MPH Curriculum

The Master of Public Health degree is a 42 credit program that can be completed full-time or part-time, as a stand alone degree, or as part of a dual degree. The program has also been designed to be completed at an accelerated pace over 12 months by allowing the transfer of up to 12 approved credits towards an MPH degree for dual degree candidates. The MPH degree program follows the guidelines developed for accreditation of community health education graduate programs by the Council on Education for Public Health.  Successful students in the MPH program will acquire mastery in the five core areas of knowledge basic to public health. The 5 core curriculum areas are:

Biostatistics. Collection, storage, retrieval, analysis and interpretation of health data; design and analysis of health-related surveys and experiments; and concepts and practice of statistical data analysis.

Epidemiology. Distributions and determinants of disease, disabilities and death in human populations; the characteristics and dynamics of human populations; and the natural history of disease and the biologic basis of health.

Environmental Health Sciences. Environmental factors including biological, physical, and chemical factors which affect the health of a community;

Health Services Administration. Planning, organization, administration, management, evaluation and policy analysis of health programs; and

Social and Behavioral Sciences. Concepts and methods of social and behavioral sciences relevant to the identification and the solution of public health problems.

MPH Course Requirements (42 credits)
Sample Plans for completing the program.

Core Courses (20 cr.)
PHS 780 Public Health: Principles and Practice (3 cr.)
PHS 785 Health Systems, Management and Policy (3 cr.)
PHS 797 Introduction to Epidemiology (3 cr.)
BMI 511 Introduction to Biostatistical Methods for Public Health (3 cr.)
PHS 740 Health Impact Assessment of Global Environmental Change (3 cr.)
PHS 650 Social and Behavioral Sciences for Public Health (3 cr.)
PHS 781 Introduction to Public Health Seminar (1 cr.)
PHS 787 Field Work Seminar (1 cr.)

Elective Courses (16 cr.)
Elective courses are intended to deepen a student’s knowledge in one or more areas of public health: epidemiology, health policy and administration, methods, biostatistics, global health, communication, environmental health, cultural competence and community health.

Field Experience (6 cr.)
PHS 788* Field Experience (6 cr.)
The field/culminating experience is a 400 hour internship experience designed to integrate public health theory, knowledge and skills in a practice setting resulting in a written report.  Additional information about field experience and related requirements are available on the "Field Experience" page.

Capstone Project (Program Requirement)
The capstone project represents the culmination of a major practice or research activity (i.e., the Field Experience) and consists of a formal written manuscript (Paper) that will become part of the Public Health archives, a formal public presentation open to students and faculty, and an oral defense, consisting of questions by the student’s committee.
 
The nature of the capstone project should be consistent with the career goals of the student, and it should be viewed as a culminating display of ability, demonstrating that the MPH graduate is prepared to become a professional in the field of public health. The excellence in writing and oral presentation requirements reflects competencies that are essential to success in the field of public health. The “manuscript format” for the capstone project is intended to familiarize students with the rigors of preparing manuscripts for professional journals.