PUBLIC HEALTH

About the Department of Public Health

Established in 2019 as a unit, the Public Health Department is now a constituent of the School of Medical Sciences. It offers both undergraduate (Bachelor of Public Health – BPH) and postgraduate (Master of Public Health – MPH) degree programmes, having received Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) approvals in 2017 (BPH-Miotso campus), 2022 (MPH-Christ Temple campus), and 2024 (BPH-Kumasi campus). The department operates across all three campuses of Central University. The Bachelor of Public Health programme, with its five concentration areas, is also overseen by the Ghana Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC). The first cohort of undergraduate and postgraduate students graduated successfully in 2023 and 2024, respectively. As an emerging health-related discipline within Central University, the curriculum aims to provide comprehensive education rooted in public health principles and practices, generate evidence-based research that influences policy decisions in health sectors, create opportunities for students to specialise in elective areas where Ghana has limited expertise, and produce world-class graduates equipped to make transformative impacts, especially on the health of underserved populations in Ghana and other low- and middle-income countries. The department benefits from a dedicated team of competent, skilled, and experienced practitioners, lecturers, and researchers who readily deliver knowledge and practical skills to students to improve the health and well-being of Ghanaians and beyond, aligning with SDG-3 and employment market needs. Additionally, strong partnerships are maintained with district health directorates near Central University, as well as other health and research institutions, and industry stakeholders involved in health and regulatory sectors for collaborative research, information-sharing, consultancy, and experiential learning. The department aspires to evolve into a School of Public Health in the near future, expanding its scope and impact through the training of ethical and transformative public health practitioners to serve Ghana’s health and allied sectors and beyond.

Degree offerings

The Department of Public Health offers two (2) degrees across its three (3) campuses

  1. Bachelor of Public Health (Epidemiology and Disease Control, Environmental and Occupational Health, Health Informatics, and Public Health Nutrition) – Miotso Campus
  2. Bachelor of Public Health (Health Promotion) – Kumasi Campus
  3. Master of Public Health (MPH) – Christ Temple Campus

Facilities & Labs – practical training spaces and research infrastructure

The Department of Public Health collaborates with other academic Units of Central University, like the Schools of Engineering and Technology (SET), Pharmacy (SoP) and Nursing and Midwifery (SNM), in offering practical computer-based learning, wet laboratory sessions, and laboratory demonstrations in human nutrition for students, respectively.

Partnerships – industry and international collaborations

The Department has signed Memoranda of Understanding with District and Municipal Health Directorates within the University’s vicinity, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and with the support of other Healthcare, Industry and Regulatory sectors, to help in training both the undergraduate and postgraduate Public Health students in experiential learning and Practicums. The Department also partners with the Pan African College of Education (PANCOED) to train public and environmental health officers in Nigeria.

Admission Info – entry requirements, application procedures

General Entry requirements for admission of students

  1. SSSCE Applicants: Credit passes of grade ‘D’ or better in three (3) core subjects – Integrated Science / Social Studies, Core Mathematics, and English Language, in addition to three elective subjects applicable to the elective area of choice.
  2. WASSCE Applicants: Credit passes of grade ‘C6’ or better in three (3) core subjects – Integrated Science / Social Studies, Core Mathematics, and English Language, in addition to three elective subjects applicable to the elective area of choice.
  3. GCE Applicants: Applicants must have credit passes in at least five (5) General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary level subjects, including English Language, Mathematics and one Science subject and at least two passes at GCE A-Level in Mathematics and any other subject. A pass in General Paper is also required. Applicants with GCE O/A levels can choose any elective area.

Specific entry requirements

  1. Science Students who have Credit passes or better in all Core Subjects listed in ‘i’ OR ‘ii’ above, in addition to any three of the following: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Elective Mathematics, enter at L100 and are qualified to select any of the elective options from Level 300:
  2. Epidemiology and Disease Control
  3. Environmental and Occupational Health
  4. Health Information
  5. Public Health Nutrition
  6. Health Promotion
  7. Non-Science Students who have Credit passes or better in all Core Subjects listed in ‘i’ OR ‘ii’ above in addition to any three of the following: Food and Nutrition, General Knowledge in Arts, Economics, Animal Husbandry, Geography, Literature, General Agriculture, Elective Information Communication Technology (ICT), Management in Living, Horticulture, Government, Literature in English, Economics, History, French, Geography, Crop and Soil Science, General Knowledge in Art, Food and Nutrition enter at L100 and can choose any of the following elective options from Level 300:
  8. Environmental and Occupational Health
  9. Health Information
  10. Public Health Nutrition
  11. Health Promotion
  12. Holders of the Awards for Training and Higher Education (ATHE) – UK Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care from Central University enter at L100 and may choose the Health Promotion or Health Informatics options.

NB: ATHE and Foreign Certificates must receive authentication and equivalences from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). Foreign students must have their high school certificates and diplomas translated into English if they are not written in English.

  1. Applicants for advance placement: Holders of two (2) years passes in post SHS Certificate courses in Public Health, Disease Control, Community Health Nursing or Midwifery, Health Assistants Clinical, Environmental Health Assistants, Mental Health, Nutrition, and Health Records Keeping, from the Schools of Hygiene, or Colleges of Health and Well-Being, e.g., Kintampo, or any similarly recognized institution, with at least one (1) year post-completion experience.
  2. May be admitted to L200 and may choose any of the elective options. 
  3. Holders of passes from two – three (2-3) years post SHS Diplomas in Public Health, Environmental Health, Disease Control, or any other related field of study, with GPA of 2.5 or better, from the Schools of Hygiene, or Colleges of Health and Well-Being, e.g., Kintampo, or any similarly recognized institution, with at least one (1) year post-completion experience.
  4. May be admitted to L300 and may choose any of the elective options.
  5.  Holders of passes from First Degrees with a CGPA of 1.0 or better in the Biological, Allied Health, or Biomedical Sciences, Nursing, Health Education, or related fields deemed equivalent by the Admissions Committee, from recognized Universities.
  6. May be admitted to L300 and may choose any of the elective options.

Target Groups

This programme is specially designed to appeal to the following categories of applicants:

  • SSSCE/WASSCE graduates from the Senior High Schools in Ghana or within the sub-region of West Africa.
  • Diploma in Public Health, Environmental Health, or Disease Control and qualifications that may be deemed equivalent by the Admission Committee.
  • Holders of Environmental Health and Disease Control Diplomas from School of Hygiene, Accra and College of Health and Well-Being, Kintampo.
  • First Degree holders in the Biological or Allied Health Sciences.

Foreign applicants must have qualifications equivalent to the above to be considered for admission. Their results must also be translated into English.        

News & Events – updates on seminars, achievements, and projects

The department achieved the following material changes and progress within the last quarter

  1. Received a 5-year Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) provisional accreditation for the BPH (Health Information) programme
  2. Received a panel of GTEC assessors for the reaccreditation of the MPH programme on the Christ Temple campus
  3. Rolled out the BPH programme on the Kumasi campus with the first batch of Level 100 students enrolled
  4. Embarked on a one-day field trip with the Level 300 students for community and stakeholder engagement activities at the Ningo-Prampram Municipal Area
  5. Participated and made a presentation on antibiotic stewardship, resistance, and the adoption of one-health mitigation strategies in Africa during the March edition of the monthly research seminars at the School of Medical Sciences
  6. Faculty members attended an institutional lecture delivered by the Chancellor, a workshop on ‘how to publish in top-tier journals, monthly mental health seminars organised by the University’s counselling and placement centre, and participated in the 6th Ghana Green Building Summit, the Sustainable Financing for Communicable Diseases and Mental Health webinar series on ‘Health Taxes: from Idea to Implementation’, Lymphedema Management Training Programme at the Ningo-Prampram Municipal Area, Healthy Diets for Africa (HD4A) Living Lab Stakeholders Workshop, and a GTEC Assessor’s Certification Programme, among others.
  7. Faculty members published a book chapter and four (4) peer-reviewed research articles in reputable journals, with an additional four (4) accepted manuscripts in press
  8. The Head of Department was invited by GTEC to serve as a panel member for the accreditation of MPH and BPH programme documents of a university.

Faculty Directory – name, rank, academic qualification, designation, department, etc

The programme currently has five (5) full-time faculty members, with one (1) on a two-year Sabbatical leave from the University.

  1. Dr. James-Paul Kretchy, Mphil, Ph.D. (HoD)
  2. Dr. Mrs. Susan Amuasi, MPH, Ph.D. (On Sabbatical Leave)
  3. Dr. Virtue De-Gaulle, MPH, Ph.D. (Lecturer)
  4. Miss Joyce Jnr. Asiamah, MPH (Faculty Exams Officer – Physician Assistant)
  5. Miss Hugette Naa Ayeley Aryee, MPH (Lecturer, CUPHSA patron – Dietitian)

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