The MPH is a 44-credit-hour program of study that prepares graduates for careers in the development, implementation and evaluation of programmatic activity in health services organizations.
After completing the course of study, the graduate will have acquired the following competencies as developed and promulgated by the Association of Schools of Public Health Education Committee for the Master's Degree in Public Health:
Discipline-Specific Competencies
- Biostatistics
- Environmental
- Health Sciences
- Epidemiology
- Health Policy and Management
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
Interdisciplinary/Cross-Cutting Competencies
- Communication and Informatics
- Diversity and Culture
- Leadership
- Public Health Biology
- Professionalism
- Program Planning
- Systems Thinking
HAP MPH-Specific Competencies
- Describe the legal and ethical basis for public health and health services.
- Apply the principles of program planning, development, budgeting, management and evaluation in organizational and community initiatives.
- Apply principles of strategic planning and marketing to public health.
- Apply quality and performance improvement concepts to address organizational performance issues.
- Apply “systems thinking” for resolving organizational problems.
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) has stated in its Accreditation Criteria:
For each degree program and area of specialization within each program identified in the instructional matrix, there shall be clearly stated competencies that guide the development of degree programs. Competencies define what a successful learner should know and be able to do upon completion of a particular program or course of study.
These statements describe in measurable terms the knowledge, skills and abilities a successful graduate will demonstrate at the conclusion of the program. The relationship between competencies and learning objectives (the incremental learning experiences at the course and experiential levels that lead to the development of the competencies) should be explicit and aligned with the school’s mission, goals and objectives.
Given that competencies define the nature and content of a program and establish explicit student expectations, they should be widely available to students and prospective students, for example, on the school’s website, syllabi and/or in student handbooks. Competencies should guide the curriculum planning process and should be the primary measure against which student achievement is measured.