MSPH Program of Study

The Master of Science in Public Health (M.S.P.H.) degree is offered by each of the academic departments of the college. The M.S.P.H. provides a focus in research design, data collection, analysis and application of research in public health intended to improve and protect the health of populations. The program is designed for students with good quantitative and/or qualitative skills and an interest in the science of public health and a comprehensive research experience. Students are prepared for research roles in academic or professional public health careers by incorporating epidemiological principles and biostatistical methods with their focus within the core areas of public health.

The M.S.P.H. involves course work in biostatistics and epidemiology and one of the other three core courses. In addition to the core courses, students further focus their skills by completing course work in one of several concentration areas: socio-health sciences, health education, maternal and child health, behavioral health,, health care organizations and management, health policies and programs, environmental health, toxicology/risk assessment, global communicable disease, epidemiology, or biostatistics.

The M.S.P.H. degree is a minimum of 42 credit hours.

Accreditation:
Accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of College and Schools. The College is fully accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health. The M.S.P.H. in Industrial Hygiene is accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

MSPH Degree Competencies

Concentration specific competencies are in addition to the following college wide competencies. Within the context of a specific public health career that emphasizes research activities, the Master of Science in Public Health graduate will be able to:

Critically evaluate scholarly research in public health in terms of scientific rigor, appropriate use of methods and measures, and contribution to science.
Investigate and determine socio-ecological factors that affect the health of a population.
1. Apply statistical reasoning and methods to address, analyze, and solve problems in public health.
2. Apply the study of patterns of death, disease, and disability to the prevention (primary, secondary, and tertiary) of health issues.
3. Apply the principles of systems thinking to program planning, implementation, and evaluation in organizational, community, and policy initiatives.
4. Apply principles of evidence-based public health to assessment and prevention (primary, secondary, and tertiary) of public health issues.
Demonstrate research and evaluation skills pertaining to public health issues.
Apply ethical principles guiding the conduct of research on human subjects.

The M.S.P.H. in Industrial Hygiene is a professional degree program instead of a research degree program and thus follows the M.P.H. degree requirements.