Through a dynamic curriculum, an applied fieldwork practice
experience and a culminating experience, students
will have various opportunities to develop core public health
competencies and specialize in either
community health or
global health.
All students must complete a total of 45 credits to satisfy the
degree requirements. All students complete 18-credit hours that
cover the core discipline areas of public health (biostatistics,
environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health services
administration, and social and behavioral sciences), 12-credit
hours of concentration courses, 9-credit hours of methods and
evaluation electives, a 3-credit hour fieldwork practice
experience, and a 3-credit hour culminating experience.
The MPH degree can be completed on a full-time basis in two
years (including summer matriculation) or on a part-time basis in
up to five years.
Fieldwork Practice Experience
The fieldwork practice experience is meant to
provide a practical application of knowledge and skills acquired
through the MPH coursework in a real-world setting. All
students complete a 3-credit public health practice course that
pairs didactic learning with an applied fieldwork practice
internship. The Council on
Education for Public Health (CEPH) requires that students
complete a “planned, supervised, and evaluated practice experience”
in a public health agency or organization. Each student is
supervised and mentored by a qualified on-site public health
professional (preceptor). In addition to the applied
fieldwork practice, students attend seminars, complete readings and
assignments and reflect on their practice experience through
journal entries. This course serves as a prerequisite to the
Culminating Experience course.
Culminating Experience
The culminating experience marks the final degree
requirement in which students showcase their mastery of public
health knowledge and skills gained through the coursework and
fieldwork practice experience. The experience requires
students to solidify, synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired
in the classroom and real-world public health practice experience.
In this 3-credit course, students attend regular seminars, plan,
analyze, summarize and present their field practicum experience in
a major written paper and also make a capstone presentation.
Students also complete a portfolio showcasing their mastery of
required competencies.