Program Overview

Master of Public Health (MPH) in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences

The MPH in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences program prepares students for an applied public health career. In the MPH program, students will learn and apply:

• community-engaged strategies
• social and behavioral concepts to assess the health status of populations
• applied social/behavioral theory
• social/behavioral science research methods to evaluate health promotion programs
• how to communicate with other researchers, communities, and policymakers.

Program Emphasis

The program emphasizes student learning and practicing assessment and research skills in the context of social and behavioral change at the individual, organizational, and community levels.

Requirements

The program requires:

• 45 credits, including coursework, practicum experience, and thesis/essay
• Foundational public health courses
• Advanced courses in health communications, program planning, and health education/health promotion theories
• On-site 200-hours public health practicum experience
• Thesis or essay research in an area of specialization

Career Opportunities

Graduates assume positions in a variety of public health and related organizations. Recent graduates hold positions such as:

• Preparedness training and exercise coordinator for a county health department
• Director of a statewide HIV/AIDS education program
• Program director with an international relief agency
• Health coach for a national health insurance and medical provider
• Evaluation and research director for a regional reproductive health program
• Program officer for a local philanthropic foundation
• Research associate with a university-based applied research team
• Health promotion/education coordinator for the local office of a national prevention and advocacy organization
• Director of a center for rural health
• Research and evaluation specialist for a large urban school district

Degree Programs

The school offers the following degree programs:

• MPH
• MPH/MSW
• BCHS PhD
• MPH/PhD in Anthropology
• MPH/PhD Social Work
• MPH/MID, MPA, or MPIA

Competencies

Graduates will be able to:

• Describe strategies for engaging communities and systems in advancing research and improving health through collaboration, partnerships, and strengths-based approaches
• Synthesize and apply established and novel social and behavioral science methods and tools to advance research and improve population health
• Apply health education and health promotion theories to the development of programs that take into account the context in which they will be implemented
• Develop a mechanism-based causal framework that applies a systems science approach and integrates relevant theory
• Apply modeling and simulation to social processes
• Apply ethical principles to the collection of social and behavioral health data

Recent Essay and Thesis Titles

Recent essay and thesis titles include:

• Exploring Perceptions and Access to Mental Health Care Among Bhutanese Community Members in Allegheny County
• U.S. Black Hair Politics: A Public Health Concern for Black Women and Girls
• Childhood Thriving in Urban and Rural Areas during COVID-19
• Risk and Protective Factors in Men who have Sex with Men and Transgender Women who Inject Drugs
• Food Deserts and Faulty Foundations: How Urban Food Deserts Impact Childhood Development and Education
• Sí Se Puede Con Diabetes Aplicatión Móvil Program Proposal