Program Overview

Master of Public Health Program

The Master of Public Health degree is designed for professionals who have already had experience within a health-related field. It is designed to be completed in twelve months of full-time study.

Program Overview

The program has a core curriculum and two options: Medical Laboratory Director and Nurse Epidemiologist. Field experience and a comprehensive examination, rather than a thesis, are required. The program has few elective courses.

Options

• Option I - Medical Laboratory Director: This option provides advanced instruction necessary for laboratory personnel to advance to senior laboratory and supervisory positions.
• Option II - Nurse Epidemiologist: This option provides advanced instruction for baccalaureate degree nurses who wish to be practicing epidemiologists in hospital and related environments.

Prerequisites

Criteria for admission to the program are:

• A baccalaureate degree in nursing for nurse epidemiology option
• A baccalaureate degree in biological science with medical laboratory emphasis for medical laboratory director option
• Minimum GPA of 2.5
• Three letters of recommendation
• Two years of professional experience

Advancement to Candidacy

Criteria for continuation in the program are academically acceptable performance, satisfactory progress in the field experience, and a final comprehensive examination after course work and field experience are completed.

Requirements for the Degree

Total number of units for the degree: 30 units. All students must take the following core curriculum:

• Health Care Management 500: Public Health Principles and Practices (3 units)
• Biology 562: Biometry (3 units)
• Electrical Engineering 407: Biomedical Engineering II (Computer Medicine) (3 units)
• Microbiology 361: Control of Disease Patterns in Communities (3 units)
• Psychology 374: Psychology of Disability (3 units)
• Core Total: 15 units

Option Requirements

Option I - Medical Laboratory Director

• Microbiology 526: Biochemical Diagnostic Procedures in Microbiology (3 units)
• Microbiology 546: Clinical Interpretation of Laboratory Data, and Quality Control Procedures (4 units)
• Microbiology 693: Supervised Independent Study (1-4 units)
• Microbiology 696: Field Experience in Medical Laboratory Supervision (2-4 units)
• Total: 10-15 units

Option II - Nurse Epidemiologist

• Microbiology 425: Public Health and Diagnostic Procedures; Lecture (2 units)
• Microbiology 427: Public Health and Diagnostic Procedures laboratory (2 units)
• Microbiology 693: Supervised Independent Study (2-4 units)
• Microbiology 696: Field Experience in Epidemiology (2-4 units)
• Total: 8-12 units

Elective Courses

For both degree options, a student who wishes to demonstrate prior competence in either a core or option requirement may be permitted to substitute a course(s) in the same or a related area with the approval of both the student's faculty advisor and an instructor of the specific course(s) in which the student seeks to demonstrate his prior competence. Elective courses for the two options may be selected from upper division or graduate courses in microbiology, biology, chemistry, psychology, or business administration, in consultation with the faculty advisor and the advisory committee, to complete the total of thirty units required for the degree.