Graduate programs
The School of Public Health graduate programs are designed to prepare students for professional work in the fields of community health, health promotion, health management, health policy and aging in a wide variety of settings. Students may also complete a plan of study that prepares them to pursue a doctoral degree in a health-related area.
The School of Public Health offers three graduate degrees, two doctoral programs and one certificate:
1. A Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree in Health Promotion.
2. A Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree in Health Management and Policy.
3. A Master of Arts/Master of Science (M.A./M.S.) degree in Health Studies.
4. The Institute on Aging offers a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology.
5. The doctoral program (PhD) in Community Health is an interdisciplinary course of study designed to provide students with advanced learning in conducting research and developing instructional skills in public health with a focus on community engagement and the social determinants of health.
6. The doctoral program (PhD) in Health Systems and Policy is an interdisciplinary course of study designed to provide students with advanced knowledge, analytic skills, and competencies in conducting research and developing teaching and learning skills in health systems and policy.
Students with a wide variety of undergraduate degrees and professional experience are admitted to the School of Public Health.
Health Studies M.A./M.S.
The M.A./M.S degree in Health Studies is designed to provide students with an interest in physical activity/exercise an opportunity for graduate study. Students must complete each of the common required courses (including the completion of a project or a thesis) as well as courses in the area of physical activity/exercise.
Students applying to the the M.A./M.S. - Health Studies degree should have an undergraduate academic background in a health related discipline. Previous coursework in the biological sciences may be helpful, depending upon the graduate academic plan of study that the student wishes to pursue.
Students pursuing the M.A./M.S. degree in Health Studies must complete at least 49 graduate credits with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher, including a core of 22 credits, and 18 additional credits from the physical activity/exercise concentration and 3 credits of elective to be determined by student and advisor.
All M.A./M.S. students must complete either a thesis or a project. The thesis option requires the completion and defense of a thesis (9 credits), and the project option requires the completion of a project (6 credits).
Requirements
The following courses are required:
Concentration Courses
Common Required Courses
| PHE 511 | Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
| PHE 512 | Principles of Health Behavior I | 3 |
| PHE 520 | Qualitative Research Design | 3 |
| PHE 521 | Quantitative Research Design and Analysis | 3 |
| PHE 530 | Epidemiology I | 4 |
| PHE 576 | Physical Activity, Health, and Disease | 3 |
| PHE 577 | Exercise, Nutrition, and Performance | 3 |
9 credits of thesis
or
6 credits of project
Electives
| | Elective credits determined by student and advisor. | 3 |