Master of Public Health

The Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, a minimum 45 semester credit hours, is the fundamental professional degree, required by many supervisory and managerial positions in public health and recommended for others.

Degree Requirements

  • Satisfactory completion of a prescribed course of study of at least one (1) academic year and a minimum of 45 semester credit hours. Only three (3) credit hours of practicum and three (3) credit hours of an integrative learning experience count toward the minimum of 45 semester credit hours. Therefore, at least 39 credit hours of didactic courses other than practicum or an integrative learning experience must be successfully completed;
  • Satisfactory completion of PH 101 Foundations in Public Health (online, not-for-credit course);
  • Satisfactory completion of a planned, supervised, and evaluated practicum; and
  • Satisfactory completion of an integrative learning experience that demonstrates a substantial knowledge of public health.

Prescribed Course of Study

Major requirements are listed within the departmental sections of this catalog. Degree requirements may be altered in successive catalogs. Students are bound by the requirements of the catalog in force at the time of their admission or readmission.

Core Requirements for MPH Students

The following courses satisfy the MPH core public health requirement:

PHM 1110LHealth Promotion and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health3
PHM 1690LIntroduction to Biostatistics in Public Health4
PHM 2110LPublic Health Ecology & the Human Environment3
PHM 2612LEpidemiology I3
PHM 3715LManagement & Policy Concepts in Public Health3
PHM 5015LIntroduction to Qualitative Research in Public Health2
Total Hours18

Practicum

The practicum, or applied practice experience, is an application of learning to a “real world” setting and is a CEPH requirement for completion of the MPH degree. All practicums consist of an organized internship at an extramural agency or organization engaged in work related to public health. Alternatively, the practicum may be done intramurally if the project interacts with practice agencies.

Integrative Learning Experience (ILE)

The ILE is a CEPH requirement for completion of the MPH degree. It requires the synthesis and integration of knowledge and skills acquired in the degree program and their application to some aspect of professional practice. An ILE can be completed through one of the following avenues: completion of the department’s Capstone course; completion of an original research thesis; or completion of an independent project. In all ILE options, students investigate public health issues and generate a high-quality written product. If students chose to complete an original re-search thesis, they will be required to follow all standard research thesis procedures.

Available Programs:

The School of Public Health offers the following Master of Public Health programs: