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Public Health
School/College: Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health
Degrees Conferred:
- Master of Public Health
- PhD in Environmental and Occupational Health
- PhD in Public Health with a Concentration in Community and Behavioral Health Promotion
Contents
Related Certificate
Overview
The Zilber School of Public Health offers a Master of Public Health (MPH). The MPH is a professional master's program. This program provides students with a broad understanding of public health practice with specialty tracks currently available in the areas of environmental and occupational health and community and behavioral health promotion. The MPH degree program prepares students for professional public health practice by building practical knowledge and skills, including the applied use of public health research, and program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Students learn to address complex public health challenges, including environmental health risk reduction, teenage pregnancy prevention, and the promotion of healthy social and physical environments. The program has a specific emphasis on health equity, social and environmental justice, and community partnerships.
The MPH curriculum provides basic and elective courses in Environmental and Occupational Health, Community and Behavioral Health Promotion, Public Health Policy and Administration, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics. Knowledge and skills in these core disciplines in public health helps prepare students to analyze information and consider solutions to public health problems at the community, institutional, and societal levels. Cross-cutting competencies are separated into seven categories: communications/informatics, diversity/culture, leadership, professionalism, program planning/evaluation, public health biology, and systems thinking. Courses have been designed to fulfill competencies as outlined by the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH).
Graduate Faculty
- Professors
- Tonellato, Peter, PhD, University of Arizona
- Weinhardt, Lance, PhD, Syracuse University
- Etzel, Ruth, MD, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Peck, Magda, ScD, Harvard University
- Associate Professors
- Cho, Young, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Florsheim, Paul, PhD, Northwestern University
- Svoboda, Kurt, PhD, S.U.N.Y at Stony Brook
- Malcoe, Lorraine Halinka, PhD, MPH, University of California, Berkeley
- Assistant Professors
- Bartholomew, Karla, PhD, JD, MPH, Vanderbilt University
- Harley, Amy, PhD, MPH, Ohio State University
- Kalkbrenner, Amy, PhD, MPH, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Laiosa, Michael, PhD, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University
- Miller, Todd, PhD, University of Maryland
- Ngui, Emmanuel, DrPh, MSc, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Walker, Renee, DrPh, MPH, University of Pittsburgh
- Wang, Helen, PhD, Michigan Technological University
- Yan, Alice, PhD, University of Maryland
Affiliated Faculty
- Associate Professor
- Carvan, Michael III PhD, Texas A&M University
Master of Public Health
Admission
An applicant must meet Graduate School requirements plus the following program requirements to be considered for admission to the program.
- Three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic experience and potential for graduate work in public health
-
Submission of scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within the last five years.
The admissions committee may consider GMAT, LSAT, MCAT scores in place of GRE scores.
These materials will be considered in a holistic admissions process with special attention to ensure a diverse student body.
Prior to the start of classes in the first semester, students will be required to take diagnostic exams with content relevant to Biostatistics to assess their placement in statistics/biostatistics at initial enrollment. These exams will be administered by the Biostatistics division within the School prior to the start of each semester. Students will work with their advisors to choose appropriate coursework and to determine a plan of study. For admitted students who score below the division-set criterion on the diagnostic exam, advisors may suggest one or more prerequisite course(s) to best prepare students to succeed in MPH common core coursework.
Students will specify a chosen track during the application process. Successful applicants to the Environmental and Occupational track will have upper-level chemistry, biology, and mathematics through at least one semester of calculus.
Advisor
The student must have a faculty member to advise and supervise the student's studies as specified in Graduate School regulations. Each student will be assigned a faculty advisor, who will typically be the student’s mentor. The advisor will assist the student in the development of an individual course of study designed to advance the career goals of the student and consistent with SPH accreditation requirements.
Administrative offices of the School of Public Health also have staff assigned on policies and procedures for admission, academic progression, and graduation.
Credits and Courses
All MPH students must develop skills in basic public health concepts and demonstrate the application of these concepts through a practice experience that is relevant to the students’ areas of specialization (or track of study). MPH students will take a common core curriculum of at least 24 credit hours, including a 3–5 credit practice/field experience and a 2 credit culminating experience, as well as a variable number of track-specific credit hours. Students must earn a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 or better to progress, and students must earn a B- or better in all required coursework.
MPH Required Common Core Courses (At least 24 credits)
-
Course Credits -
PH 701 Public Health Principles and Practice 3 -
PH 702 Introduction to Biostatistics 3 -
PH 703 Environmental and Occupational Health 3 -
PH 704 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology 3 -
PH 705 Principles of Public Health Policy and Administration 3 -
PH 706 Perspectives in Community and Behavioral Health 3 -
PH 707 Introduction to Statistical Computing 1 -
PH 790 Field Practice Experience * 3 * -
PH 800 Culminating Experience/Capstone 2 -
TOTAL REQUIRED COMMON CORE CREDITS 24
*Students enrolled in the Environmental and Occupational Health track must take 4 credits field practice experience for a total of 25 credits of required common core courses.
Students will complete 42 – 45 credits as follows:
|
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Required Common Core | 25 cr | Required Common Core | 24 cr | |
| Required Track Core | 5 | Required Track Core | 12 | |
| Biological Environment | 3 | Methods | 6 | |
| Chemical Environment | 3 | Electives | 3 | |
| Built Environment | 3 | TOTAL CBHP Credits | 45 | |
| Electives | 3 | |||
| TOTAL EOH Credits | 42 | |||
See the Master of Public Health Student Handbook for a complete listing of courses.
Field Experience
- PH 790 Field Experience (1-5 credits, Pass/Fail)
- A planned, supervised, and evaluated practice experience related to a student’s track in the MPH program and professional interests. All students enrolled in the MPH program are expected to complete a minimum of 3 credits of practice experience in a government or non-governmental agency or organization (including community-based organizations and other not-for profit agencies) involved in public health activities. Many students may choose to complete their field experience working in participating local health department settings, local federally qualified health centers, or community-based organizations with public health-related programs and services with qualified preceptors.
The over-arching objectives of the practice experience are:
- To help students further develop skills or competencies learned in their coursework by applying them in a public health practice setting.
- To provide a means for acquiring practical skills that are useful to public health professions and that are not available solely through academic instruction.
- To link the classroom experience to the core functions of public health practice and priorities as described in the healthy people 2020 and healthiest wisconsin 2020 plans (or their successors).
- To understand the political, economic, environmental, social and organizational contexts within which public health activities are conducted.
- To gain exposure to an organizational and/or community context for public health activities.
All practice experiences will have the following characteristics:
- Students will enroll in PH 790 Field Experience for 1 to 5 credit hours (65 contact hours being equivalent to 1 graduate credit for a total of at least 200 contact hours).
- Students will complete a minimum of 19 credits of required core courses (PH 701 through PH 707) before enrolling in PH 790.
- Field experience placements will be made in organizations that have a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the UWM SPH that includes a clear description of the expectations of all parties (i.e., school faculty and field placement administrators, students, preceptors that mentor students at the placement site and the placement organization).
- Each student will have a faculty supervisor for the practice experience from the Zilber School of Public Health and a preceptor (mentor) at the placement site. The faculty member, preceptor, and student will discuss and agree upon (through completion of a practice experience “contract”) the learning objectives and other expectations for the field practice experience.
- All parties shall participate in a transparent evaluation of the field practice experience.
Capstone
- PH 800 Capstone/Culminating Experience (2 credits, Pass/Fail), completed in the final year of study
- The capstone seminar offers students the opportunity to integrate their academic and professional work in the MPH through an individual project that will include both written and oral presentation components. The project should relate to the student’s professional and career interests, and the capstone experience “must be used as a means by which faculty judge whether the student has mastered the body of knowledge and can demonstrate proficiency in the required competencies,” according to the Council on Education Public Health accreditation criteria.
Thesis
Not required. See capstone for similar culminating experience.
Comprehensive Examination
Not required. See capstone for similar culminating experience.
Time Limit
The student must complete all degree requirements within five years of initial enrollment.
Public Health (PH) Courses
Courses numbered 300-699 are Undergraduate/Graduate. Courses numbered 700 and above are Graduate only.
- 701 Public Health Principles and Practice. 3 cr. G.
- Examination of fundamental principles designed to improve the health of the public, public health theories, domains, and practices.
- 702 Introduction to Biostatistics. 3 cr. G.
- Development and application of statistical reasoning and methods in addressing, analyzing and solving problems in public health. Prereq: grad st
- 703 Environmental Health Sciences. 3 cr. G.
- Survey of effects environment has on humans, and effects humans have on environment, emphasis on toxicology and infectious disease. Prereq: grad st
- 704 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology. 3 cr. G.
- Description and comparison of the health status of populations and assessment of the underlying determinants of risk factors for disease, injury, and death. Prereq: grad st; PH 702(P) or cons instr
- 705 Principles of Public Health Policy and Administration. 3 cr. G.
- Description of delivery, quality and costs of health care for populations; assessment of structure, process and outcomes of population-based health policies and services. Prereq: grad st
- 706 Perspectives on Community & Behavioral Health. 3 cr. G.
- Philosophical underpinnings, conceptual frameworks, and strategies for the application of behavioral and social science concepts to the goals of public health.Prereq: grad st
- 707 Introduction to Statistical Computing. 1 cr. G.
- Introduction to statistical methods as implemented in SAS, including macros and core statistical analysis functions Prereq: grad st; PH 702(C) or cons instr
- 709 (effective 09/03/2013) Public Health Informatics. 3 cr. G.
- Overview of the rapidly emerging and evolving field of public health informatics - active learning and exposure to new and relevant public health informatics methods, applications, and tools. Prereq: grad st
- 725 (effective 09/03/2013) Theories and Models of Health Behavior. 3 cr. G.
- Examine theories of health behavior targeted to each level of the social ecological model, including historical and public health context. Assess utility of these theories in various domains. Prereq: grad st
- 726 Community Health Assessment. 3 cr. G.
- Introduction to the concepts and techniques of community health assessment; conducting and critically analyzing community assessments. Prereq: grad st; PH 701(P) or cons instr
- 727 Program Planning & Implementation in Public Health. 3 cr. G.
- Systematic approach to planning and implementing public health programs, examining program monitoring, methods of impact assessment, and measuring efficiency. Prereq: grad st
- 728 Program Evaluation in Public Health. 3 cr. G.
- Students design and present research and evaluation plans, receive guidance on developing conceptual frameworks and hypotheses, collecting and analyzing data, and developing program evaluation plans. Prereq: grad st
- 729 (effective 09/03/2013) Survey Research Methods in Public Health. 3 cr. G.
- The application of survey methods with emphases on sampling, survey design and planning, and data collection procedures. Prereq: grad st
- 732 Youth Mental Health Practice for Non Mental Health Professionals. 3 cr. G.
- Examination of mental health principles and practices from a public health professional's perspective, including ethical guidelines, necessary interpersonal skills, and mental health screenings and referrals to services. Prereq: grad st
- 740 Special Topics in Public Health: (Subtitled). 3 cr. G.
- Topics of current interest in public health. May be repeated w/ chg in topic to 9 cr max. Prereq: grad st.
- 745 Developmental Toxicology. 3 cr. G.
- An introduction to the field of developmental toxicology and how environmental contaminants influence vertebrate development, including humans. Prereq: grad st.
- 750 Seminar in Environmental Health Sciences. (Subtitled). 1-3 cr. G.
- Survey of an area in environmental health. Specific credits and add'l prereqs announced in Schedule of Classes each time course offered. Retakable w/chg in topic to 9 cr max.
- 762 Environmental Epidemiology. 3 cr. G.
- Expands upon basic epidemiological principles to tackle current problems in studies of health impacts of contaminants in air, water, food supply, consumer products, and indoor spaces, emphasizing a cross-disciplinary approach. Prereq: grad st; PH 703(P) and PH 704(P) or cons instr.
- 775 Mechanisms of Infectious Disease. 2 cr. G.
- Molecular and cellular means by which microorganisms facilitate infection, withstand or evade immune response, induce damage to host, and ensure transmission to human populations. C L Sci 775 & PH 775 are jointly offered; they count as repeats of one another. Prereq: grad st; lc & la course in medical microbiology
- 790 Field Experience in Public Health. 1-6 cr. G.
- Apply skills learned in the classroom to real world public health problems in a mentored field placement, engaging both faculty and site preceptors. Prereq: grad st; PH 701(P), PH 702(P), PH 703(P), PH 704(P), PH 705(P), PH 706(P), and PH 707(P) or cons instr
- 801 Seminar in Public Health Research. 3 cr. G.
- Immersion in interdisciplinary collaborative approaches to public health research. Prereq: grad st; 1 course in stats/biostats and 1 course in research methods; or cons instr.
- 810 Biostatistics II. 3 cr. G.
- Introduction to modern multivariable statistical analysis, based on generalized linear models. Topics include linear regression, logistic regression, one-way and two-way ANOVA, longitudinal analysis, missing data, and mixed models. Prereq: grad st; PH 702(P) or cons instr
- 819 Social and Environmental Justice in Public Health. 3 cr. G.
- Social and environmental justice perspective on public health problems and concerns. Jointly offered w/ & counts as a repeat of Soc Wrk 819. Prereq: grad st
- 820 (effective 09/03/2013) Maternal and Child Health Foundations, Policy and Practice. 3 cr. G.
- The foundations of MCH, historical context, financing, challenges, and opportunities in advancing MCH at state, national and international level including the integration of men. Prereq: grad st; PH 702(P), 704(P) or cons instr
- 825 Social and Behavioral Science in Public Health. 3 cr. G.
- Overview of the contribution and use of social and behavioral sciences approaches in public health research, policy, planning/evaluation, practice, and interventions. Prereq: grad st
- 990 Research and Dissertation. 1-8 cr. G.
- Original research in any public health discipline Prereq: grad st.
- 999 Independent Study. 1-3 cr. G.
- Independent study on a topic not available as a regular course, directed by a member of the graduate faculty. Prereq: grad st; cons instr.