Request to revise the Master of Science in Public Health

Date: January 5, 2010
To: College of Health and Human Services
From: Julie Putnam, Administrative Assistant to Faculty Governance
Approved On: December 9, 2009
Implementation Date: 2010

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.

Catalog Copy

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH (MSPH)

The Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) program prepares graduate students through research and practice experiences to apply core principles of public health education within a variety of community settings and to advance the public health profession. Students develop specialized skills to assess health behavior and to design, deliver, and evaluate health promotion and both risk prevention and risk reduction services. Graduates will apply knowledge from the social, behavioral, and health sciences to address and solve pressing public health problems. The program consists of core content courses, practice options, a capstone experience, and a required internship. The program prepares students to provide leadership in a variety of settings including health-related agencies and organizations, hospitals, local and state public health departments, academic research centers and institutes, corporate disease management and wellness programs, non-profit agencies, and healthcare businesses and industries.

The Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) program prepares graduate students to apply core principles of public health education within a variety of community settings and to advance the public health profession. The program values professional and academic integrity and ethics, collegiality, engagement with the community, and responsiveness and innovation in its pursuit of attaining the highest possible standards of health and well-being. Students develop specialized skills to assess health behavior and to design, deliver, and evaluate health promotion, risk prevention, and risk reduction services. The MSPH program consists of core content courses as well as research and practical experiences through a capstone project and a required internship. The program prepares students to provide leadership in a variety of settings, including health-related agencies and organizations, hospitals, local and state public health departments, academic research centers and institutes, corporate disease management and wellness programs, non-profit agencies, and healthcare businesses and industries.

Program Goals

The MSPH program includes instructional, research, and service goals to prepare graduate students through research and practice experiences to apply core principles of public health education within a variety of community settings and to advance the public health profession.

The MSPH Program achieves its mission through a set of complementary and reinforcing instructional, research, service, and diversity goals that reflect the program’s values and provide a framework for defining, assessing, and evaluating both students and the curriculum.

Instructional Goals:
  • Develop student competency in the core areas of public health
  • Provide opportunities for student development as a practice professional
  • Create opportunities for application of knowledge and skills in community health settings
  • Demonstrate community health competencies by completing a capstone thesis or project
Research Goals:
  • Engage students in independent and collaborative health research programs
  • Develop oral and written communication skills to disseminate public health scholarship
  • Prepare students to compete for funding for community health programs and evaluation
Service Goals:
  • Engage students in public health-related activities and programs in the community
  • Involve students in public health program administration

Encourage student involvement in related local, regional, and national professional organizations

Goal 1 (instructional): Provide public health students with knowledge, skills, and abilities to become effective practitioners and researchers through educational activities, a course of study, and related internship experiences.

Goal 2 (research): Develop new knowledge and innovative re-conceptualizations of theories that improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public health services and contribute to the development, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice, with a primary focus on the Charlotte region.

Goal 3 (service): Promote collaborations with community partners and stakeholders through faculty and students, helping to lead the development of the public health profession in the Charlotte region.

Goal 4 (service): Foster participation in local, regional, and national/international organizations that advance the public health profession.

Goal 5 (diversity): Address the health and public health workforce needs of a dynamic, emerging urban environment and its increasingly diverse population.

Additional Admissions Requirements
  1. Acceptable scores on both the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Scores from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) may be substituted for the GRE.
  2. Undergraduate major or coursework that prepares students for graduate work.
  3. Submission of official scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), if English is not the applicant’s native language and he or she has not earned a post-secondary degree from a U.S. institution. Required is either a minimum score of 557 on the paper-based TOEFL, a minimum score of 220 on the computer based TOEFL, a minimum score of 83 on the Internet based TOEFL, a minimum score of 78 percent on the MELAB, or a minimum total score of 6.5 on the IELTS. Applicants from certain countries are exempt from the English language proficiency requirement.
Degree Requirements

The curriculum leading to the Master of Science in Public Health degree requires a minimum of 45 semester hours of graduate credit including 21 hours of core courses, an internship experience (3 credit hours), a capstone thesis (6 credit hours) or project (3 credit hours), the completion of a specialty area (9 credit hours), and electives (6-9 credit hours). While the program can be completed within two academic years (4 semesters), 5 semesters is the expected time to completion for full-time students. Part-time students are expected to complete the program within 5 years (10 semesters).

Core Requirements (21 hours)
  • HLTH 6201 Social and Behavioral Foundations of Public Health (3)
  • HLTH 6202 Community Epidemiology (3)
  • HLTH 6203 Public Health Data Analysis (3)
  • HLTH 6204 Public Health Research Methods (3)
  • HLTH 6205 Environmental Health (3)
  • HLTH 6206 Health Services Administration (3)
  • HLTH 6207 Community Health Planning and Evaluation (3)
Additional Requirements (24 hours)
  • HLTH 6471 Internship (3)
  • HLTH 6900 Research and Thesis (6) OR HLTH 6901 Project (3)
  • Specialty Area (9 hours)
  • Electives (6-9 hours)
Specialty area*
Community Health Practice (9 hours):
  • HLTH 6220 Health Behavior Change (3)
  • HLTH 6221 Community Health (3)
  • HLTH 6222 Methods in Community Health (3)

*Based on student interest, course availability, and program goals, the Graduate Coordinator may approve (in advance) another set of related courses to fulfill the specialty area requirement provided core program competencies are still met.

Assistantships

Positions as a graduate administrative assistant may be available. Research assistantships may be available as well, and are competitively awarded. Students seeking assistantships should contact the Program Coordinator in the Department of Public Health Sciences for additional information.

Internships

The internship is an intensive, supervised experience and is required for all students. Students assume a professional role in a community health setting and demonstrate the ability to apply research and theory in a field-based setting, and to assume leadership roles. Internship experiences are designed and approved in concert with the Program Coordinator or other faculty advisor. Students register for HLTH 6471 (3 hours) during the internship period. Note: A criminal background check and drug screen are among the internship requirements. Students unable to be placed in an internship due to concerns raised by these tests face dismissal from the program.

Capstone Experiences

Each student is required to complete either a capstone thesis or project. In all cases, the capstone experience must be of the student’s own design, demonstrate independent learning, and originate under the supervision of a faculty advisor and at least two additional graduate faculty committee members.

Advising

Upon acceptance into the program an academic advisor is assigned to each student. Students are expected to meet with their advisors on a regular basis to plan their progression through their program of study. The Program Coordinator must approve, in writing, all course substitutions. Each student must also assemble a graduate committee for development and evaluation of the capstone thesis or project. Members of the committee include the student’s thesis advisor and at least two other graduate faculty members who represent major areas of concentration in the student’s program.

Program Certifications/Accreditations

Upon completion of the degree graduates are eligible to take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.

Research Opportunities/Experiences

A range of research opportunities exists in the Department of Public Health Sciences and in the College of Health and Human Services for students to conduct both independent and collaborative research projects.

Tuition Waivers

Tuition waivers are available to some students with assistantships.

Financial Aid/Financial Assistance

Financial aid and assistance is available to qualifying students, which may be accessed through the financial aid office. See the financial information section of this Graduate Catalog for more information on the opportunities that are available, and how to contact the financial aid office.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN COMMUNITY HEALTH

The Graduate Certificate Program in Community Health contributes to the preparation of community and public health practitioners to take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination. The Certificate is also available to students who wish to complement an existing degree in a health profession (for example, nursing or social work), or who wish to explore a career in public health. Completion of the certificate program does not provide admission to the MSPH degree program.

Admission Requirements

Students are admitted to the Graduate School in a special category for certificate programs. See general information on admission to graduate certificate programs elsewhere in this catalog.

Certificate Requirements

The program leading to a Graduate Certificate in Community Health certificate requires a minimum of 15 semester hours of graduate credit including 6 hours of core courses, a restricted elective course (3 credit hours), and two additional elective courses (6 credit hours). Students should plan their program of study in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator.

Core Courses (6 hours)
  • HLTH 6207 Community Health Planning and Evaluation (3)
  • HLTH 6220 Health Behavior Change (3)
Restricted Elective Course (3 hours)

(Choose One Course)

  • HLTH 6201 Social and Behavioral Foundations of Public Health (3)
  • HLTH 6221 Community Health (3)

The remaining six (6) credits are chosen by the student in consultation with the Program Coordinator and faculty from among available departmental offerings. Courses from outside the Department of Public Health Sciences may be substituted with written permission of the Coordinator.

Transfer credits are not accepted in the Certificate program.

COURSES IN PUBLIC HEALTH

HLTH 5120. Mental and Emotional Well-Being. (3) Examines mental and emotional health from the perspective of the health educator�s role as facilitator of mental and emotional wellness (2 year cycle) HLTH 5122. Drugs and Society. (3) Teaching methodology, knowledge and skills for affecting appropriate behaviors through the study of use, misuse and abuse of natural and synthetic chemicals in today�s society (On demand)

HLTH 5124. Safety Through the Life Span. (3) Prerequisite: Consent of the department. Introduction to

accident/injury prevention emphasizing personal responsibility for health care with a focus on psycho-social development and a wellness approach to safety management (On demand)

HLTH 5126. Adolescent Sexuality and Family Life Education. (3) Designed for teachers, counselors, school nurses, administrators and others responsible for family life education programs in school, with focus on adolescent sexuality issues. (2 year cycle Summer)

HLTH 5130. Applied Nutrition for Today’s Consumer. (3) Principles of nutrition, dietary guidelines, dietary relationships to diseases and health, special populations, computerized dietary analysis. (2 year cycle) (Same as KNES 5130)

HLTH 5136. Health Product and Service Consumerism. (3) Teaching methodology, knowledge and skills for affecting appropriate health behaviors through emphasis on the individual consumer at the health marketplace. (On demand)

HLTH 6000. Special Topics. (1-4) Prerequisite: permission of department. Courses in selected topics and advanced studies in public health. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Lecture hours will vary with the courses taught. (On demand)

HLTH 6090. International Comparative Health Systems: Western Europe. (3) Crosslisted as NURS 6090 and SOWK 7090. A two-week study tour to explore the cultures, social, and health care systems outside in Western Europe and to compare them with systems in the United States. Participants will visit a variety of health care sites and attend presentations by practitioners and educators. They will have opportunities to interact with people from the host countries and visit a variety of cultural and historic sites. (On demand)

HLTH 62796101. International Health. (3) Principles and methods of studying international health, including historical background, sources and problems associated with health data, the social context, the role of government and non- government agencies, health in relation to environment and development, international health projects, defining the international health sector, infectious disease problems, and the practice of international health. (On demand Every 2 years)

HLTH 6151. Coordinating the School Health Education Program. (3) Examines the school health education program from the perspective of the school health education coordinator. (On demand)

HLTH 6153. Worksite Health Promotion. (3) Prerequisite: consent of the instructor. An exploration of the practices of promoting health in various settings for a variety of consumers. (On demand Yearly)

HLTH 6155. Health Risk Reduction and Disease Prevention. (3) Personal/professional management of risk factors and lifestyle intervention processes for leading causes of mortality and morbidity. (On demand)

HLTH 6201. Social and Behavioral Foundations of Public Health. (3) Introduction to concepts and theories from the social and behavioral sciences relevant to public health practice and research. Effects of selected social and psychological factors including demographic, socioeconomic and life style indicators on health (Spring Fall)

HLTH 6202. Community Epidemiology. (3) Crosslisted as HADM 6104. Principles and methods of epidemiology including definitions and models of health, illness and disease; modes of transmission of clinically important infectious agents; risk factors and chronic diseases; and insights into existing studies and paradigms of health promotion and disease prevention. (Fall)

HLTH 6203. Public Health Data Analysis. (3) A foundations graduate course designed to develop understanding and skill in data analysis and interpretation in research related to public health. Students will have opportunities to develop basic skills in data analysis, computer use, data interpretation, and the presentation/communication of results. (FallSpring)

HLTH 6204. Public Health Research Methods. (3) An introductory graduate course designed to expose students to the processes and techniques necessary to conduct relevant social and behavioral science research in public health. The course explores the fundamental concepts of research design, sampling, data collection, and data analysis. Students will develop understanding and proficiency in commonly used public health measurement procedures and techniques, and how to estimate the adequacy of those procedures for communities and populations. (Fall)

HLTH 6205. Environmental Health. (3) Contemporary environmental factors including biological, physical, and chemical factors which affect the health of a community. Traditional elements of environmental health, including the control of infectious diseases, toxicology, and environmental health policy and practices at local, state, and federal levels. (Spring)

HLTH 6206. Health Services Administration. (3) Introduction to organizational theory with applications to health care systems, including organizational design and inter-organizational networks and alliances. Examination of communication and leadership skills development, including conflict, labor and dispute management. (Same as HADM 6145) (Fall)

HTLH 6207 Community Health Planning and Evaluation. (3) The use of community and behavioral analysis as a basis for establishing program goals and objectives, for determining appropriate methods to study health-related interventions, for carrying out planned intervention programs, and for evaluating behavioral change outcomes. (Spring)

HLTH 6220. Health Behavior Change. (3). Assessment of psychosocial, cultural and situational factors in the voluntary behavior change process; theories of health behavior. (Fall Spring)

HLTH 6221. Community Health. (3) The nature of communities as social systems. Principles and practices relevant to community health. (Spring)

HLTH 6222. Methods in Community Health. (3) Prerequisite: HLTH 6221. Methods based on the ecological model of health for planning community health interventions including strategies directed at policy, community, institutional, inter- and intra-personal levels. (Fall Spring)

HLTH 6224. Measurement in Health Sciences. (3) Prerequisites: HLTH 6204. The purpose of this course is to educate students on applied measurement techniques used in the health sciences. The skills obtained from this course will be useful in health related program evaluations, testing of models of health theories, development of health surveys, and health needs assessments. It includes an exploration of methods for establishing reliability and validity estimates. (On demand)

HLTH 6231. Advanced Data Analysis in Health Research. (3) Prerequisite: HLTH 6203. Advanced statistical and data analysis techniques used in the health professions. This course is designed to increase students’ abilities to use health-related computer software. (On demand)

HLTH 6260. Analytic Epidemiology. (3) Crosslisted as HSRD 8003. Prerequisite: HLTH 6202 (Community Epidemiology) and permission of instructor. Principles and methods of studying advanced epidemiology, with emphasis on the analytic approach. Includes: advanced techniques in the establishment of disease causation in groups and communities. Such topics as risk assessment, environmental exposures, stratification and adjustment, and multivariate analysis in epidemiology are covered. Emphasis is also placed on quality assurance and control and communicating results of epidemiological studies in professional publications and settings. (Fall Spring)

HLTH 6262. Public Health Data Analysis II. (3) This course provides the foundation skills for advance statistical methods used in the analysis of epidemiological and public health data. The course emphasizes developing advanced data analysis skills using real life data. Topics covered include multiple linear regression, logistic regression, Poison regression, survey data analysis, and survival data analysis. Prerequisite: HLTH 6203. (On demand)

HLTH 6279. International Health. (3) Principles and methods of studying international health, including historical background, sources and problems associated with health data, the social context, the role of government and non- government agencies, health in relation to environment and development, international health projects, defining the international health sector, infectious disease problems, and the practice of international health. (Every 2 years)

HLTH 6346. Evaluation of Community Health Programs. (3) Prerequisite: HLTH 6207 or permission of the instructor. The purpose of this course is to teach students methods for evaluating community health programs. Students will learn and apply various evaluation techniques including formative, retrospective, and monitoring; survey and trend analysis; application of experimental and quasi-experimental design; triangulation of data; and evaluation report development. (On demand)

HLTH 6471. Internship. (3) Prerequisites: Completion of 18 or more graduate credit hours and permission of the Graduate Coordinator. Intensive, supervised experience in the practice of public health in community settings. Pass/No Credit or IP grading only. (Every semester)

HLTH 6600. Seminar in Public Health. (1-6) Prerequisite: permission of department. Seminar in selected current topics and advanced studies in public health. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (On demand)

HLTH 6800. Tutorial. (1-3) Directed study in areas of specialization in public health and related fields. Maximum credit toward degree: three hours. Pass/No Credit or IP grading only. (Every semester)

HLTH 6900. Research and Thesis. (1-6) Prerequisite: Completion of at least 1821 hours of graduate program (including HLTH 6201 through HLTH 62057) or permission. A capstone synthesis course in which the candidate demonstrates independent learning thorough application of public health research skills to solve a problem or hypothesis. The thesis is of the student’s own design conducted under the supervision of an advisor and graduate committee. Pass/No Credit or IP grading only. (Every semester)

HLTH 6901. Project. (1-3) Prerequisite: Completion of at least 1821 hours of graduate program (including HLTH 6201 through HLTH 62057) or permission. A capstone synthesis course in which the candidate demonstrates independent learning thorough application of public health research skills to a problem or opportunity in a community health setting with a target population. The project is of the student’s own design conducted under the supervision of an advisor and graduate committee. Pass/No Credit or IP grading only. (Every semester)