youth risk behaviors.

433G School Health Curriculum. (3) Investigates the nature of school health curriculum development which addresses objectives, resources, content, evaluation, sequencing, scheduling, and implementation. Prerequisite: HE 432 or permission of the instructor.

440G Sexuality Education in the Home, School, and Community. (3) The principles of sex education of the preschool‑ and school‑age child. Emphasis is placed on preparing the student in content, resources, procedures, and philosophy of home, school, and community sex education. Prerequisite: HE 121 or equivalent, and HS 313, or permission of the instructor.

441G Mental Health. (3) Overview of principles and practices of attaining and maintaining mental health, including an in-depth exploration of stress, stress management, and the relationship of stress to illness. Examination of prevalent mental health problems included with emphasis on awareness and prevention.

442G Drug Education in the Home, School and Community. (3) Concepts of drug education with emphasis placed on preparing the student in content, resources, procedures, and philosophy of home, school, and community drug education. Prerequisite: HE 123 or equivalent and HS 313, or permission of instructor.

450G Consumer Health Workshop. (1, repeatable to 2 with change in topic) Examination of significant current issues in consumer health. Topics may include healthcare, drug products, health insurance, disease treatments, nutrition/weight control products, and consumer laws/protection.

599 Independent Study in Health Education. (1–3, repeatable to 6 with change in topic) Independent research study of an approved topic. Specific department guidelines must be followed. Minimum 50 work hours per 1 hour of credit.

Health Sciences (HS)

400G Grant Writing. (3) Focuses on skills and techniques necessary to research and write grant proposals for nonprofit organizations, businesses, and government agencies. Prerequisite: HS 370 or permission of the instructor.

414G Ethical Conduct and Conflict in Health Sciences. (3) Students will investigate ethical issues in health education, community health and health services management through discussion of case studies and applicable ethical theories. Prerequisites: 12 s.h. of professional health sciences courses or permission of the instructor.

450G Health Sciences Workshop. (1, repeatable to 2 with change in topic) Examination and analysis of significant current concerns and controversies in community health. Content varies according to contemporary issues.

505 (previously HS 570) (cross-listed with KIN 505) Research Methods in Kinesiology and Public Health. (3) Overview of the process of planning and organizing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research designs and methods to identify and solve problems. Incorporates research methods, processes, and models in formulating research studies and incorporating current quality standards and evidence-based protocols into healthcare and behavioral sciences. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

506 (previously HS 571) (cross-listed with KIN 506) Measurement and Statistical Analysis. (3) The application of techniques used to organize, analyze, and interpret statistical data for health and behavioral sciences. Topics include measures of central tendency, measures of variability, percentiles, sampling, correlation, standard scores, and tests of significance.

511 Health Education and Promotion in the Community. (3) Overview of the key concepts, roles, settings, and practices of health education and promotion. Community health education and promotion programs and their current trends and challenges, including an analysis of behavioral health theories, social, political, and economic factors affecting their utilization by the public, will be explored.

512 Planning and Evaluation of Health Education Programs. (3) An analysis of program planning: from a behavioral health lens, this will include examination of consumer participation, consulting skills, negotiation skills, training, budgeting, implementation, data collection, evaluation, and writing program reports.

513 Methods in Health Education and Promotion. (3) Using behavioral health theories as its foundation, this course provides experiential opportunities in the techniques, procedures, and pedagogy of communication, advocacy, and instruction as they apply to the school, community, and public health education professional. Prerequisite: HS 511 or 512, or permission of the instructor.

520 Contemporary Concepts in Death and Dying. (3) This course concentrates on study of facts and values of Americans concerning dying and death. Discussion focuses on living an effective and meaningful life, the stages of dying and emotions surrounding loss, means of working with and relating to the dying person, the causes of death, and clarifying death.

521 International Health. (3) Overview and application of the international elements of health. Topics include, but are not limited to, global dimensions of chronic and infectious diseases, determinants and distributions of health and disease in populations, and global cooperation in international public health.

525 Health Aspects of Aging. (3) An exploration of health problems and the effects of medical crises on the aged and the means for dealing with these problems and crises will be covered. An investigation of the development of health problems during the aging years and a look at the major health problems of various age groups will be included.

530 Health Behavior Theories. (3) Examination of behavioral science theories and models that provide a framework for public health education, promotion, and research, along with application of these models/theories for program planning, implementation, and evaluation.

551 Public Health Epidemiology. (3) Overview of the basic principles of epidemiology and the measures used in epidemiology. Discusses epidemiologic study design and analysis, as well as outbreak investigations, screening, surveillance, and the role of epidemiology in public health. Prerequisites: HS 505 and HS 506, or permission of the instructor.

590 Professional Internship. (3–6) Intended to give the student practical experience in behavioral sciences and community health education. The internship is spent in appropriate programs, under the preceptorship of an administrator qualified by education and/or experience, and supervision of a health sciences faculty member. Development and utilization of original activities is stressed. Periodic progress reports are required. Graded S/U. Prerequisite: Permission of internship coordinator to enroll and to select an internship site.

601 Thesis. (1–3, repeatable to 4) Direction by a major professor of a student research project. To receive credit, the student will be required to complete and receive approval of his/her study. Graded S/U.

602 Professional Portfolio. (1) The student will demonstrate proficiency in Core and Public Health or School Health Option. The portfolio will be planned and carried out under graduate faculty approval and supervision. An oral presentation is required. Graded S/U. Prerequisite: Approval of the Department Graduate Coordinator.

603 Comprehensive Examination. (0) The student will complete a written comprehensive examination covering the content of courses which comprise his/her program of study. The examination will be graded S/U and will be administered once each semester. The student may take the examination a maximum of three times. Prerequisite: Approval of the Department Graduate Coordinator.

Health Services Management (HSM)

514 Health Service Administration. (3) Overview of the U.S. health system and its structure and functions. Discusses the interface between public health and health care, delivery structures, workforce issues, health resources, health services, financing, meeting needs of special populations, global health, and critical issues in health services and behavioral sciences. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.

515 Legal Aspects of Health Services Management. (3) The course offers a practical and comprehensive examination of U.S. healthcare laws and improves the understanding of complex workings and legal principles of the healthcare system by analyzing and applying laws to interpret and develop management policies and procedures.

516 Introduction to Health Policy. (3) The course equips health professionals with a working knowledge of health policy formulation, implementation and evaluation. It applies health policy analysis, examines current issues, and compares health systems in various countries on health policy concepts, issues, practices and consequences.

517 Health Services Organizational Behavior and Leadership. (3) Provides an overview of the principles of organization behavior including the management of individuals, teams, and organizations with special emphasis on leadership, and introduces the skills and capabilities of professional managers essential for all health services management positions.