The Master of Science (MS) degree, a minimum of 36 semester credit hours, signifies academic accomplishment in a public health discipline and is available to those who plan careers in academia and research.
Degree Requirements
- Satisfactory completion of a prescribed course of study of at least one (1) academic year and a minimum of at least 36 semester credit hours. A maximum of six (6) credit hours of thesis count toward the minimum of 36 credit hours. If the student chooses to elect a practicum, no more than three (3) credit hours of practicum and three (3) credit hours of thesis count toward the minimum of 36 credit hours. Therefore, at least 30 credit hours of didactic courses other than practicum and/or thesis must be successfully completed;
- Satisfactory completion of PH 101 Foundations in Public Health (online, not-for-credit course);
- Satisfactory completion of one epidemiology course, if one is not already covered in the major area;
- Satisfactory completion of a research thesis; and
- Satisfactory delivery of an oral presentation of their thesis defense. All completed theses will be made available to the general public.
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.
Practicum
The practicum, or applied practice experience, is an application of learning to a “real world” setting. 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. Although not a requirement, MS students are encouraged to include a practicum in their degree plan.
Academic Thesis
Students are required to complete a research thesis deemed by the faculty to be of excellent quality and demonstrate an appropriate depth of knowledge in the field of study. If approved by the student’s advisory committee, a student may elect to include an article of publishable quality consistent with the standards of a peer-reviewed journal. The article is a part of the final submission to the Office of Research and contains all supporting elements of an acceptable research thesis. More information about a student’s advisory committee can be found in the Academic Policies section.
Available Programs:
The School of Public Health offers the following MS program: