Program Overview

Maternal and Child Health (MCHS)

The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) program is an interdisciplinary field that utilizes empirical research, epidemiological data, and policy analyses to understand the factors influencing health behaviors, health outcomes, and the use of health services by mothers, fathers, children, adolescents, and their families. The MCH doctoral program prepares students to advance research, policy, and practice to improve the health, safety, and well-being of these groups, with a particular emphasis on low-income and ethnic minority populations.

Abstract

The MCH doctoral program equips students to address MCH issues at both the family and population levels, focusing on the whole family system and family health policy. Ph.D. graduates in MCH are prepared for academic and research positions in colleges and universities, high-level administrative or research positions in city/county/state
ational health and human service agencies, and leadership positions in nongovernmental and advocacy organizations.

Financial Assistance

Fellowships and Graduate Assistantships are available to students admitted into the Ph.D. program in MCH.

Program Description

The Department of Family Science prepares students to describe, explain, and improve the quality of family life through applied research, education, therapy, human services, policy analysis, and advocacy. The program of study is based on a systems or ecological paradigm, combining the perspectives of interrelated professional fields of maternal and child health, family science, couple and family therapy, family policy, behavioral science, and human services.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• Minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA
• Transcripts from all previous coursework
• English proficiency test score (TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE) for international applicants
• Statement of purpose and objectives, including career and educational goals, professional experience, and research areas of interest
• Response to personal experiences question(s)

Program Specific Requirements

• SOPHAS application and UMD Supplemental application
• Master's degree in a relevant field
• Three letters of recommendation
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• One writing sample (e.g., published manuscripts, undergraduate or graduate theses, research papers)
• Supplemental Application:
  • Personal statement addressing how personal and professional experiences contribute to the social, intellectual, or cultural diversity within a campus community and the discipline
  • Vision for how scholarship will contribute to advancing social justice in the discipline
• GRE scores are not required for this program and will not be reviewed

Application Deadlines

• Domestic Applicants: December 5, 2025 (priority deadline: November 7, 2025)
• International Applicants: December 5, 2025 (priority deadline: November 7, 2025)

Resources

• Program website: sph.umd.edu/academics/doctoral-degrees/phd-maternal-and-child-health
• Application Process: sph.umd.edu/graduate-application-process
• Admissions FAQ: sph.umd.edu/graduate-application-faqs
• Department Graduate Assistantship Policies

Faculty

The faculty members for the Maternal and Child Health program include:

• Patricia B. Barros, Assistant Clinical Professor
• Jessica N. Fish, Assistant Professor
• Marian Moser Jones, Assistant Professor
• Jinhee Kim, Associate Professor
• Amy Lewin, Associate Professor
• Elisabeth F. Maring, Research Assistant Professor
• Mona Mittal, Associate Professor
• Manouchehr Mokhtari, Associate Professor
• Sandra Crouse Quinn, Professor
• Kevin Roy, Associate Professor
• Edmond D. Shenassa, Associate Professor
• Julia Steinberg, Assistant Professor
• Marie Elizabeth Thoma, Assistant Professor

Research Areas

The program focuses on advancing research, policy, and practice to improve the health, safety, and well-being of mothers, fathers, children, adolescents, and their families, with a particular emphasis on low-income and ethnic minority populations.

Facilities and Special Resources

• Center for Healthy Families: a state-of-the-art facility providing clinical and educational services to families from surrounding communities
• Excellent computer facilities and access to the University's extensive library systems, as well as holdings from the Library of Congress, the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, National Archives, and many other library collections.