UIC School of Public Health Student Handbook 2008-2009

Joint Degrees

Medicine

	Joint Degree Program – MD / MPH
Length of Program	5 years
Final Degrees Awarded	MD / MPH
Admission Requirements	·      Must apply and be accepted to both College of Medicine and School of Public Health ·      Apply for joint degree program at outset of training (for MPH, designate Summer as entry term) ·      School of Public Health applicants must select one of the following divisions: 1.     Community Health Sciences 2.     Epidemiology and Biostatistics 3.     Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Health Policy and Administration
Program Requirements	All students must satisfy the requirements for both the MD and MPH programs.
	Medicine	School of Public Health
	·      Students must satisfy 4 years of required Medical Degree program of study http://chicago.medicine.uic.edu	·      Students must satisfy requirements of MPH Professional Enhancement Program (PEP) in their chosen division (min 42 semester hours) http://www.uic.edu/sph/degrees_mph.htm#program 1.     Community Health Sciences Epidemiology and Biostatistics 2.     Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences 3.     Health Policy and Administration
Program of Study                                         Program of Study (continued)	Joint degree students are admitted simultaneously and may begin their public health coursework during the Summer before their M1 year. Concurrent public health course work during the M1 through M3 years is discouraged. However, SPH night or computer courses might be allowed at the discretion of the advisors (subject to approval of the COM program governing body or Senior Associate Dean and the SPH Associate Dean for Academic Affairs) for select students who have established excellent academic standing in both the College of Medicine and School of Public Health.       An example of progression through the joint degree MD/MPH program follows:   YEAR 1 Summer before M1 Year: ·   Students enter the MPH program, completing 1-2 MPH courses (HPA 400 Principles of Management in Public Health (3 SH) and/or CHSC 401 Behavioral Sciences in Public Health (3 SH)) ·   Student completes the M1 Year   YEAR 2 Summer before M2 Year: ·   Students may take 1 or 2 of the aforementioned MPH courses in the Summer following M1 Year ·   Student completes the M2 Year   YEAR 3 ·   Student completes the M3 Year   YEAR 4 ·   Student pursues one year of full-time study at the School of Public Health Fall term: MPH coursework (typically 15 SH) Spring term: MPH coursework (typically 15 SH)   YEAR 5 ·   Student completes the M4 year M4 Electives – 20 wks: (student may simultaneously fulfill MPH Culminating Experience requirements below during this period) ·      IPHS 650 Field Experience (3-5 SH) ·      IPHS 698 Capstone requirement (1 SH) M4 Rotations: Med or Peds Sub – 1 to 4 weeks Specialties – 18 weeks Anesthesia/ Radiology – 4 weeks Ophthalmology – 1 weeks Otolaryngology – 2 weeks Orthopaedics – 2 weeks Dermatology – 2 weeks Neurology – 2 weeks Urology – 2 weeks
Shared	With proper advisement, MD/MPH students may complete between 3 and 5 semester hours of the MPH field experience (IPHS 650) during the M4 year and receive (6 to 8) weeks of credit toward MD electives. With proper planning and prior approval of the MPH advisor, joint degree students may take a non-clinical medical elective during their M4 year and receive independent study credit toward the MPH degree. [For example two semester hours of independent study may be awarded for completing the 30 contact hour multi-disciplinary course: “Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes”. With proper planning and prior approval by the Medical School, joint degree students may receive credit toward the M4 electives by taking an advanced-level public health course. No more than 25% of the total hours for both degrees will consist of shared coursework.
Contact Information	School of Public Health: Babette J. Neuberger, JD, MPH Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Public Health (312) 996-5381 bjn@uic.edu   College of Medicine: Susan O’Keefe, Special Curricular Programs (312) 996-6920 sokeefe@uic.edu

Transferring into MD / MPH joint degree program from individual degree programs:

Students who enter either of the individual degree programs and later decide to transfer into the joint program may do so before entering their second year of study if they meet the admissions requirements of the other degree program.

Advising joint degree program students:

Students in the joint program will have two advisors, one from the College of Medicine faculty and one from the divisional School of Public Health faculty, to assist the student with each respective program. Joint advisors will ensure that the students understand the program requirements and any course sequence requirements. They will also suggest electives appropriate to the students’ interests.

Leaving the program before the requirements for the joint degree is complete:

Students who leave after completing the necessary hours for one of the degrees, either the MD or the MPH, but before completing the joint MD/MPH, will receive the former degree. Most students completing solely the Master of Public Health would be required to satisfy requirements of a comprehensive MPH program.

Business Administration

Transferring into MBA / MPH joint degree program from individual degree programs:

Students who enter either of the individual degree programs and later decide to transfer into the joint program may do so before entering their second year of study if they meet the admissions requirements of the other degree program.

Leaving the program before the requirements for the joint masters is complete:

Students who leave after completing the necessary hours for one of the degrees, either the Master of Business Administration or the Master of Public Health, but before completing the joint MBA/MPH, will receive the former degree. Students completing solely the Master of Public Health may (depending on background experience) be required to satisfy requirements of a comprehensive MPH program.

Nursing

** Field Experience

The field experience may be waived on an individual basis based upon a student’s demonstration of a Bachelor’s or advanced degree in a health or related profession plus 3 years of paid public health experience. A prior professional degree without public health experience; or prior work experience that is not closely related to the academic objectives of the student’s degree program; are not sufficient reason for waiving the practice requirement. If petitioning to waive the field practicum, please attach supporting documentation including a resume and letter explaining relevant public health experiences and how these experiences relate to the field practicum learning objectives found in the SPH student handbook (http://www.uic.edu/sph/shandbook.htm).

*Courses meet both CON and SPH/CHS degree requirements

*** CHS Capstone Requirements

Learning Objectives of Capstone Requirement:

The culminating capstone experience enables MPH students to achieve the following learning objectives:

1. Apply key public health concepts (e.g., prevention, risk assessment) to a specific public health area (e.g., gerontology, infectious disease epidemiology).
2. Apply knowledge of the core areas of public health to a specific health problem.
3. Integrate skills and knowledge gained through core and division-required courses toward resolving a public health problem either through practice in a public health setting or through investigation and analysis.

Required Courses:

All students must complete the following two course requirements:

1. IPHS 650 Field Experience in Public Health (0-5 SH)
2. IPHS 698 MPH Capstone Experience (1 SH)

Capstone Requirements:

IPHS 650 Field Experience in Public Health - Most students are required to complete a field experience of 5 credits (320 contact hours). Some students may qualify for a reduced practicum of 3 credits (192 contact hours) or a full waiver depending on their prior public health experience and career goals.

All students are required to submit reflective journal entries to their faculty advisor to evaluate student performance. The reflective journal helps the student to synthesize the experience and to assess how the skills and knowledge gained during graduate study can be applied and integrated in a public health setting.

Master’s Paper and Oral Presentation- Each student is required to complete a Master’s Paper and make an oral presentation of his/her work. In addition to the required IPHS 698, students may take up to two hours of Independent Study (IPHS 596) credit toward their Master’s Paper.

The purpose of the Master’s Paper is for the CHS student to