Master of Public Health Program Overview
The Master of Public Health program is a 2-year, 48-credit program. The first three semesters usually involve traditional coursework, while the last semester is devoted to a practice-based internship, which includes a special project. The internship rounds out the MPH by providing opportunities to apply many of the skills you’ve learned in the classroom to the real world of public health. Your special project is one undertaking that you complete during your internship. All students present their special projects – both orally and in written report form -- during Public Health Day in the final semester of their programs. These presentations require consideration of your project in the larger context of public health as a cross-disciplinary field and in relation to the competencies expected of all MPH graduates. Faculty, students and preceptors attend Public Health Day presentations and engage in lively dialogue about the students’ projects.
Concentrations
MPH students are admitted into one of six concentration areas, from which the number and type of advanced specialty course credits are determined. The concentration areas are Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Public Health Management and Policy, Public Health Practice, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Graduation Requirements
The major characteristics and graduation requirements of the 48-credit MPH curriculum are:
• One course in each of the five core areas (15 credits)
• Seminar in Contemporary Public Health Issues (1 credit)
• Core Courses in an area of concentration (15-21 credits)
• Elective courses relevant to the chosen concentration and individual career goals (up to 12 credits)
• Public Health Internship (5-8 credits)
• Major paper and presentation (credit assigned through the Seminar in Contemporary Public Health Issues)
MPH Core Coursework
All MPH students take five core public health courses. The core courses in Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Public Health Management and Policy, and Social and Behavioral Sciences are taken by all students. The core Biostatistics course varies across concentration areas. Students in the Biostatistics, Environmental Health, and Epidemiology concentrations must take PHC 6052, Introduction to Biostatistical Methods. All other MPH students must take PHC 6050 Statistical Methods for Health Science I. In addition, all students must take 1 credit of Seminar in Contemporary Public Health Issues and 5-8 credits of PHC6946, Public Health Internship.
The core courses are described briefly below.
PHC 6050—Statistical Methods for Health Science I (3)
Appropriate use of data summarization and presentation of basic statistical
methods, including ANOVA, nonparametric methods, inference on discrete data,
inference on survival data, and regression methods for continuous, binary,
and survival data. Click
here for a full syllabus
PHC 6052--Introduction to Biostatistical Methods (3)
Introduction to the concepts and methods of biostatistical data analysis. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, standard probability distributions, sampling distributions, point and confidence interval estimation, hypothesis testing, power and sample size estimation, one- and two-sample parametric and non-parametric methods for analyzing continuous or discrete data, and simple linear regression. SAS statistical software for data management, statistical analysis and power calculations. Click
here for a full syllabus
PHC 6001—Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health (3)
Overview of epidemiology methods used in research studies that address disease
patterns in community and clinic-based populations. Includes distribution
and determinants of health-related states or events in specific populations
and application to control of health problems. Click
here for a full syllabus
HSA 6114—Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System (3) - This course is designed to familiarize students with basic concepts and ideas concerning the distribution of health and illness, the organization of the health care system and the relationship of one to the other. Definitions of health and illness, as well as the historical context for developments of our health care system are discussed and debated. The course concludes with a discusssion on trends that could impact the health care system in the future. Students should come to class ready to discuss and debate the major themes related to health and distribution od disease, the ability of the U.S. health care system to meet the needs of the population, as well as the policy environment that influences access to health care services. Click here for a full syllabus
PHC 6313—Environmental Health Concepts in Public Health
(3 or 2)
Survey of major topics of environmental health. Sources, routes, media,
and health outcomes associated with biological, chemical, and physical agents
in environment. Effects of agents on disease, water quality, air quality,
food safety, and land resources. Current legal framework, policies, and
practices associated with environmental health and intended to improve public
health. Click here
for a full 3-credit syllabus, Click
here for a full 2-credit syllabus
PHC 6410/formerly 6406—Psychological, Behavioral, and Social
Issues in Public Health (3)
Health behavior from an ecological perspective; includes primary, secondary
and tertiary prevention across a variety of settings; incorporates behavioral
science theory and methods. Click
here for a full syllabus
Concentration Coursework
Each student is admitted to a specific public health concentration area for in-depth study. Each concentration has unique requirements that have been designed to effectively prepare students to become public health professionals in their chosen area of interest. Please select a concentration below to review credit hours and course requirements.
• Biostatistics
• Epidemiology
• Environmental Health
• Health Management and Policy
• Public Health Practice
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
Internship
The concepts presented via coursework are integrated and assimilated through an internship, which provides an opportunity for each student to apply his or her knowledge in a practice setting. A wide range of settings and opportunities may be suitable for an internship. Each internship is individually tailored to assure competence in general MPH and concentration-specific skills and to meet student goals, concentration criteria, and the needs of the agencies involved. The internship is usually completed in the student's final term in the program, and always includes a special project that serves as the basis for a final oral and written report. The internship and the special project must be approved by the student's supervisory committee chair.
PHC 6946—Public Health Internship (5-8) Prereq: Permission
of Instructor.
Fieldwork at approved site. Focus on strengthening competence in general
public health and specialty skills through practical experiences. Includes
a special project which serves as the foundation for a major paper and presentation.
(Register concurrently with PHC 6601 below.) S/U. Click
here for a full syllabus
Major Paper and Public Health Day Presentations
Students are encouraged to engage in many activities during an internship. However, each student must conduct one special project which serves as the basis for a major paper and a presentation. These culminating activities of the MPH program – major paper and presentation -- are intended to encourage students to understand their projects in the larger context of public health as a cross-disciplinary field, and to examine how the project helped to strengthen their competence in general public health and concentration-specific skills. Student presentations are scheduled on one or two Public Health Days near the end of fall, spring and summer semesters. Three faculty members, including the supervisory committee chair, attend each presentation and are responsible for assessing whether the student has successfully demonstrated a broad-based knowledge of the field of public health and depth of knowledge and skill in his/her concentration area.
PHC 6601 – Seminar in Contemporary Public
Health Issues (1)
Integration of public health topics, issues, and skills into a culminating
experience for the MPH program. Required final paper and oral presentation.
(Register concurrently with PHC 6946.) Click
here for full syllabus
For more information on the internship and special project click here.
MPH Competencies
All students in the MPH Program are expected to master a set of competencies during the course of their studies. The competencies that have been selected by the faculty of the College of Public Health and Health Professions are derived from the Ten Essential Public Health Services and they are consistent with recommendations of the Association of Schools of Public Health (www.asph.org).
Click here to review the competencies expected of all of our MPH graduates and the courses that contribute to them.
Our core course learning objectives were adapted, with minor changes, from the competencies that serve as the basis of the public health credentialing examination. Beginning in August 2008, The National Board of Public Health Examiners will offer the first credentialing exam for graduates of accredited schools of public health. Those who pass the exam will be Certified in Public Health (CPH). This is an exciting new development in public health. Click here for up-to-date information about the exam.
