The Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program may be completed as a stand-alone track in 15 months, but it is designed to be completed in two years. The dual degree M.P.H. track in designed to be completed in four years. The dual degree option may be completed in conjunction 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. is three years; the maximum time allowed for completion of the dual degree M.P.H. degree is six years.
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. The online, 56- quarter-credit Master's 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 program includes required and elective coursework; a planned, supervised, and evaluated public health practicum; and a culminating 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 practice 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 course. 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.