Pre-Public Health Program

Explore the Pre-Public Health program

Public health is a multidisciplinary field that addresses health challenges and promotes the well-being of communities and populations. Public health professionals focus on a wide range of health issues, from infectious diseases to environmental health, health disparities, and global health challenges. Specializations in the field of public health include epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health policy, and health education.

The Pre-Public Health program at Wayne State is not an academic major, but a pathway to help you build a foundation in various subjects related to public health and meet the prerequisites needed for graduate work in public health. It is recommended that you choose a major and coursework to support the specialization in public health that you’d like to pursue in graduate school. Wayne State also offers a minor in Public and Global Health, which is recommended to accompany your chosen major.

3+2 dual degree partnership (bachelor's + master's) in Public Health
Wayne State has a 3+2 dual degree partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha, allowing students to earn a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State in their major of choice, along with a master's degree in Public Health (MPH) from UNMC, all in a total of five years. You’ll spend your first three years at WSC before transferring into the Public Health master's degree program at UNMC. Up to 21 credit hours from the master's program will transfer back to Wayne State for completion of your bachelor's degree. As part of the program, you will also get the opportunity to complete an internship during the summer before transferring to UNMC.

View program of study Download program fact sheet (PDF)

Prepare for your future

Opportunities and outcomes

Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP)

The Pre-Public Health track within RHOP is designed for rural Nebraska students interested in returning to rural areas for their career in health care. In this program, you’ll complete your bachelor’s degree at Wayne State before entering medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha to complete your Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. Participants in RHOP receive a full-tuition scholarship at WSC, guaranteed admission to UNMC, job shadowing and internship experiences, one-on-one advising, and early registration privileges.

Rural Health Opportunities Program

Honors Program

Honors students complete an independent research project usually spanning their junior and senior years. Your research can take you just about anywhere - in the lab or library, in the community, or in the U.S. or abroad! Honors work can also be very practical. Prospective employers and graduate admissions committees often look carefully at an undergraduate record for evidence of extra initiative and genuine intellectual strength.

Learn more about the Honors Program

Pre-Public Health internships and job shadowing

Our outstanding Career Services Office is available to help you find internships and career opportunities. Internship locations for public health may include local or regional public health departments.

Career services and internships

Topics covered in the Pre-Public Health program

Human anatomy, form, and function
Health status and risk factor identification
Fitness appraisal and exercise prescription
Body composition testing/measurement
Exercise physiology; strength and conditioning
Cardiac rehabilitation, exercise prescription
Research and data analysis
Kinesiology / biomechanics
Biological and social determinants of health and disease

This 4-year timeline serves as a guide to help you plan for applying to a public health school.

Freshman year

Meet with your Pre-Public Health program advisor to create a personalized plan and discuss what you'd like to accomplish during your summers (i.e. working, job shadowing, internship, or research). Your advisor and the WSC Career Services Office will help you achieve your goals.
Join health-related clubs at WSC to engage in related activities and participate in networking events. Suggested clubs for those going into public health may include the Biology Club, Health Sciences Club, and Exercise is Medicine Club.
Begin researching public health schools and learn about their admission requirements. Be mindful of prerequisite course and GPA requirements, location, costs, program reputation, and entrance exams score requirements.

Sophomore year

Continue researching public health schools and their prerequisite course and GPA requirements, location, costs, program reputation, and entrance exams score requirements. Inquire with the public health school for any specific questions and guidance.
Investigate summer public health opportunities with your advisor and WSC Career Services Office.
Study and practice for any entrance exams (if required), such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test.

Junior/Senior year

Register for and take any required entrance exams into public health school.
Ask people if they would be willing to provide a letter of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are statements from professors, supervisors, or other professionals that detail your academic abilities, interpersonal skills, and character. Professional schools typically require 2-4 letters and will sometimes ask that some be from professors. Check with each school to which you plan to apply for the number and type of letters they require, when those letters are due, and the process for how letters of recommendation are to be submitted.
Work on essays - Your personal statement or essay is an opportunity to expand upon unique experiences and events and adds a personal dimension to your application. Work with professors or advisors to have your statement reviewed.
Investigate and/or complete summer public health opportunities
Apply to public health schools - most public health schools participate in SOPHAS, a centralized application service for public health colleges that allows you to submit one application and send it to multiple programs.
- Schools and/or centralized applications services may have application deadlines. There is often a processing time after you submit.
- Some schools may also require a secondary application for their program. This application deadline will be after you submit your centralized application. Each school you apply to will let you know what steps you need to complete after you submit your centralized application.
Interview with public health schools if required for the application process. Make sure to practice by doing a mock interview.
Make admissions decisions - Admissions committees will review your application to decide on your admission to their program.

Graduates of the Pre-Public Health program work in their field or continue their studies using the skills they learned while at Wayne State College. Each year, medical schools and employers welcome WSC graduates into their organizations.

Recent grads are pursuing their master's degree in public health at the following schools:

University of Nebraska-Omaha (Omaha, Neb.)
University of Southern Florida (Tampa, Fla.)

Career possibilities:

Public health project manager
Community health worker
Health communications specialist
Population health manager
Environmental health director
Epidemiologist
Occupational health specialist
Biosecurity specialist
Chief medical officer
Corporate medical director
Disaster preparedness coordinator

job or grad school placement rate
within six months of graduation
Data based on most recent
employment outcomes survey

Cost of attendance

Most Affordable College in Nebraska

- College Affordability Guide, 2024

Wayne State is considered the most affordable four-year college or university in Nebraska. With same rates for in- and out-of-state students, our tuition guarantee, and our generous scholarship packages, it is clear to see how WSC earned the title. In fact, the average remaining annual cost of attendance for 2024-25 is $2,268 for undergraduate students after financial aid and scholarships.

Recommended majors

Our Biology program lays the groundwork needed or students entering medical school and provides plenty of time in our biology and research labs.
Learn more about the Biology program
The Exercise Science program can help you understand the human body’s physiological response to exercise, and how physical activity and fitness impact overall health. Exercise Science majors learn to interact with individuals to promote physical fitness and well-being.
Learn more about the Exercise Science program
The Geography program can provide you with a global perspective, which is relevant for global health studies. You’ll can also study geographic information systems (GIS) and mapping, which are used in public health to analyze spatial data and create maps to understand the geographical distribution of health issues, track disease outbreaks, and plan for resource allocation. The Department of History, Politics, and Geography at Wayne State offers a major in Geography, along with minors in Geospatial Technology, and Mapping.
Learn more about the Geography program
Courses in statistics and mathematics will help you develop data analysis and research skills, which is crucial for health research and analysis. Epidemiologists and biostatisticians calculate and analyze data, and mathematical models are used to for public health planning and response. Wayne State offers a variety of courses in math and statistics, including programs in Applied Math, Pure Math, and a Math minor.
Learn more about the Applied Math program
Learn more about the Pure Math program
The One Health Studies major combines an interdisciplinary core of diverse health, environmental, and social science foundations, and allows students to select one of four concentrations. The program equips students with holistic knowledge and skills for diverse professions or post-graduate studies, including human, animal or environmental health sciences, public health, agriculture, wildlife management, social services, law, and public policy.
Explore the One Health Studies degree
Courses in political science, law, and public administration can help you understand policy and administration, which can be essential for creating and enforcing health policies. The Department of History, Politics, and Geography offers a Political Science program, and minors in Public Administration and Pre-Law.
Learn more about the Political Science program
Courses in sociology, psychology, and anthropology program can help you understand the social and cultural factors that influence public health. The Department of Psychology and Sociology offer majors and minors in Psychology and Sociology.
Learn more about the Sociology program

Credits: 1
Description: A discourse on environmental problems and opportunities through research, discussion, and guest lectures. This course may be repeated for a total of 2 hours.
Credits: 3
Description: Current topics of concern regarding strategies of disaster assessment, mitigation, response, recovery, and preparedness will be discussed. This course will focus on types of natural and man-made disasters, federal, state, and local reactions to disasters, disaster communications, and the management of responses to terrorist attacks.
Prerequisite: CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice
Credits: 3
Description: Explores theories, research, and applications of the symbolic processes by which people, both individually and collectively, understand and share ideas about health and illness. The course focuses on the communicative implications of health beliefs, practices, and policies with special emphasis on the core communication competencies of a health citizen, as well as the communication challenges for the health care practitioner.
Prerequisite: CNA 100 Principles of Human Communication
Credits: 3
Description: This course will enable the student to attain a better understanding of the role of the community nutritionist in providing community nutrition program services and the availability of nutrition programs in the community. Nutrition education techniques for selected groups for health promotion, health maintenance, and rehabilitation will be utilized.
Prerequisites: FCS 207 Nutrition or instructor approval.
Credits: 1-2
Description: An introduction to the social, financial, and political issues related to health care in rural communities.
Credits: 3
Description: This course provides the student with knowledge and skills for developing and supervising safe and effective evidence-based health and rehabilitative exercise for patients and clients with cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, and other clinical co-morbidities. The student will gain knowledge in the pathophysiology and pharmacology of common non-communicable diseases, with an understanding of the evidence-based exercise prescription for these clinical populations. Skills will include blood pressure measurement and ECG rhythm interpretation.
Prerequisites: PED 105 Anatomy and Physiology I or BIO 220 Human Anatomy; PED 205 Strategies in Drug Education or BIO 340 Human Physiology; minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA.
Credits: 3
Description: This introductory course will explore the biological and social determinants of health and health disparities, with attention to personal, public, and global health rights and responsibilities. The course is designed to introduce students to principles of personal health and wellness as well as public health disciplines in community, national and global contexts.
Credits: 3
Description: The study of domestic policymaking processes and institutions at all levels, taught from an intergovernmental relations perspective.
Credits: 3
Description: Health Psychology emphasizes the role of psychological factors in the maintenance of good health; the prevention of illness; and the treatment of, recovery from, and adjustment to existing and ongoing illness.