Program Overview

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Master of Public Health (MPH) Program

The Master of Public Health (MPH) program at Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University is designed to address the growing demand for public health awareness. The program aims to provide students with the skills to advance their careers in public health and protect their communities from recent health challenges.

Overview

The MPH program is a two-year postgraduate degree that covers various aspects of public health, including biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, management in healthcare organizations, social and behavioral sciences, and research methodology. The program is taught by expert faculty members who provide students with a global perspective on rapidly changing public health issues and breakthroughs.

College and Campus

The MPH program is offered by the College of Public Health, located on the Dammam campus.

Track and Level

The program is categorized under the Health track and is a postgraduate degree.

Degree and Gender

The degree offered is a Master of Public Health (MPH), and the program is open to both female and male students.

Years of Study and Credit Hours

The program typically takes two years to complete, with a minimum of 38 credit hours required for graduation.

Additional Requirements

In addition to the coursework, students are required to defend a thesis as part of the program's requirements.

Master of Public Health (MPH) with Specialty

The MPH program offers three specializations:

• Epidemiology
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Health Care Management

Vision and Mission

The vision of the MPH program is to be a leading program in public health education and research nationally and regionally within five years. The mission is to provide advanced public health knowledge, conduct research, and prevent disease, disability, and premature mortality within effective community partnerships.

Admission

Admission to the MPH program is based on the unified rules and regulations for graduate studies at Saudi universities, approved by the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Specific criteria include:

• Graduates of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, applied medical sciences, public health, and different health-related colleges from a Saudi university or other university accredited by the Saudi Ministry of Education.
• Two recommendation letters.
• The applicant has the right to choose their specialization.

Terms for Admission

The applicant must:

• Satisfy the unified rules for acceptance in postgraduate programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's universities.
• Hold a bachelor's degree in a healthcare discipline from Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University or an equivalent degree from other universities recognized by the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Meet the English language proficiency requirement with a minimal IELTS score of 5.5 or equivalent.
• Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25/5.
• Pass a personal interview or any other examination deemed necessary by the program/department.
• Submit evidence of payment for the required tuition fees, which total 100,000 SR, divided into 25,000 SR per semester.

Year Description

The MPH program is a two-year course, with classes and meetings occurring during working hours, five days a week, during semesters. Students must complete all components of the course to receive the MPH degree.

Master of Public Health (MPH) with Specialty

1. Epidemiology

The epidemiology specialization covers courses in:

• Health care management
• Fundamentals of biostatistics
• Fundamentals of epidemiology
• Environmental health sciences
• Social and behavioral sciences
• Introduction to public health
• Epidemiology of chronic diseases
• Advanced epidemiology
• Research methodology in epidemiology
• Epidemiology of communicable diseases
• Applied multivariate regression analysis
• Clinical trial studies
• Ethics in epidemiology
• Epidemiological surveillance and geographic information systems
• Health data management
• Field work for epidemiology
• Thesis (if the thesis system is chosen)
• Elective courses (if the course system is chosen), including:
  • Demograph
  • Nutritional epidemiology
  • Pharmacological epidemiology
  • Cancer epidemiology
  • Infection control
  • Genetic and molecular epidemiology

2. Occupational Health and Safety

The occupational health and safety specialization covers courses in:

• Health care management
• Fundamentals of biostatistics
• Fundamentals of epidemiology
• Environmental health sciences
• Social and behavioral sciences
• Introduction to public health
• Principles of occupational safety
• Principles of occupational health
• Research methods in occupational health and safety
• Work environment health policies
• Occupational toxicology
• Applied biostatistics
• Occupational epidemiology
• Introduction to the science of performance dynamics
• Occupational health laws and ethics
• Field work in occupational health and safety
• Thesis (if the thesis system is chosen)
• Elective courses (if the course system is chosen), including:
  • Advanced occupational toxicology
  • Health promotion
  • Global health
  • Back safety
  • Risk assessment
  • Occupational psychology
  • Managing safety and health in schools
  • Drugs and alcohol in the workplace

3. Health Care Management

The health care management specialization covers courses in:

• Health care management
• Fundamentals of biostatistics
• Fundamentals of epidemiology
• Environmental health sciences
• Social and behavioral sciences
• Introduction to public health
• Healthcare finance
• Public health quality management
• Methods in health services research
• Leadership and organizational behavior
• Public health policies
• Strategic management for health care organizations
• Health care marketing
• Health economics
• Public health ethics and laws
• Field work for healthcare administration
• Thesis (if the thesis system is chosen)
• Elective courses (if the course system is chosen), including:
  • Project management in healthcare
  • Essentials of management consulting
  • Health promotion
  • Health care operations management
  • Health information management and technology
  • Human resource management
  • Health program planning and evaluation
  • Evidence-based public health practices

Study Plan

The study plan for the MPH program includes a detailed outline of the courses to be taken in each semester, with options for specialization in epidemiology, occupational health and safety, or health care management.