2024-2025 Academic Catalog 
    
    Oct 11, 2024  
2024-2025 Academic Catalog

Public Health, MPH


 

Program Description

Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine offers the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree, a graduate program for leaders in public health. The M.P.H. program is founded on the principles of community-academic partnership, with the strength of five Colleges/Schools at Wright State University and participation with health districts throughout southwest and central Ohio. The program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

As Southwest Ohio’s first M.P.H. program, the program is responsive to the educational needs of working public health and other professionals who serve a population of nearly three million residents. Its diverse student body includes in-career professionals, medical students, recent college graduates, and individuals making a career change.

Visit the MPH website at https://medicine.wright.edu/mph

Admissions Requirements

Applicants will apply through SOPHAS.org, the centralized application system for public health, and must fulfill the requirements for admission established by the Graduate School

Additional MPH Requirements for Admissions

Students must submit: (1) a personal statement of interest addressing career goals and objectives; (2) three letters of recommendation from professionals who can speak to an applicant’s professional or academic experience, (3) a current resume/CV, and (4) a completed SOPHAS and Wright State graduate application.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Integrate a minimum of 5 of 27 public health competencies (see attached) within a high quality written product (Capstone project).
  • Identify achievement of CEPH’s 22 public health competencies and the student’s 5 concentration-specific competencies. 
  • Gain or advance employment within a public health discipline.

For More Information

Health Promotion and Education


Program Requirements:


Six foundational courses will be offered and must be completed by all students admitted to the program. Each student will select one concentration area of study and complete a minimum of 18 hours of study in that area. An applied practice experience is typically completed during the second year of study. Each student will work with the applied practice experience course director and a site preceptor. The second component of the applied learning is the integrative learning experience Capstone project. The project will 1) demonstrate synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies by working in consultation with faculty to select foundational and concentration-specific competencies appropriate to the student’s educational and professional goals; 2) produce a high-quality written product that is appropriate for the student’s educational and professional objectives. The Capstone requires a poster presentation.



Program Core and Electives


Health Promotion and Education Concentration Electives

Students completing the health promotion and education concentration are trained to use social and behavioral science to study, develop, and evaluate interventions to promote health, prevent disease and injury, and reduce health inequalities. Graduates develop skills in the implementation of awareness, educational, environmental, and advocacy strategies tailored to populations and community context. Foundational and concentration coursework aligns to the seven areas of responsibilities of the health education specialists (NCHEC), and graduates are eligible to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam.

 

Applied Practice Experience

The Applied Practice Experience (APE) is a supervised applied public health learning experience in which students work within a community organization to support public health efforts that are meaningful to the organization.  A site preceptor in the organization supervises the student to help them learn and to produce work beneficial to the community organization. 

 

Key required features of the APE are: 1) collaborating with the practice site preceptor in identifying a minimum of two (2) public health portfolio products the student will develop in support of the needs of the organization, and 2) achieving a minimum of five (5) competencies, of which at least three (3) must be foundational. 

The APE provides an opportunity for the student to think critically about public health issues and produce relevant products.  The APE may assist in the development of the MPH Integrative Learning Experience (ILE).

Capstone (Integrative Learning Experience)

The Capstone can be completed in one of two options: a thesis like option taking PPH 7991 ILE II as an elective or a non-thesis like option (taking PPH 7990 only).  Each option will culminate in a poster presentation.

 

Key required features of the ILE are: 1) demonstrate synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies by working in consultation with faculty to select foundational and concentration-specific competencies appropriate to the student’s educational and professional goals; 2) produce a high-quality written product that is appropriate for the student’s educational and professional objectives. Capstone requires a poster presentation. Capstone requires a poster presentation.

Total: 42 Hours


Population Health Concentration


Students in the population health concentration have more flexibility to choose public health courses based upon their interests and professsional goals. The population health concentration offers several programs of study to assist students who want to explore a variety of public health topic areas, focus on advanced quantitative or qualitative methods, or ultimately work as public health practitioners.



Program Requirements:


Six foundational courses will be offered and must be completed by all students admitted to the program. Each student will select one concentration area of study and complete a minimum of 18 hours of study in that area. An applied practice experience is typically completed during the second year of study. Each student will work with the applied practice experience course director and a site preceptor. The second component of the applied learning is the integrative learning experience Capstone project. The project will 1) demonstrate synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies by working in consultation with faculty to select foundational and concentration-specific competencies appropriate to the student’s educational and professional goals; 2) produce a high-quality written product that is appropriate for the student’s educational and professional objectives. The Capstone requires a poster presentation.

Program Core and Electives


Population Health Concentration Electives

  • Credit Hour(s): 3
  • Plus take one advanced analytical course, e.g. Public Health Epidemiology II, Advanced Biostatistics for Health Professionals, Applied Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases)
  • In addition to the required concentration courses, take additional 12 credit hours of electives.

Applied Practice Experience


The Applied Practice Experience (APE) is a supervised applied public health learning experience in which students work within a community organization to support public health efforts that are meaningful to the organization.  A site preceptor in the organization supervises the student to help them learn and to produce work beneficial to the community organization. 



Key required features of the APE are: 1) collaborating with the practice site preceptor in identifying a minimum of two (2) public health portfolio products the student will develop in support of the needs of the organization, and 2) achieving a minimum of five (5) competencies, of which at least three (3) must be foundational. 

The APE provides an opportunity for the student to think critically about public health issues and produce relevant products.  The APE may assist in the development of the MPH Integrative Learning Experience (ILE).



Capstone (Integrative Learning Experience)


The Capstone can be completed in one of two options: a thesis like option taking PPH 7991 ILE II as an elective or a non-thesis like option (taking PPH 7990 only).  Each option will culminate in a poster presentation.

 

Key required features of the ILE are: 1) demonstrate synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies by working in consultation with faculty to select foundational and concentration-specific competencies appropriate to the student’s educational and professional goals; 2) produce a high-quality written product that is appropriate for the student’s educational and professional objectives. Capstone requires a poster presentation. Capstone requires a poster presentation.

Total: 42 Hours