Program Overview

Master of Public Health in Global Health

The Master of Public Health (MPH) in Global Health is an in-residence, full-time, day program that requires students to complete a minimum of 63 credits of required and elective coursework, a practicum, and a thesis or capstone as part of their course of study. The program is designed for cohorts of around 45 individuals from around the world, who move through the program together and learn from each other.

Curriculum

The MPH Common Core Curriculum consists of six courses that incorporate student-centered learning strategies and real-world case studies, meeting the Council on Education for Public Health's (CEPH) 22 Foundational MPH Competencies. These courses include:

• Fundamentals of Public Health (PHI 511, autumn, 3 credits)
• Analytic Skills for Public Health I (PHI 512, autumn, 7 credits)
• Analytic Skills for Public Health II (PHI 513, winter, 3 credits)
• Determinants of Health (PHI 514, winter, 3 credits)
• Implementing Public Health Interventions (PHI 515, spring, 4 credits)
• Public Health Practice (PHI 516, spring, 3 credits)

Students have the option to complete Medical Biometry I (BIOST 511, autumn, 4 credits), Epidemiologic Methods I (EPI 512, autumn, 4 credits), and Epidemiologic Methods II (EPI 513, winter, 4 credits) instead of PHI 512.

Global Health Coursework

In addition to the MPH Common Core competencies and coursework, Global Health students will meet five additional global health competencies through the following required coursework for a minimum of 10 credits:

• Problems in Global Health (G H 511, autumn, 4 credits)
• Rethinking Global Health (G H 593, autumn, winter, and spring quarter of a student's first year, 1 credit/quarter or 3 credits total)
• and one of the below courses:
  • Monitoring And Evaluation Of Global Health Programs (G H 531, spring, 3 credits)
  • Responsible Conduct of Research: Global and Local (G H 532, autumn - runs two weeks prior to the start of autumn quarter, 3 credits)

Elective Coursework

Global Health MPH Students are strongly encouraged, and eligible, to take courses from any school or college within the University of Washington as long as the course is not fee-based, the student has met course prerequisites, and there is space in the class. Courses 500 and above are for graduate students.

Practicum

All MPH students complete a Practicum under the guidance and expertise of faculty and site supervisors. The Practicum provides students with hands-on experience in public health practice, allowing for the opportunity to develop and apply certain competencies that can be better developed outside of the classroom. Students are required to complete a minimum of 160 hours (4 credits = 40 hours per credit) on their Practicum.

Integrative Learning Experience (ILE)

Students complete a minimum of nine credits through either a thesis or capstone as their Integrative Learning Experience. Students work closely with a faculty supervisory committee who assist the student in the planning, execution, and write up of the thesis or capstone.

Thesis

A thesis is evidence of a graduate student's ability to carry out independent investigation and to present the results in a clear and systematic form. The DGH MPH Program expects a master's thesis to be of publishable quality, and a benefit to the student author and faculty members on the committee, as well as to the organization and/or community that provided the data.

Capstone

A capstone provides an opportunity for students interested in public health practice to contribute to solving a public health problem in a meaningful, effective, and culturally appropriate way.

Interprofessional Education

MPH students are required to attend a minimum of one interprofessional education session with students from across the health sciences. Students are assigned to small interprofessional teams from nursing, medicine, social work, and public health to actively engage on topics of interest in healthcare and population health.

Concurrent Degrees with MPH in Global Health

Information on degrees that can be done concurrently with the MPH in Global Health is available.