MPH in MCH-Epidemiology Curriculum

The MPH in MCH Epidemiology is offered by both the Community Health Sciences and Epidemiology divisions of SPH. Students may apply to either division; students in both divisions adhere to the same curricular requirements. Regardless of division, the MPH in MCH Epidemiology program expects students to have a strong analytic background as well as an interest in applied epidemiology. If a student is denied admission to the MPH in MCH Epidemiology program and has applied to the Community Health Sciences division, their application will then be referred to the CHS Admissions Committee for review.

Students entering the MPH in MCH Epidemiology track in Fall 2004 are required to take a program which combines courses in Epidemiology with courses in Maternal and Child Health as well as courses in planning, assessment and analytic methods. Student practica must be conducted at a state or local public health agency. Following are the requirements of this program. A suggested MPH MCH Epidemiology Course Sequence for FULL-TIME students is also described.

Electives: Students may also select elective courses in conjunction with their advisor.

NOTE: A student wishing to petition for a waiver for any of these requirements should refer to the CHS Handbook.

 

PhD in MCH-Epidemiology Curriculum

The PhD in MCH Epidemiology is offered by both the Community Health Sciences and Epidemiology divisions of SPH. Students may apply to either division. Regardless of division, the PhD in MCH Epidemiology program expects students to have a strong analytic background as well as an interest in applied epidemiology. Specifically, MCH Epidemiology PhD students are expected to have a baccalaureate and masters degree, at least one of which is in the biological, physical or social sciences, a combined undergraduate/graduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (A =4.0), a TOEFL score of 550, a combined GRE score of at least 1000 (verbal and quantitative), demonstrated dedication and potential for making a contribution to the advancement of public health science and practice in the area of MCH, and demonstrated ability to plan and complete health-related applied research.

Students in the PhD in MCH Epidemiology are required to take a program that combines courses in Epidemiology with courses in Maternal and Child Health as well as courses in planning, assessment and analytic methods. Student dissertations must be conducted in conjunction with a state or local public health agency.

A limited amount of specially targeted federal funding is available for MCH Epidemiology students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

 

School of Public Health Core Course (4 sh credits)
BSTT 401	Biostatistics II	4 sh

 

Major Area (11 sh credits at the 500 level)
CHSC/EPID 545	Reproductive and Perinatal Health	3 sh
CHSC 548	Readings in Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology	2 sh
EPID 501	Advanced Quantitative Methods in Epidemiology	3 sh
CHSC 543	MCH Policy and Advocacy	3 sh

 

Collateral Area (22-26 sh credits with at least 6 sh credits at 500 level)
PA 541 OR a replacement course from below list	Advanced Data Analysis	4 sh
BSTT 440 OR PA 588	Sampling & Estimation Methods Applied to Public Health OR Methods for Analysis of Survey Data	3 sh 2 sh
CHSC/EPID 549 (cross-listed)	Advanced Applied Methods in MCH	3 sh
EPID 404	Intermediate Epidemiologic Methods	4 sh
EPID 406	Epidemiologic Computing (this is a prerequisite for EPID 404)	2 sh
EPID 410 OR EPID 411	Introduction to Infectious Disease Epidemiology OR Introduction to Chronic Disease Epidemiology	2 sh 3 sh
CHSC 434 OR PA 540	Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Public Health OR Research Methods for Public Health Administration	3 sh 4 sh
CHSC 551	Foundations of Public Health Inquiry	3 sh

 

Seminars/Electives (5-8 sh credits plus 32 credits from MPH)
CHSC 595 OR EPID 595 OR EPID 591	MCH Seminar OR Epidemiology Seminar OR Current Epidemiologic Literature	1 sh 1 sh 2 sh
Electives***	Includes Biological Sciences - 1 course (2-3 sh)****	4-6 sh

 

PhD Research (32 sh credits)*
IPHS 599	Reseach in Public Health Sciences

 

* SPH Core Courses - Students who have not taken EPID 403 (3 sh) and BSTT 400 (3 sh) are required to do so.

** Analytic Replacement Courses - PSCH 545: Multivariate Analysis (3 sh); PA 542: Advanced Data Analysis II (4 sh); ED 501: Data and Interpretation in Educational Inquiry (4 sh); ED 503: Essentials of Quantittaive Inquiry in Education (4 sh). Other courses as selected on a case by case basis with advisor's consent.

*** Suggested Electives - One or more of the following courses are strongly encouraged:

CHSC 577: Survey Questionnaire Design (3 sh); CHSC 534: Management Analysis of Qualitative Data (3 sh); CRJ 560: Quantitative Methods and Design (4 sh); ED 502: Essentials of Qualitative Inquiry in Education (4 sh); PA 581: Cross-Cultural Survey Measurement (2 sh); PA 582 Survey Data Collection Methods (2 sh); PA 588: Survey Data Reduction And Analysis (2 sh) ; EPID 510: Advanced Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (2 sh); EPID 520: Genetic Epidemiology (2 sh); EPID 471: Population I (3 sh); BSTT 402: Logistic Regression and Survival Analysis (2 sh

**** Biological Sciences Requirement -- Depending on clinical background, one or more of the following courses are strongly encouraged: HND 510: Nutrition, Physiologic Aspects (3 sh); HND 520: Maternal Nutrition & Perinatal Development (3 sh); HND 522: Adv. In Pediatric Nutrition (2 sh); NuMC 507/508: Scientific Basis for Women’s Health & Perinatal Nursing I/II (2/2 sh); NuSc 214/216: Clinical Pathophysiology I/II (2/2 sh) (NOTE: NuSc214/216 do not qualify for graduate course credit).

 

NOTE: The MCH-EPI prelim will include an in-class EPI exam based on EPID 403 and EPID 404 (EPID 401 for students who entered prior to fall 2004), a 10 day take home analytic project based on EPID/CHSC 549 and EPID 501, and six to nine hours of content/methods questions to be determined by the preliminary exam committee.

Please Also Note: A student can petition to change any of these requirements or replace any one of them with another course. Any required course may be waived on the basis of prior education or experience. If students who waive courses still have 96 credits to graduate, they do not need to replace the waived courses. If students waive courses, but still need more courses to reach 96 credits, they can replace the waived courses with either thesis hours or methods courses. However, preliminary examinations may be taken before completing these replacement credits.