Master of Public Health
Vickie Sanchez, Program Director
Physical Therapy Building, Suite 112
Phone: (417) 836-8850
VSanchez@missouristate.edu; http://www.missouristate.edu/mph/
Program Description
The Master of Public Health (MPH) program offers a generalist MPH degree consisting of 42 credit hours. The program’s mission is to prevent disease, promote health, and protect the well-being of the public through education, research and service.
Students gain knowledge in each of the five core disciplines of public health: biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, public health administration, and the social behavioral sciences. The program prepares students to assess community health needs, plan effective health education and health intervention programs, implement and evaluate educational experiences, and conduct public health research.
Graduates of this program will enter public health service as practitioners, administrators, researchers, educators, and consultants in a wide variety of public health settings. Most will be employed in local, state, and national public health agencies, while others will work for non-profit organizations, private agencies, medical facilities, governmental agencies, and educational institutions.
An accelerated option is available for eligible Missouri State University undergraduate majors. Students may apply for preliminary acceptance into the Master of Public Health (MPH) program after admission requirements for the accelerated master's option have been satisfied. If accepted, a maximum of 12 credit hours chosen from approved 600- or 700-level courses may be counted toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees. This option gives exceptional undergraduate students from a variety of majors the opportunity to complete the course requirements for the MPH degree in as little as three semesters and a summer after attaining the Bachelor's degree rather than the typical four to five semesters and a summer.
Contact the Director of the MPH Program for further information and guidelines. Before enrolling in a course to be counted as both undergraduate and graduate credit, an undergraduate student must be accepted into the accelerated program and receive prior approval from the graduate program director, department head of the undergraduate program, and the Dean of the Graduate College.
Entrance Requirements
The Master of Public Health (MPH) program has a competitive admissions process and seeks to admit students who 1) demonstrate the potential to be successful in graduate school, and 2) are committed to the public health profession, as evidenced by their interests, backgrounds and experiences.
Consideration for admission to the Master of Public Health Program requires the following:
- Completion of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.00*;
- A minimum combined score of 297 in the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE);
- Submission of the Graduate College application and related fee;
- A 300-400 word personal statement of professional goals;
- Three letters of recommendation from employers and/or professors (current or recent) that speak to the abilities of the student to succeed in graduate education;
- Voluntary or salaried post-baccalaureate work experience (equivalent to 1 year full-time) in one or more health or social service settings is highly desirable but not required; and
- International applicants for whom English is not the native language are required to submit minimum scores of 550 on the paper-based, or a comparable score of 213 on the computer-based test, on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Application Deadlines
All application materials must be received by the following deadlines: Fall admission - April 1; Spring admission - October 1. Applicants are encouraged to begin the process at least 4 weeks (6 weeks for international applicants) prior to the deadline to ensure all supporting materials are received on time.
Admission Procedures
The personal statement of professional goals, and letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the MPH Program office. Note: Letters of recommendation are to be sent directly from the recommender(s) or, if sent with the letter of application, must be individually sealed with signature across envelope flap.
All other application materials are to be sent directly to the Graduate College (for domestic applicants) or International Services (for international applicants).
Degree Requirements
The MPH program requires completion of 42 credit hours and includes the following:
Public Health Core Courses (15 hrs)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PBH 720 | Epidemiology | 3 hrs |
| PBH 730 | Biostatistics for Health Sciences | 3 hrs |
| PBH 740 | Health Behavior | 3 hrs |
| PBH 745 | Environmental Health | 3 hrs |
| PBH 775 | Principles and Skills of Public Health Administration | 3 hrs |
Other Required Courses (15 hrs)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PBH 735 | Software Applications and Data Sources in Public Health | 3 hrs |
| PBH 756 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 hrs |
| PBH 760 | Research Methods in Public Heath | 3 hrs |
| PBH 783 | International Health and Infectious Disease | 3 hrs |
| MGT 701 | Health Services Organization | 3 hrs |
Elective Courses (6 hrs*)
*Select two courses with consent of program advisor
| Course Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HLH 750 | Programming Approaches in Wellness/Health Promotion | 3 hrs |
| HLH 752 | Health Risk Identification and Management | 3 hrs |
| MTH 647 | Applied Regression Analysis | 3 hrs |
| PBH 781 | Public Health Preparedness | 3 hrs |
| PBH 778 | Chronic Disease Epidemiology | 3 hrs |
| PBH 785 | Seminar in Public Health (may be repeated for credit) | 3 hrs |
| PBH 790 | Independent Study in Public Health | 3 hrs |
| PLS 754 | Seminar in Health Policy | 3 hrs |
Field and Capstone Experience (6 hrs)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PBH 798 | Public Health Field Experience | 6 hrs |
| PBH 799 and PBH 798 |
Capstone Project in Public Health and Public Health Field Experience |
3 hrs and 3 hrs |
Core Course Examination
After satisfactory completion of all required core courses, and not later than the second to last semester, all students are required to pass a written examination that assesses knowledge and skills in the program core competencies. The items on this exam will cover content from the core areas of study in biostatistics, epidemiology, health behavior, environmental health, and health services administration. Student who fail are limited to one additional attempt to take the exam.
Field Experience
All students are required to complete a practical experience in an approved public health setting under the mentorship of a faculty member and the supervision of an on-site public health professional. A minimum of 200 contact hours per three (3) credit hours must be completed, and a written portfolio must be submitted in the required format at the completion of the field experience.
In order to qualify for the Public Health Field Experience, students must have successfully completed 33 credit hours, including all public health core and other required courses and passed the core course examination. The Field Experience must be approved by the field experience faculty supervisor and the Program Director to ensure site acceptability. The only curricular practical training that will be approved is the PBH 798 course. No external research at other institutions will be approved for curricular practical training during the completion of the MPH program.
Culminating Experience
As the culminating experience, students in the MPH program are required to complete a capstone project via:
1. PBH 799 - Capstone Project in Public Health - for students who opt for the 3-credit hour field experience;
or
2. A field experience project for students who opt for the 6-credit hour field experience.
The capstone project requires students to synthesize and integrate advanced knowledge and skills acquired in the program and to apply those to some aspect of public health.
Some aspect of the culminating experience must be original, whether it is the topic itself, an analysis of newly collected or extant data, the reinterpretation of others' findings, or the design and completion of a community project. At its completion, students submit a written report and make a formal presentation to an audience of faculty, students, and practitioners.
Retention and Readmission to the Program
Admission to the MPH program is through a competitive admissions process with only a limited number of students admitted each year. Students who leave the program will be required to apply for readmission. Applications for readmission will be reviewed by the MPH admission, progression and graduate (APG) committee. Previous enrollment does not guarantee readmission. The student’s readmission will depend on where the student places in the competitive enrollment process.
All students must enroll in at least one credit hour each fall and spring semesters until graduation to remain in the MPH program. International students must comply with program and International Services policies. Students who do not meet minimum requirements will be dropped from the program and will have to reapply to the MPH APG committee for permission to return to the program. Students have a maximum of five years to complete the program. Students who exceed this time period must seek an extension through the APG. All other retention policies are defined by the Graduate College.