Academic Programs Master of Public Health

Mission Statement

The Master of Public Health (MPH) program in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences (BCHS) in the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) is based on a distinct set of theories and practices in the social and behavioral sciences, with a major emphasis on social ecology. BCHS is committed to competency-based education linked directly to the public health core functions as defined in the 1988 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on the future of public health, and in the 2003 IOM report on educating public health professionals for the 21st century. The primary educational mission is the preparation of students for positions of responsibility and leadership in public health practice, research, and training.

This program prepares students for applied public health careers in a variety of public, voluntary, and private community health organizations. Students are prepared to draw upon social and behavioral theories and concepts to assess the health status and needs of populations, to formulate health policy and public health interventions that are informed by social/behavioral theory, and then to use social/behavioral science research methods to evaluate these programs as well as develop recommendations for improvement. The emphasis is on students learning and practicing assessment and research skills in the context of social and behavioral change at the individual, organizational, and community levels.

The Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences has a very diverse student body with a broad range of backgrounds and experience. Some students enter the program directly following the completion of their undergraduate degrees, while others have earned or are in the process of obtaining a degree in a health or health-related profession, or have been employed in the field of public health and are looking to acquire additional formal training. The MPH program attracts students from across the United States as well as many international students.

Objectives

Students in the MPH program will learn to:

  • examine public health problems using social and behavioral sciences theory and information;
  • develop and plan programs and policies to address public health problems;
  • implement, manage, and evaluate programs and policies;
  • conduct community-based applied research to build a knowledge base and gain understanding;
  • communicate information to policymakers and the public; and
  • advocate for program development and policy change.

Career Opportunities

Graduates assume positions in a variety of public health and related organizations, including federal, state, and local governmental organizations, and a range of other public-funded agencies. They are typically responsible for community health planning, and developing, implementing, and managing a range of programming directed to the improvement of the health status of populations. A number of graduates have assumed leadership roles in the global health arena. Examples of positions include:

  • Regional director for a state health department
  • Director of a statewide HIV/AIDS education program
  • Program director with an international relief agency
  • 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

Program of Study

Students have the opportunity to pursue one or more of the following well-defined educational strands:

  • Health Communication and Health Education
  • Program Evaluation and Applied Research Methods
  • Public Health and Aging
  • Maternal and Child Health Services and Women's Health
  • Minority Health and Health Disparities
  • Public Health Preparedness
  • Community-Based Participatory Research and Practice

Certificate programs are available in several of the above specialties.

All master's students complete a set of school core courses, a set of departmental required courses, and at least 4 credits of electives, to meet the 45 credit program.

GSPH Core Courses for BCHS Students

All students must meet the GSPH core requirements:

Principles of Statistical Reasoning
BIOS 2011 (3 credits)

Principles of Epidemiology
EPID 2110 (3 credits)

Public Health Overivew and Discussion
PUBHLT 2014 (1 credit)

Environmental Health & Disease
EOH 2013 (3 credits)

Introduction to Leadership, Policy and Management in Public Health
HPM 2001 (3 credits)

Public Health Biology
PUBHLT 2015 (2 credits)

Capstone Course: Problem-Solving in Public Health
PUBHLT 2016 (2 credits)

BCHS Core Courses

Theories of Health Behavior and Education
BCHS 2520 (3 credits)

Community Health Assessment
BCHS 2563 (3 credits)

Health Communication
BCHS 2504 (3 credits)

Introduction to Applied Research
BCHS 2525 (3 credits)

Community Development Approaches to Public Health
BCHS 2559 (3 credits)

Health Program Planning
BCHS 2522 (3 credits)

Practicum in Applied Social/Behavioral Theories and Methods
BCHS 2503 (2–3 credits)

Master's Essay or Thesis Applying Social/Behavioral Science Concepts and Methods in a Public Health Setting
BCHS 2521 (2–3 credits)

Electives

In addition to the required courses, students will choose elective courses in order to complete the required credit minimum of 45.

Students may use elective credits to enhance their knowledge in a single academic area of concentration by taking classes available on topics such as maternal and child health services, public health and aging, health education, minority health and health disparities, public health preparedness, global health, women's health, evaluation, and community-based participatory research. Certificates are available in some of these areas.

Electives courses include:

Health Survey Methods (BCHS 3002)

Health Program Evaluation Methods (BCHS 2558)

Ethnographic Methods (BCHS 3007)

Demographic Techniques Applied to Health Assessment (BCHS 2561)

Methodological Issues in Behavioral Lifestyle Interventions (EPID 2550)

Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Data Analysis (BCHS 3015)

Overview Minority Health (BCHS 2524)

Mental Health During Emergencies (BCHS 2514)

Research Methods on Aging (BCHS 2541)

Advanced Community Development Strategies in Public Health (course number TBA)

Human Diversity and Public Health Policy, Research and Practice (IDM 2032, BCHS 2568)

Injury Prevention and Control (BCHS 2530)

Dimensions of Aging: Culture and Health (BCHS 2532)

Issues in Long-Term Care Services (BCHS 2533)

Clinical Aspects of Dementia Care (BCHS 2534)

Introduction to Health Services for Mothers and Children (BCHS 2570)

Seminar in Maternal and Child Health (BCHS 2575)

Public Health Approaches to Women's Health (BCHS 2599)

Seminar in Family Planning (BCHS 2562)

Introduction to Population Problems (BCHS 2560)

Integrative Seminar in Public Health Social Work (BCHS 2592)

Elective courses may be taken in other GSPH departments or in other University schools or departments with permission of the academic advisor and when the student can demonstrate sound rationale for doing so.

Joint Programs

BCHS manages four joint programs through which the student earns a master's degree in BCHS and an additional graduate degree in another school.

Master of Public Health/Doctoral Degree in Social Work (MPH/PhD)

A joint program with the School of Social Work allows students to obtain the MPH degree in social and behavioral health sciences and the PhD degree in social work. Students with the Master of Social Work degree may enter the program to obtain only the MPH degree. Students in this joint program must meet the 45-credit requirement for the MPH degree. They are granted, however, 16 credits of advanced standing. Graduates of this program are prepared to assume leadership positions in public health systems or academic settings with a particular focus on maternal and child health.

Coming Soon: Masters of Public Health/Masters in Social Work (MPH/MSW)

Master of Public Health/Master of Public Administration or Master of Public and International Affairs (MPH/MID/MPA)

The program with the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs is a 63-credit program providing training in public administration and/or international development and in public health. Graduates of this joint program will be able to obtain leadership positions in governmental and voluntary organizations providing public health or positions in organizations with an international development and health focus.

Master of Public Health/Doctoral Degree in Anthropology (MPH/PhD)

This joint degree program with the Department of Anthropology in the School of Arts and Sciences allows students to prepare for an academic career that encompasses the interdisciplinary competencies of anthropology and public health. The program meets requirements for the MPH and PhD degrees after completion of 87 credits of course work, including dissertation research.

Prerequisites

Requirements for admission to the program:

Applicants should have an undergraduate quality point average or grade point average of at least 3.0.

Applicants must submit the scores from the general test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), including the writing assessment section. The MCAT may in certain select cases be submitted as a substitute for the GRE scores.

Applicants for whom English is not their first language must submit scores from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).  Students must score a minimum of 213 on the computerized TOEFL (or 600 or higher on the paper-based version), or 5.5 or higher on the IELTS to be eligible for admission. The requirement to take an English test may be waived if the applicant has received a degree from an accredited institution in the United States or from an accredited institution in a country whose national language is English. All students for whom English is not their first language and whose IELTS score is less than 7.0, or TOEFL score is less than  250 (600 on the paper-based test), must take the Test of English Language Proficiency before registering for their first term.

Applicants must demonstrate in their statement of purpose that they have a clear understanding of how the program of study will benefit them in achieving their career goals in the field of public health.

Letters of reference should address the applicant's ability to succeed in a graduate academic program.

Admission to the MPH program is for either the fall or spring term. Applicants wanting to matriculate in the fall term should submit all materials by June 30th; those seeking spring acceptance should submit all materials by October 31st. Applications are reviewed when all required documents have been submitted to the Office of Student Affairs. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Policies and Procedures for GSPH

The MPH program is a 45-credit program that is designed for full-time study, although under certain circumstances students may be enrolled on a part-time basis. Six to twelve (transfer or advanced standing) credits may be awarded for graduate work taken after earning the baccalaureate degree. Transcripts certifying graduate courses completed at another institution prior to admission to the University of Pittsburgh should be submitted with the application for admission. Transcripts certifying graduate courses completed at another institution during the course of study in GSPH should be submitted during the student's graduate program. A minimum of 30 credits must be successfully completed at the University of Pittsburgh.

It is expected that the student will be able to complete most of the course requirements for the MPH in four terms of full-time study. Students not enrolled for at least one credit in a 12-month period must reapply to the program. Acceptance for readmission may be granted but may be with the understanding that the student will meet current program requirements.

A full credit load is 9–15 credits per term. With advance approval, enrolled graduate students may obtain training not available at the University of Pittsburgh and transfer those credits toward the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Pittsburgh, assuming that the total number of transfer (advanced standing) credits does not exceed six. At least 30 credits must be successfully completed at the University of Pittsburgh.

In the event that a student's cumulative quality point average (QPA) falls below 3.0, or if the student fails a core course at any time during the course of study, the student is automatically placed on probation by the MPH Admissions and Student Performance Committee (ASPC) and by the GSPH ASPC. Such a student on probation will be counseled by his or her advisor and be informed in writing of procedures to remove the probation in an appropriate period of time. Typically, students are given two full-time semesters in which to clear the probation. A student may not graduate with a cumulative QPA below 3.0 or a failing grade in a required course.

Students requesting exemption from a GSPH required course must submit the appropriate form with a transcript and syllabus documenting that the subject of the required course was covered in a similar course taken in another school. This form, signed by the student's academic advisor, is to be submitted to the GSPH Office of Student Affairs.

Students requesting exemption from taking a BCHS required course must submit the appropriate form first to the student's academic advisor for a recommendation, then to the instructor of the core course for which exemption is being requested. When appropriate, a syllabus should be submitted with the form.

Supervised Field Experience or Practicum

The supervised field experience, also referred to as a practicum, provides students with a practical public health experience. It is intended that the field placement be a culminating experience, one to which students use the knowledge and skills they have acquired through their studies in order to benefit the agency where they are placed. The supervised field experience is usually completed in the term following two terms of course work. Under some circumstances, the practicum requirement can be met with field work extended for a two-term period. A practicum requirement also might be met by a student assuming extra (unpaid) responsibilities in the student's employment's site or by the student spending nonemployed hours on a special work-related project. Two objectives of this field placement requirement are to fill in gaps in the student's experience and to augment and enrich a developing field of interest in the student. During the course of this field placement, the student may find an interesting area that can lead to a paper/thesis topic. In some instances, students may receive job offers or leads for available jobs following completion of this degree.

Master's Paper/Thesis

The paper/thesis requirement is designed to provide the student with an opportunity to integrate the major components of the GSPH learning experience and to apply the principles of public health to an analysis of a specific topic area. A major goal is to permit the student to relate concepts and principles from the didactic program to experiences encountered during the field placement. The student is expected to demonstrate verbal and technical proficiency in expository writing. Papers are usually from 40 to 50 pages long. The topic must be one of public health significance.

Contact

University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public Health
Martha Ann Terry
Director, MPH Program
222 Parran Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
412-624-5887
materry@pitt.edu

University of Pittsburgh
Graduate School of Public Health
Natalie C. Arnold
Recruitment and Academic Affairs Administrator
227 Parran Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
412-624-3107
narnold@pitt.edu

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