Health Sciences

Certificate in Public Health

The Certificate in Public Health provides foundational training in public health principles, epidemiology, health promotion, disease prevention, community health, and environmental health. Students learn public health concepts, disease control, health education, sanitation, community health assessment, and health data management. The programme is designed for individuals seeking entry-level positions in public health or as a pathway to further studies in health sciences.

Students develop competencies in public health principles, disease prevention, health promotion, community health, environmental health, health education, and basic epidemiology. The curriculum covers introduction to public health, epidemiology, health promotion and education, community health, environmental health, disease control, health nutrition, and public health data management. Practical skills are developed through case studies and community health exercises.

Public health is critical to Kenya's healthcare system, with demand for trained personnel in disease prevention, health promotion, and community health. Public health officers work in government health departments, NGOs, community health organisations, and health facilities. Kenya faces ongoing public health challenges including infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and emerging non-communicable diseases. The programme addresses the demand for foundational public health training.

The programme combines classroom lectures with case studies, practical exercises, and community engagement. Students study public health concepts, analyse disease patterns, develop health education materials, and conduct community health assessments. Teaching methods include lectures, case studies, group discussions, and project-based work. The programme emphasises practical understanding of public health challenges and interventions.

Graduates find employment as public health assistants, community health workers, health promotion assistants, or sanitation officers in government health departments, NGOs, community health organisations, and health facilities. The certificate also provides a pathway to diploma and degree programmes in public health at Gretsa University and other institutions.

This programme is ideal for KCSE graduates with an interest in public health, community health, and disease prevention, as well as individuals working in or seeking to enter the health sector. The programme provides foundational skills for Kenya's public health workforce.

Duration: 1 year
Public, up to: Ksh 82,200
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 25 students
Award: Certificate

What you study

10 subjects

Introduction to Public Health
Epidemiology Basics
Health Promotion and Education
Community Health
Environmental Health and Sanitation
Disease Prevention and Control
Public Health Nutrition
Health Data Management
Maternal and Child Health
Occupational Health Basics

Modules

8 in the programme

Introduction to Public Health
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Introduction to public health covering public health concepts, history of public health, the public health system in Kenya, and the role of public health in society.
Epidemiology Basics
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Epidemiology basics covering disease distribution, disease determinants, epidemiological methods, outbreak investigation, and disease surveillance in public health.
Health Promotion and Education
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Health promotion and education covering health behaviour, health communication, health education methods, behaviour change, and designing health promotion programmes.
Community Health
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Community health covering community health assessment, community health interventions, primary healthcare, community health systems, and community health worker roles.
Environmental Health and Sanitation
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Environmental health covering water and sanitation, waste management, food safety, vector control, environmental health hazards, and sanitation in communities.
Disease Prevention and Control
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Disease prevention and control covering communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, immunisation, disease screening, and disease control programmes in Kenya.
Public Health Nutrition and Maternal Child Health
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Public health nutrition covering nutritional assessment, malnutrition, nutrition interventions, and maternal and child health programmes in Kenya.
Health Data Management and Capstone
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Health data management covering health records, health indicators, health data collection, and a capstone project on a public health issue in a Kenyan community.

Specialisations

Community Health
Focus on community-level health assessment, community health interventions, primary healthcare, and community health worker roles.
Environmental Health
Focus on environmental health, sanitation, water safety, food safety, and environmental health hazards in communities.
Disease Prevention and Control
Focus on communicable and non-communicable disease prevention, disease surveillance, immunisation, and disease control programmes.

A day as a student

A typical day combines morning lectures on public health principles or epidemiology with afternoon case study discussions and practical exercises. Students study disease patterns, develop health education materials, analyse community health data, and discuss environmental health issues. Group work involves community health assessments and health promotion planning. The programme emphasises practical understanding of public health challenges and interventions in Kenyan communities.

The trade offs

In its favour

High demand for public health personnel in Kenya's health sector including government, NGOs, and community health organisations.
Provides a pathway to diploma and degree programmes in public health and related health sciences fields.
Directly contributes to addressing Kenya's public health challenges including disease prevention and health promotion.

Against it

The programme is offered at only one university, limiting accessibility.
Senior public health roles require diploma or degree-level qualifications plus professional registration.
Public health work may involve field work in challenging environments and communities with limited resources.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 349 health sciences courses

Public78k to 82k

78k at Kenya Medical Training College (Year 2+)82k at Kenya Medical Training College (Year 1)

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

KMTC 82,200 Y1, 78,000 Y2+/yr (educationnewshub.co.ke). Private: unverified.

HELB loans and NGCDF bursaries are available for eligible Kenyan students. Gretsa University may offer institutional scholarships for qualifying students.

Funding options

HELB Loan
NGCDF Bursary

Scholarships

2 recorded

HELB Loan
LoanKsh 40,000Kenyan
Kenyan students enrolled in certificate programmes at chartered universities
NGCDF Bursary
BursaryKenyan
Kenyan students from respective constituencies pursuing certificate-level studies

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: C-
Alternative entry: KCSE C- (Minus) with C- in English/Kiswahili and Biology/Biological Sciences/Physical Sciences, and D+ in Physics/Chemistry/Mathematics/Home Science/Agriculture/General Science.

English or Kiswahili
C-
Biology or Biological Sciences or Physical Sciences
C-
Physics or Chemistry or Mathematics or Home Science or Agriculture
D+

How you are assessed

3 components

Continuous Assessment Tests
Written examination40% of the mark
Regular CATs evaluating understanding of public health, epidemiology, and community health concepts.
Case Studies and Practical Assignments
Project30% of the mark
Case study analyses of public health scenarios, community health assessments, and health education exercises.
End of Semester Examinations and Capstone Project
Project30% of the mark
Final examinations and a capstone project on a public health issue in a Kenyan community.

Accreditation

Gretsa University is chartered by the Commission for University Education (CUE). The programme is offered under the School of Health Sciences.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education
AcademicRequired
Gretsa University is chartered by CUE.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

4 roles

Public Health Assistant
High demandKsh 20,000 to Ksh 60,000
Assists in public health operations in government health departments or NGOs, supporting disease surveillance, health promotion, and public health programme delivery.
Community Health Worker
High demand
Works at community level to promote health, conduct health education, support disease prevention activities, and link communities to health services.
Health Promotion Assistant
Moderate demand
Supports health promotion programmes in health facilities or NGOs, developing health education materials and conducting community health education sessions.
Sanitation Officer
Moderate demand
Monitors environmental health and sanitation in communities, conducting inspections, enforcing sanitation standards, and promoting safe water and waste management.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates find employment as public health assistants, community health workers, and health promotion assistants in government health departments, NGOs, and health facilities, with opportunities for progression to diploma programmes.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Public health is the same as clinical medicine.
Public health focuses on disease prevention, health promotion, and community health, not individual patient treatment. It is about populations, not clinical care.
Public health is only about diseases.
Public health covers disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, nutrition, maternal and child health, and occupational health — a broad field.
A certificate in public health has limited career value.
Kenya's health sector requires public health personnel at community level, and the certificate provides a pathway to diploma and degree programmes in public health.
Public health workers only work in hospitals.
Public health workers are employed in government health departments, NGOs, community organisations, schools, and occupational health settings, not just hospitals.