Program Overview

Public Health, MPH

Overview

The Master of Public Health (MPH) program is designed to build and strengthen the public health workforce, preparing students for new approaches to emerging global and public health issues. The program focuses on prevention and communicable disease, environmental health, public health surveillance, and health management in a context of human rights and cultural understanding. The MPH curriculum was developed in accordance with the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

Admission Requirements

For admission to the graduate program, applicants must:

• Complete an application to the University for admission
• Pay a nonrefundable application fee ($50 domestic / $70 international)
• Hold a Bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university with a GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 undergraduate units
• Submit a current resume
• Write an essay describing professional and educational goals in at least 500 words

Program Requirements

The number of hours required for the MPH degree is 45. The program is only offered in an online format.

• Master of Public Health Core: 27 credit hours
• Prescribed Electives: 15 credit hours
• MPH Practice Experience: 2 credit hours
• Culminating Experience: 1 credit hour Total Credit Hours: 45

Course List

Core MPH Courses

• HCAD 5312: The Health Care System (3 credit hours)
• HCAD 5320: Health Economics and Policy (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5300: Biostatistics (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5310: Environmental Health (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5321: Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5325: Epidemiology (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5335: Public Health Communication (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5340: Planning and Management to Promote Health (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5350: Public Health Leadership and Interprofessional Practice (3 credit hours)

Prescribed Elective Courses

• PUHE 5320: Biostatistics II (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5330: Advanced Biostatistics (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5345: Epidemiology II (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5355: Population Health Research Methods (3 credit hours)
• PUHE 5360: Introduction to Public Health Data Management (3 credit hours)

Culminating Experiences

• PUHE 5100: Culminating Experience (1 credit hour)
• PUHE 5250: Integrative Learning Experience (2 credit hours)

Course Descriptions

• PUHE 5100: Culminating Experience - This course addresses current issues in public health, focusing on the dissemination, synthesis, and application of knowledge acquired through coursework and other public health learning experiences.
• PUHE 5250: Integrative Learning Experience - The scholarly project is one component of the MPH Culminating Experience, where students complete a project demonstrating the synthesis and application of knowledge acquired through coursework and other public health learning experiences.
• PUHE 5300: Biostatistics - This course introduces the selection, use, and interpretation of basic statistical tests and concepts used in addressing, analyzing, and solving problems in public health and healthcare research.
• PUHE 5310: Environmental Health - This course explores historic global environmental disasters, policy, and epidemiologic study designs to characterize the impact of environmental exposures on population health and the environment.
• PUHE 5320: Biostatistics II - This course continues the introduction to biostatistics, covering nonparametric analysis, multiple linear regression, analysis of variance, and introduction to logistic regression. Prerequisite: PUHE 5300.
• PUHE 5321: Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health - This course introduces social and behavioral sciences theories and methods applied to public health problems, covering health inequalities, health behavior, and public health evaluation strategies.
• PUHE 5325: Epidemiology - This course introduces basic epidemiologic concepts used to study health and disease in populations, including measurement, study design, and related statistical tests.
• PUHE 5330: Advanced Biostatistics - This course develops advanced skills in biostatistics, emphasizing applied research in public health and medicine, including multivariate statistical modeling. Prerequisites: PUHE 5300 and 5320.
• PUHE 5335: Public Health Communication - This course introduces communication theories and concepts applied to public health problems, focusing on strategic media use to advance public health policies and health.
• PUHE 5340: Planning and Management to Promote Health - This course introduces students to the field of public health, developing their appreciation of public health's role in promoting health and preventing disease, and understanding of population health principles.
• PUHE 5345: Epidemiology II - This course provides a critical understanding of intermediate epidemiological principles, covering methods and techniques for designing, implementing, analyzing, and interpreting observational studies. Prerequisite: PUHE 5325.
• PUHE 5350: Public Health Leadership and Interprofessional Practice - This course introduces major theories and concepts of leadership, applying them to public health issues requiring leadership, and develops skills for working in teams to collaborate and coordinate services in population health management.
• PUHE 5355: Population Health Research Methods - This course provides an overview of the research process, including literature review, research problem formulation, measurement, and management of variables, selection of a sample, data analysis, and interpretation.
• PUHE 5360: Introduction to Public Health Data Management - This course introduces students to the basics of data management using statistical software packages, emphasizing the management and manipulation of large data sets.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the principles, practices, and applications common to public health promotion and disease prevention, including foundational elements in basic Health Sciences. Students will be able to:

• Employ analytical skills and information technology appropriate to public health
• Utilize community and cultural aspects of public health practice and ethics
• Communicate effectively in the development of public health policies and practices
• Develop leadership and systems thinking skills, including marketing, financial planning, and management, to advance organizational goals and objectives.