Undergraduate Academic Degree Programs

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Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Occupational Health Science (EOHS)

Program Coordinator: Dr. Ritchie Taylor, ritchie.taylor@wku.edu, (270) 745-8975

The mission of the Environmental and Occupational Health Science (EOHS) Program at Western Kentucky University is to educate students in preparation for an exciting career in the environmental health science. The EHS Program is committed to providing south central Kentucky, the state, and the nation with entry-level environmental professionals. The program is built upon a sound foundation of providing students with a background in assessing environmental resources, including water, air, and land resources, in relation to environmental and human health.

 

Bachelor of Science in Geography/Environmental Studies

Program Coordinator: Dr. Fred Siewers, fred.siewers@wku.edu, (270)-745-5988

The Bachelor's in Geography/Environmental Studies program requires a minimum of 52 semester hours of geography, plus supporting coursework. A minor or second major is NOT required. Students majoring in geography will learn the concepts and skills necessary to qualify for a variety of career opportunities that require a solid foundation in spatial thinking and analysis. Students are required to choose one of four concentrations: Karst Geoscience and Water Resources, Climate Systems, Environment and Sustainability, or Tourism and Development. The B.S. in Geography and Environmental Studies program at WKU is the largest such program in Kentucky or Tennessee. Students can become more directly involved in faculty-sponsored research, with opportunities for co-authorship of peer-reviewed research articles, and presentation of research results at professional meetings and conferences.

 

Bachelor of Science in Public Health

Program Coordinator: Dr. Grace Lartey, grace.lartey@wku.edu, (270)-745-3941

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Graduates 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 and communities. Many students choose to pursue advanced degrees in public health, and this is strongly encouraged.

 

Bachelor of Arts in Diversity and Community Studies

Program Coordinator: Dr. Jane Olmsted, jane.olmsted@wku.edu, (270) 745-5787

The major in diversity & community studies provides graduates with a critical framework for understanding social systems and structural forms of oppression at local and global scales. Students also gain practical skills of working with others to solve problems related to citizenship and activism. Such knowledge and skills are necessary for a wide range of vocations, ranging from social services to governmental and non-profit organizations, at all levels from local to international. Students majoring in diversity & community studies must earn a minimum of 33 semester hours and must also select a minor. Strategies for social change are among the most challenging to study and to implement, especially given the sense that consumer-oriented systems are unstoppable. For this reason, learning how to problem-solve, take direct action, and identify positive ways of conflict resolution are key for students' success in a wide range of vocations, ranging from social services to governmental and non-profit organizations, at all levels from local to international. This major will be especially appealing to offices of diversity in corporate or university settings and to community-based non-profit organizations. The program aims at transformative knowledge, changing consciousness and shaping leaders who are less susceptible to short-term answers at the expense of long-term sustainability of the environment and communities that must share the world.

  

Minor in Citizenship & Social Justice

Program Coordinator: Dr. Jane Olmsted, jane.olmsted@wku.edu, (270) 745-5787

The minor in Citizenship & Social Justice provides graduates with a foundational understanding of concepts, issues, strategies, and practices of social justice from interdisciplinary and community-based perspectives. Students will engage citizenship and social justice through multiple lenses of critical theory and engagement.This minor is a good complement for a wide-variety of majors and will serve students in many career paths, particularly as employers are increasingly interested in employees who can think critically, act responsibly, and who embrace diversity. CCSJ is part of the Department of Diversity & Community Studies (DCS), which launched a major in fall 2014 that is a particularly good fit with this minor. CSJ coursework focuses on empowering students to improve their leadership talents, critical thinking, collaboration skills, and communicative abilities. All of these are important for a student's degree, regardless of major, and we welcome students from all disciplines, encouraging them to think of creative ways to merge their CCSJ coursework with their major.