The Master of Public Health (MPH) is a professional degree program designed to train graduates to work with organized community efforts in a variety of settings on disease prevention and health promotion among diverse populations. Often the terminal degree for the front-line public health worker, this program will develop health professionals qualified to organize health programs; to engage in health promotion activities; and to undertake endeavors that address various health issues with local, state, federal, and private agencies throughout the nation and abroad.

See the Addendum  to this Bulletin for updates to this degree program.

University Policies

Policies detailed in the current Policies and General Information Bulletin apply.

Admissions Requirements

Admission requirements are detailed in the Admissions section of the current Policies and General Information Bulletin.

Degree Requirements

Coursework. The MPH requires 44 semester units. Core courses comprise 28 units and 16 units in a specific area of concentration determined by the student’s interests and professional goals.

Supervised Field Training.  Students are required to complete an applied practice experience, which includes at least one internship in a public health practice setting.  This supervised training allows students to immediately apply knowledge and skills gained in coursework.  Typical internship sites include, but are not limited to, the following.

• Community-based organizations
• Clinical and school settings
• Federal, state, or local public health agencies
• International public health agencies
• City government

The number of required field hours is 300. Students entering the program with at least three years of paid public health experience may apply for a waiver to reduce the number of required field hours to 100.

Capstone Requirement.  Students are required to complete an integrative practice experince known as the Public Health Capstone.  Students construct a portfolio that attests to their proficiency and accomplishments in public health foundational and concentration-specific competencies.  In addition, students compose a paper related to their individual field training experience.

Transfer Credit.  The University’s policy on transfer credit applies. The MPH program permits the transfer of up to 10 semester units from prior graduate work completed outside of CGU with advisor approval.

 

School of Community and Global Health (SCGH) Practical Experience Milestone

Students pursing a public health degree (Master of Public Health or Doctor of Public Health) must meet the Practical Experience Milestone by completing an applied practice experience through an internship or practicum within a public health agency (paid or unpaid, for credit or not for credit).

Students must have their milestone approved by the School prior to the submission of their completed Final Approval Form. This milestone is to be completed during the time to degree at CGU (7 years for doctoral students, 5 years for masters students). Students may have a maximum of 4 years of experience for the Practical Experience Milestone.

Interprofessional Education Co-curricular Requirement (IPE)

The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), an independent agency that accredits schools and programs in public health,  requires public that health students meet one foundational competency related to Inter-professional Education (IPE). According to the Framework for Action on Interprofessional & Collaborative Practice: “Interprofessional education occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes.”

CEPH requires that MPH students attain the following competency regarding interprofessional education:

“Perform effectively on interprofessional teams.”

CEPH requires that DrPH students attain the following competency regarding interprofessional education:

“Propose interprofessional team approaches to improving public health.”