Overview
The 42-credit accelerated program is designed for working professionals, and it may be completed on either a full- or part-time basis. All professional students must complete 19 credits of core public health course work, 18 credits of coursework from their chosen concentration, 3 credits of Applied Practical Experience, and 2 credits of MPH Capstone. Candidates for this program must possess a terminal degree in a health science field. The 42-credit curriculum has been designed to encourage the development of competence in key public health skills and to meet current standards in the field of public health, Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation criteria, and the college’s mission, goals and objectives.
Eligible Candidates
The accelerated program is limited to health professionals who possess the terminal degree in their fields. This degree is typically at the doctoral level, but for some health disciplines, it may be at the master’s level.
Graduation Requirements
Requirements for graduation from the accelerated MPH program are:
- Core public health coursework (19 credits)
- Core and elective coursework from their chosen concentration (18 credits)
- Applied Practice Experience (3 credits)
- Integrative Learning Experience/Capstone (2 credits)
MPH Core Coursework
The MPH program features an integrated and sequenced core curriculum focused on practical application of skills, and preparing students for the public health workforce. All MPH students take 19 credits of this integrated core. The remaining coursework varies by concentration.
In addition, students must take two credits of PHC 6940 Capstone and three credits of PHC 6941 Applied Practice Experience.
Required core public health courses that all MPH students must take:
- Foundations of Public Health (3 credits)
- Public Health Methods 1: Quantitative Foundations (3 credits)
- Public Health Methods 1 Programming Lab: Statistical Applications (1 credit)
- Social Determinants of Health (3 credits)
- Public Health Leadership (2 credits)
- Public Health Methods 2: Applications for Practice (3 credits)
- Designing & Implementing Public Health Solutions (3 credits)
- Professional Series (ProSeries) in Public Health (1 credit)
Concentrations
- Biostatistics
- Environmental Health
- Epidemiology
- Population Health Management
- Public Health Practice
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
MPH Competencies
All students in the MPH program are expected to master a set of competencies during the course of their studies. The foundational competencies (listed below) are defined by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH, 2024), the accrediting body for public health schools and programs. The concentration competencies (listed in this handbook with each respective concentration) were identified by the faculty of the College of Public Health and Health and are also consistent with CEPH accreditation standards.
Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health
- Apply epidemiological methods to settings and situations in public health practice
- Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
- Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate
- Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice
Public Health & Health Care Systems
- Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings
- Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and systemic levels
Planning & Management to Promote Health
- Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health
- Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique of public health policies or programs
- Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention
- Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management
- Select methods to evaluate public health programs
Policy in Public Health
- Discuss the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
- Propose strategies to identify relevant communities and individuals and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes
- Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
- Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
Leadership
- Apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue
- Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges
Communication
- Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
- Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation to a non-academic, non-peer audience with attention to factors such as literacy and health-literacy.
- Describe the importance of cultural humility in communicating public health content
Interprofessional Practice
Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health
Systems Thinking
Apply systems thinking tools to visually represent a public health issue in a format other than a standard narrative
Our core course learning objectives were adapted, with minor changes, from the competencies that serve as the basis of the public health credentialing examination. In August 2008, The National Board of Public Health Examiners offered the first credentialing exam for graduates of accredited schools of public health. Those who pass the exam will be Certified in Public Health (CPH). Get up-to-date information on the exam.