Public Health: Public Health Practice Concentration, M.P.H.

Minimum Totals for Graduation: 48 hours

Public Health is organized efforts in a community to improve the health of its population. It applies systematic and analytic reasoning to evaluate the etiologies of disease and illness causation within a population. The MPH is recognized as the flagship degree in public health. The program at CMU is designed for students with a Bachelor's degree and for working professionals who already have a Bachelor's degree and wish to have a graduate degree. The program explores challenges and problems affecting the population's health, particularly the health of rural and underserved groups, by focusing on areas of study such as epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, rural health, public health leadership, program planning and evaluation, and health policy and management. Students build competencies in understanding the major social, behavioral, cultural, political, environmental, and regulatory factors affecting the health of populations. This understanding enables students to apply specific new and innovative techniques to address the health challenges of rural and underserved populations across the state, country and globally. While the program is not yet CEPH accredited, the curriculum is designed to meet the standards of the accrediting body. The intent is to attain CEPH accreditation.

All students in the program must complete 13 courses, one internship, and a culminating experience.There are two options for doing so, depending on previous experience of students.

Admission Requirements, Retention & Termination Standards

Admission Requirement Snapshot

GPA: 3.0

Entrance Exam: GRE, GMAT, or MCAT

International Deadline: June 1 (Fall) , Oct. 1 (Spring)

See Admission Requirement Details Below

Admission Requirements:

The program reviews all applications and submitted documents in making a determination on admission and makes such recommendations to the College of Graduate Studies.

Bachelor degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. Students must provide official documents including official transcripts of classes completed. Students who have graduated from a Council for Education of Public Health (CEPH) certified program will have priority consideration for admission.
A GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as an undergraduate. Applicants with an overall GPA of less than 3.00 may be considered for regular admission if they have a 3.00 GPA in the last 60 hours of course work. Applicants with an overall GPA of 2.50 to 3.00 and who do not have a GPA of 3.00 for the last 60 hours taken may be considered for conditional admission following the process for conditional admission below.
Resume that includes at least the following:
- Educational experience;
- Professional goals and objectives;
- Work history;
- Professional experiences, memberships, and participation in professional activities.
Statement of Purpose. A personal statement (1-2 pages) describing your reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in public health at Central Michigan University. The statement should include information about your future career plans, or any past or current activities or achievements which are related to your proposed field of specialization including any research or teaching experience you may have had.
Two letters of reference that can attest to the applicant’s ability and likelihood of success in a graduate program.
Submit GRE, GMAT, or MCAT examination scores.
Note: Waiver of Standardized Test Requirement:

The requirement will be waived for students who meet one of the following conditions:
1. Applicants with a Doctorate Degree obtained from U.S. universities or foreign universities listed in the International Association of Universities' World Higher Education Database (IAU WHED).
2. Applicants with a Master's Degree obtained from U.S. universities or foreign universities listed in the International Association of Universities' World Higher Education Database (IAU WHED) with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
3. Applicants with an Undergraduate Degree obtained from U.S. universities or foreign universities listed in the International Association of Universities' World Higher Education Database (IAU WHED) AND:
  1. Applicants with an undergraduate degree with no work experience: Degree obtained with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  2. Applicants with an undergraduate degree with no work experience: Degree obtained with an overall GPA of 3.25 or higher for the last 60 hours provided the overall undergraduate GPA is at least 2.7.
  3. Applicants with an undergraduate degree with at least 3 years professional work experience: Degree obtained with an overall GPA of 2.9 or higher.
  4. Applicants with an undergraduate degree with at least 5 years professional work experience: Degree obtained with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last 60 hours, provided the overall undergraduate GPA is at least 2.7.
Because of the nature of the program and academic content, it is recommended that the applicant have competency in the following areas: math and statistics, biology, and written and verbal skills. Applicants who may not have had such courses or developed these competencies should ensure they develop them prior to starting the program.
TOEFL, IELTS, or other English proficiency exam is required if a graduate is from a non-English speaking country. Applicants must be able to study and communicate in English, and achieve the minimum score required by the CMU College of Graduate Studies. Students who take the IELTS exam must achieve a minimum IELTS overall score of 5.5 for conditional admission or 6.5 or higher for regular admission. Students who take the TOEFL exam must achieve an overall score of 79 (iBT).

For students who may not meet one or more of the admission requirements, a conditional admission may be considered by the program. In such cases the student will need to earn at least a 3.00 GPA during the first nine credits taken in the program. Applicants wishing to be considered for conditional admission will need to submit a rationale for granting such conditional admission which will then be reviewed by the program which has the final authority in making a decision on conditional admission.

Retention Requirements:

Students must maintain a cumulative 3.00 GPA.
Students who may be admitted conditionally must demonstrate during the first semester that they can achieve a 3.00 GPA.
Students who do not maintain a cumulative 3.00 GPA or who have more than two C or C+ grades in foundational or required courses may be placed on academic probation. Continued academic probation in multiple terms will result in dismissal from the program.
Students will be allowed to repeat a course no more than two times in order to improve the grade. Students may not have more than two C or C+ grades in foundational and required courses to graduate. Grades of C- or less do not count for graduation.

Transfer Credits:

Students may transfer into the degree program up to nine credits of course work from another regionally accredited graduate degree program, provided that the student earned a grade of B or better in the course and the course is determined by the Program to be equivalent to courses taught in the degree program. The determination of the Program is final in determining what courses, if any, can transfer.

The MPH courses are sequenced to start in each fall semester of the academic calendar. Students admitted in the spring program should take courses that might not have stringent prerequisites or with the permission of the instructor. In the initial stages, students admitted in the spring semester of the program may be delayed for at least one semester of the expected completion date; this will be offset when classes are taught in each semester.

Program Requirements

Foundational Courses (19 hours)

MPH 640	Biostatistics in Public Health	4(3-1)
MPH 642	Health Education Theories	3(3-0)
MPH 646	Epidemiology for Public Health	3(3-0)
MPH 648	Health Policy and Management	3(3-0)
MPH 650	Biological Basis of Public Health	3(3-0)
MPH 652	Public Health Environmental Science	3(3-0)

Required Courses (14 hours)

MPH 644	Rural Health	3(3-0)
MPH 654	Public Health Leadership	3(3-0)
MPH 655	Program Planning and Evaluation	3(3-0)
MPH 670	Methods in Public Health Research	3(3-0)
MPH 790	Applied Practice Experience	2(Spec)

Required Culminating Experience (6 hours)

Select one of the following:

MPH 796	Integrative Learning Experience	1-6(Spec)
MPH 798	Thesis	1-6(Spec)

Public Health Practice Concentration (9 hours)

MPH 664	Public Health Communication and Informatics	3(3-0)
MPH 666	Substance Abuse Services	3(3-0)
MPH 667	Maternal and Child Health	3(3-0)

Bulletins