The online, 56- quarter-credit Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree curriculum is designed to be taken as a stand-alone degree or dovetail with Midwestern’s healthcare professional programs, allowing dual degree students to complete most requirements during the didactic years of their professional programs. The stand-alone M.P.H. track is completed over 2 academic years and can be completed in 18 months. The dual degree option may be completed with health professional degrees such as Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Doctor of Optometry, or Doctor of Dental Medicine over a four-year period. The maximum time allowed for completion of the stand-alone M.P.H. degree is three years; the maximum time allowed for completion of the dual degree M.P.H. degree is six years. Students will be notified at the beginning of the final year of requirements to complete the degree and given the option to withdraw. Failure to complete the degree will result in dismissal from the program.
The program includes required and elective coursework; a planned, supervised, and evaluated public health practicum; and a capstone project. Core courses are based on the five foundational public health knowledge domains of epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health science, social and behavioral science, and health policy and management.
The public health practicum, a required component of the M.P.H. degree program, involves participation in a minimum of 160 hours of work at a field practicum site, such as a county or state health department or government agency. For dual degree students, the practicum may be scheduled to coincide with the applicable health professional degree program’s rotation schedule, with the approval of the respective Dean.
The M.P.H. program also includes a capstone project. This requirement may be completed in conjunction with the student’s practicum. Topics may include but are not limited to: developing or evaluating a public health-related program, conducting a community needs assessment, or conducting traditional hypothesis-driven research of a public health nature. Students will produce a formal written report and deliver an oral presentation of their findings to an appropriate audience as defined by the program.
Graduates are prepared to directly enter the field as public health professionals or leverage their public health training to expand healthcare career options in clinical, research, community health, and regulatory medicine settings.