Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina has announced plans to offer a new bachelor’s degree in public health and a master of public health degree with a concentration in emergency preparedness and disaster management. Once the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges issues final accreditation approval, the new master’s degree will be the first of its kind offered by a historically Black college or university in North Carolina.
“We’re very proud to be the first,” said Provost Stevie L. Lawrence II. “This gives us the chance to expand the great opportunities already in existence in the School of Health Sciences.”
The two degrees build off Winston-Salem State’s existing minor program in public health, which currently enrolls about 70 students. Along with students from the university’s new undergraduate degree, the master of public health program aims to recruit public health bachelor’s degree recipients from other in-state HBCUs such as Fayetteville State University and North Carolina Central University.
“There is a growing need for public health education that is forecast to continue for several years,” said Dr. Lawrence. “Winston-Salem State has a long history of producing productive healthcare professionals and already has established a focused niche in the health science space.”
