About Us

About the UK College of Health Sciences

The mission of the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences (CHS) is to help the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond attain the highest level of health possible. We fulfill our mission by educating the next generation of health care practitioners through education, innovative research, healing and compassionate care.

CHS has a distinguished history of preparing students for successful careers in the health sciences. Our college was among the first of 13 charter schools for allied health in the country. CHS was founded in 1966, with certificate, associate, and bachelor's degrees. We now offer undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as minor and certificate options, across nine health sciences disciplines. At the College of Health Sciences, we are dedicated to educating frontline entry-level practitioners for the allied health disciplines in our college, as well as educating the clinical, educational and research leaders of tomorrow.

Students and Faculty

With more than 1300 enrolled students, 68 plus faculty members, and 71 support staff, our college is advancing its footprint in the Commonwealth and beyond. As the academic programming within CHS continues to excel, admission to our college has become increasingly competitive. This selectivity is reflected in our overall acceptance rate of 22 percent with a retention rate of 88 percent—one of the highest at the University of Kentucky. Our college has the highest four-year graduation rate on campus proving our students start and finish with us.

We remain committed to establishing degree programs that intentionally prepare our graduates for careers in any medical setting or professional school. Our programs in communication sciences and disorders and medical laboratory sciences boast 100 percent first-time licensure pass rates. Our physical therapy and physician assistant studies programs hold 98 percent first-time licensure pass rates.

Workforce demand for our programs is steadily rising, and with it, the need to produce graduates who are confident, competent, and compassionate in their chosen fields. We are exploring multiple avenues to meet these needs. Our first path is through offering new education to impact the growing health care landscape. This is why we developed pre-professional opportunities resulting in increased applications to our college.

Additionally, CHS faculty members have earned national and international reputations for excellence and innovation, and we have strong international programs for both faculty and students. We continue to recruit some of the best and brightest minds across the globe. In 2017, our faculty pool grew 21.4 percent from the previous year.

Because of our academic success, the spirit of discovery at CHS is alive and well. Our faculty, students and graduates are creating new knowledge—contributing to a groundbreaking research enterprise that enhances lives in Kentucky and beyond. Research in the College spans the continuum from basic to clinical science, and we remain within the top 20 in NIH funding for colleges of allied health with more than $5 million grant dollars awarded in 2018.

Alumni

CHS has more than 7,000 alumni providing high-quality care in health care and educational facilities throughout the state, nation, and world. Wherever they serve, they are among the most accomplished, respected professionals in their fields.

Wethington Building

In 2002, CHS moved into the Charles T. Wethington, Jr. Building. This building provides state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms. Housing all of the CHS disciplines within one building provides opportunities for interdisciplinary learning.

History: Paving the Way for Allied Health in the United States

The College of Health Sciences, originally called the College of Allied Health Professions, was one of the first 13 colleges formed following passage of The Allied Health Professions Personnel Training Act of 1966. These schools paved the way for allied health in the United States, and the UK College of Health Sciences remains a leader in graduate education and research.

Other colleges formed at this time include: Boston University, Indiana University, Temple University, and the University of Florida. 

The College of Health Sciences is also among the first colleges within the University of Kentucky system to have a complete distance learning degree program. We began educating Physical Therapy students at the Center of Excellence in Rural Health in Hazard in 1992 and Physician Assistant students in Morehead in 1996. More recently, the Medical Laboratory Science Program was re-established to educate students at the Center in Hazard.