The Master of Public Health (MPH), which is often a terminal degree for the front-line public health worker, is a professional degree program designed to train students to work with organized community efforts in a variety of settings.  The program’s focus is on disease prevention and health promotion among diverse populations. Current and future public health professionals are equipped with the knowledge and skills to organize health programs, engage in health promotion activities, and to undertake health endeavors that address health issues in local, state, federal, and private agencies throughout the nation and abroad. 

Admission Requirements

Applications are accepted for fall and spring semesters. The prferred applicant demonstrates leadership potential in teaching and research as well as a commitment to service focused on creating social policies and driving system changes conducive to good health and well-being. While no specific undergraduate major is required for admission, a record of undergraduate and/or graduate academic achievement and relevant work experience is critical for selection purposes. Applicants are admitted on the basis of letters of recommendation, a personal statement, test scores (GRE, GMAT or MCAT), a resume, and transcripts from all colleges/universities attended.

Admission to Claremont Graduate University  policies and procedures apply.

 

Degree Requirements

The master’s degree program in Public Health (MPH) requires 48 semester units of required and elective graduate study.  Dual degree options in Psychology and Business Administration are also available.  The curriculum is divided into four categories with required units as noted below.

Core Courses                                                                                                                                                    

CGH 300  Theoretical Foundations of Health Promotion & Education (4 units)

CGH 301  Biostatistics (4 units)

CGH 302  Epidemiology (4 units)                                                                                                              

CGH 303  Health Services in the US and Abroad (4 units)                                                              

CGH 304  Environmental and Occupational Health (4 units)                                                                         

CGH 305  Seminar in Grant Writing and Proposal Development (2 units)                              

CGH 306  Supervised Field Training in Public Health (4 units)                                                     

CGH 307  Public Health Capstone (2 units)                                                                                                           

 

Concentration Courses                                                                                                                                  

 Health Promotion, Education and Evaluation

CGH 308  Foundations of Program Planning (4 units)                                                                      

CGH 309  Monitoring & Evaluation of Global Public Health Programs (4 units)                   

CGH 310  Global Health: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (4 units)                                                          

CGH 311  Curriculum and Materials Development (4 units)                                                                         

 

Applied Biostatistics & Epidemiology

CGH 312  Data Analysis (SAS) (4 units)                                                                                                           

CGH 313  Research Methods (4 units)                                                                   

CGH 314  Emerging Chronic & Infectious Diseases Worldwide (4 units)                                 

CGH 315  Statistical Methods for Clinical Trials (4 units)                                                                

 

Leadership and Management

CGH 316  Public Health Leadership (4 units)                                                                                       

CGH 317  Ethics, Human Rights and Cultural Diversity (4 units)                                                  

CGH 318  Management of International Health Programs and Organizations (4 units)    

CGH 319  Current Issues in Global Public Health (4 units)

 

Research Courses

CGH 390 Directed Research (1- 4 units)

CGH 400M Continuous Registration

Masters students have the option to take a Directed Research course in any semester. The course includes work with a member of the graduate faculty in community and global health who is conducting an ongoing program of research.

Elective courses will be directed by the student’s needs and interests and must be approved by the program director.

 

Other Degree Requirements

Supervised Field Training Requirement. The supervised field training requirement offers students the opportunity to observe as well as participate in applying their newly acquired public health knowledge and skills. All students are required to complete an internship in a setting involving public health practice. Typical sites include, but are not limited to, community-based organizations; clinical and school-based settings; and federal, state, local or international public health agencies. All students are expected to participate in at least one internship and enroll in the corresponding course, CGH 306.  Students entering the program with significant public health work experience (i.e., at least three years of employment prior to entry into the MPH program) may apply for a waiver, reducing the number of required hours from 400 to 200.  

Capstone Requirement. The culminating experience, known as the Public Health Capstone (CGH 307), is a requirement for completion of the MPH degree. Through this experience students demonstrate proficiency with public health core and concentration specific competencies. Working with advisement from the Program Director, students select evidence of work in their courses and practice opportunities that have enabled them to master program competencies. Students prepare a portfolio that demonstrates their knowledge and mastery of these competencies.

Academic Advisor. Academic advisement occurs every semester with the program director where students have an opportunity to plan coursework and discuss career options. Students are also encouraged to meet with other MPH faculty members of their selected concentration to discuss their course work, field experience, and plans for the future. All MPH faculty are available to advise and mentor students on research opportunities, community service activities, and career counseling.

Transfer Credit. Students who have completed graduate level work prior to or while enrollment at CGU may transfer in up to 10 units of coursework. The work must have been completed with at least a grade of “B” at a graduate institution accredited by a regionally accrediting body and must be shown relevant to the degree program. Units from a college or university outside the US are only transferrable if those units were not applied toward the bachelor’s degree equivalency. Decisions about the acceptability of proposed transfer credit are made by the Program Director.

Residence Requirement and Time Requirement/Limit. Consult the “Degree Regulations” section of this bulletin under “Master of Arts Degree” for institutional requirements. 

 

Dual Degree Program

Students who wish to pursue an MPH with another masters or PhD degree may find additional information and a description of the dual degree programs in the “Registration and Degree Information” section of this Bulletin.

 

Special Program: Bachelors/MPH

Undergraduate students from the Claremont Colleges may apply to the Bachelors/MPH programs currently being offered in conjunction with Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, Pomona, and Scripps colleges. Once admitted, these students are increasingly exposed to public health courses in the last year of their undergraduate program. With that completed, they then spend an additional year with full graduate status in the MPH Program.