Contact Information
- Program Coordinator: Karen Baker | kbaker80@kent.edu | 330-672-2845
- Chat with an Admissions Counselor
Fully Offered
- Delivery:
- Fully online
- Mostly online
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
- Independence (Health Policy and Management concentration only - mostly online)
- Twinsburg Academic Center (Health Policy and Management concentration only - mostly online)
Admission Terms
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
Examples of Possible Careers*
Epidemiologists
- 4.6% about as fast as the average
- 8,000 number of jobs
- $74,560 potential earnings
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
- 20.5% much faster than the average
- 254,000 number of jobs
- $99,090 potential earnings
Medical and health services managers
- 31.5% much faster than the average
- 422,300 number of jobs
- $104,280 potential earnings
Social and community service managers
- 17.0% much faster than the average
- 175,500 number of jobs
- $69,600 potential earnings
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
- 7.3% faster than the average
- 337,800 number of jobs
- $54,180 potential earnings
*Note
Source of occupation titles and labor data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
Description
The Master of Public Health degree in Public Health is designed to help students develop real-world knowledge and skills needed to pursue success in the public health industry.
The Public Health major comprises the following concentrations:
- The Biostatistics concentration prepares students in the quantitative science of health data collection, storage, retrieval, analysis and interpretation. Graduates are equipped to use statistical methods to design and analyze health-related surveys and experiments for improving health. The college’s faculty research interests include applying biostatistical analysis to understand critical health problems. Graduates in biostatistics are in demand at hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, state and local health departments, federal health agencies and biotechnology companies to analyze the effectiveness of new drugs and interventions, identify risk factors for disease and develop effective prevention strategies.
- The Epidemiology concentration prepares students to analyze the distribution and determinants of disease, disabilities and death in populations. Graduates are able to apply quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate disease outbreaks, determine causal relationships between environmental and biological factors, and conduct studies to project health trends in populations. Students benefit from public health faculty research agendas in bio-preparedness, public health surveillance systems, chronic disease, cancer and infectious disease epidemiology. Career opportunities for graduates include research positions in universities, medical schools and pharmaceutical companies; disease prevention specialists in hospitals; and surveillance managers in state and local health departments.
- The Health Policy and Management concentration prepares students to address public health risks and develop effective health services delivery models. This concentration incorporates health services research, health policy analysis and health care planning and management. Given the active research of the college’s faculty in identifying service gaps and in developing evidence-based practices and policy analysis, students emerge with strong skills in health services management, alternative models of service financing and strategies for improving services. Career opportunities for graduates include administrative and management positions in hospitals, clinics, state and local health departments, nursing homes and mental health facilities; policy analyst positions in health planning organizations and governmental agencies; and planning and management positions in health maintenance organizations and health insurance companies.
- The Social and Behavioral Sciences concentration provides students with an interdisciplinary approach to improve health in populations across the life course. Students learn to apply theoretical principles to design, implement and evaluate effective programs that include behavioral and environmental approaches. Graduates are able to design and evaluate public health interventions intended to improve health for families, workplaces, communities and other settings. The active research of the college’s faculty—particularly in the areas of childhood obesity, violence and injury prevention, substance abuse prevention and chronic disease prevention—provides students the opportunity to work on large-scale externally funded prevention research. Students are prepared for careers in health promotion; program design and evaluation; and prevention program development for state and local health departments, workplace health promotion programs, hospitals, international health agencies, mental health centers and non-profit organizations.
Students in the M.P.H. degree have the opportunity to complete a dual degree with the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree. A separate application must be submitted for each program. Students can view admission requirements for each program on their respective catalog page.
Accreditation
The M.P.H. degree in Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
- Minimum 3.000 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000 point scale
- Official transcript(s)
- GRE scores or other standardized graduate admission exam (GMAT, MCAT, LSAT or PCAT)1
- Goal statement
- Three letters of recommendation
- English Language Proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning one of the following:
- Minimum 550 TOEFL PBT score - paper-based version
- Minimum 79 TOEFL IBT - Internet-based version
- Minimum 77 MELAB score
- Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
- Minimum 58 PTE score
- Minimum 110 Duolingo English test score
For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admission, visit the Office of Global Education website.
- 1
GRE scores may be waived, as determined by graduate coordinator, using program criteria.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Explain public health history, philosophy and values
- Identify the core functions of public health and the 10 Essential Services
- Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health
- List major causes and trends of morbidity and mortality in the US or other community relevant to the school or program
- Discuss the science of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in population health, including health promotion, screening, etc.
- Explain the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge
- Explain effects of environmental factors on a population’s health
- Explain biological and genetic factors that affect a population’s health
- Explain behavioral and psychological factors that affect a population’s health
- Explain the social, political and economic determinants of health and how they contribute to population health and health inequities
- Explain how globalization affects global burdens of disease
- Explain an ecological perspective on the connections among human health, animal health and ecosystem health (eg, One Health)
- Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice
- Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
- Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate
- Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice
- Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings
- Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and societal levels
- Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health
- Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs
- Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention
- Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management
- Select methods to evaluate public health programs
- Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
- Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes
- Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
- Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
- Apply principles of leadership, governance and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration and guiding decision making
- Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges
- Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
- Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation
- Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content
- Perform effectively on interprofessional teams
- Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue
Program Requirements
Major Requirement
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| BST 52019 | BIOSTATISTICS IN PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
| EHS 52018 | ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONCEPTS IN PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
| EPI 52017 | FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3 |
| HPM 52016 | PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION | 3 |
| HPM 53010 | COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 3 |
| PH 61199 | INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE | 1 |
| SBS 54634 | SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH BEHAVIORS | 3 |
| Major Electives, choose from the following; | 6-12 | |
Biostatistics (BST) Courses (50000 or 60000 level) | ||
Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Courses (50000 or 60000 level) | ||
Epidemiology (EPI) Courses (50000 or 60000 level) | ||
Health Policy and Management (HPM) Courses (50000 or 60000 level) | ||
Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Courses (50000 or 60000 level) | ||
| Concentrations | ||
| Choose from the following: | 18-21 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 46 | |
Biostatistics Concentration Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| BST 63012 | SURVIVAL ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
| BST 63013 | EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS IN PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH | 3 |
| BST 63014 | APPLIED REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC HEALTH DATA | 3 |
| EPI 63016 | PRINCIPLES OF EPIDEMIOLOGIC RESEARCH | 3 |
| EPI 63034 | LONGITUDINAL DATA ANALYSIS | 3 |
| Culminating Requirement | ||
| BST 60192 | APPLIED PRACTICE EXPERIENCE IN BIOSTATISTICS 1 | 3-6 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 21 | |
- 1
Students may need to register for BST 60292 to complete their applied practice experience requirement; however, credit hours for the course do not apply to the minimum 46 credit hours required for the degree.
Epidemiology Concentration Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| BST 63014 | APPLIED REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC HEALTH DATA | 3 |
| EPI 63014 | EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CHRONIC DISEASES | 3 |
| EPI 63015 | EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES | 3 |
| EPI 63016 | PRINCIPLES OF EPIDEMIOLOGIC RESEARCH | 3 |
| Culminating Requirement | ||
| EPI 60192 | APPLIED PRACTICE EXPERIENCE IN EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3-6 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 18 | |
- 1
Students may need to register for EPI 60292 to complete their applied practice experience requirement; however, credit hours for the course do not apply to the minimum 46 credit hours required for the degree.
Health Policy and Management Concentration Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| HPM 63003 | HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS | 3 |
| HPM 63004 | PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY, LAW AND ETHICS | 3 |
| HPM 63005 | FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS | 3 |
| HPM 63006 | COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS | 3 |
| HPM 63007 | PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS: PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION | 3 |
| Culminating Requirement | ||
| HPM 60192 | APPLIED PRACTICE EXPERIENCE IN HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT | 3-6 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 21 | |
- 1
Students may need to register for HPM 60292 to complete their applied practice experience requirement; however, credit hours for the course do not apply to the minimum 46 credit hours required for the degree.
Social and Behavioral Sciences Concentration Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| HPM 63007 | PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS: PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION | 3 |
| SBS 60002 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES | 3 |
| SBS 60021 | SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE THEORIES | 3 |
| SBS 63008 | GRANT WRITING IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES | 3 |
| SBS 63030 | SEMINAR IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR SCIENCES | 3 |
| Culminating Requirement | ||
| SBS 60192 | APPLIED PRACTICE EXPERIENCE IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES | 3-6 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 21 | |
- 1
Students may need to register for SBS 60292 to complete their applied practice experience requirement; however, credit hours for the course do not apply to the minimum 46 credit hours required for the degree.
Graduation Requirements
- Practicum placement at an approved public health agency under the guidance of a qualified preceptor (150 or 300 contact hours)
- Final portfolio/report and a seminar presentation integrating theory and practice
- Comprehensive written exam
- Participation in at least one approved inter-professional education event; event requires students to participate at a specific time/date to be determined in consultation with the student's advisor