Joint Degrees

Applicants to the DVM/ MPH and MD/ MPH joint degree programs are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR THE SUMMER TERM. Admitted applicants to the DVM/MPH or MD/MPH will enroll in the School of Public Health for the summer term. To be considered for summer admission, applications must be received by February 1 (January 1 for those with international credentials.) Applicants considered for admission only to the MPH program will have their admission deferred to the fall term. Admitted applicants to the DVM/MPH or MD/MPH will enroll in the School of Public Health for the summer term prior to their DVM1 or MD 1 year.

Medicine  

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.

Students are encouraged to take advantage of the summers before and after the College of Medicine M1 year to complete some of the MPH core course requirements. Typically, the fourth year of the five-year program will be dedicated to completing the core requirements and much of the elective course load of the Master of Public Health degree. In the fifth year, students complete all M4 requirements including the medicine sub-internship and the core sub-specialty rotations, the SPH capstone experience, and College of Medicine clinical electives which may be satisfied by approved course work in the SPH. Concurrent public health course work during the M1 through M3 years is discouraged. An alternate route to completing the joint program permits medical students to complete their M1 through M4 years in succession followed by a year of concentrated study in public health. This latter route is discouraged for students who are interested in a highly competitive medical residency program.

For further information, visit the Student Handbook or contact Babette J. Neuberger, JD, MPH, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, at (312) 996-5381.

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Dentistry  

The College of Dentistry and the School of Public Health offer a program of study leading to the DDS and MPH degrees. The first-ever Surgeon General’s report on oral health, issued in 2000, found profound disparities in oral health in the nation’s population, identified dental and oral diseases that burden some population groups disproportionately, and called for a national effort to improve oral health among all Americans. The MPH/DDS prepares dental professionals to utilize public health approaches to achieve this goal. For further information, contact Babette J. Neuberger, JD, MPH, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, at (312) 996-5381.

Business Administration  

The College of Business Administration and the School of Public Health offer a program of study leading to the Master of Business Administration and the Master of Public Health. The joint MBA/MPH program is designed for baccalaureate-prepared students who are seeking health care and business preparation for health care executive positions in government, hospital systems, long-term care, health maintenance organizations, planning/regulatory bodies, and consulting. To enter the program, a person must make separate applications and be admitted to both the Master of Business Administration program and Master of Public Health program. The policies of each program with respect to admission requirements, degree requirements, and other academic requirements are applicable.

Students must complete a minimum of 70 semester hours of appropriate graduate work through a combination of core and elective courses to satisfy the joint degree requirements. Most students will complete the joint degree in two and one-half years on a full-time basis or in three and one-half years on a part-time basis.

Specific information on the core requirements for this program is available in the Student Handbook. For further information, contact Babette J. Neuberger, JD, MPH, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, at (312) 996-5381 or David Brand, College of Business Administration, at (312) 996-2614.

Nursing  

The UIC College of Nursing and the School of Public Health offer a program leading to two degrees: the Master of Science (MS) in Nursing with specialization in public health nursing and the Master of Public Health (MPH) with specialization in community health.

The joint degree program is designed for registered nurses seeking an advanced nursing degree and public health experience to prepare them for high-level administrative, consulting, and leadership positions in the public health field. Nurses who complete the joint degree program will be well prepared to take leadership positions in a variety of settings and programs that are community based or population focused. The joint degree program helps nurses to integrate clinical knowledge and administrative expertise with public health practice to improve the delivery of health services in a variety of settings.

Nurses interested in this program must be admitted separately to both the School of Public Health (SPH) through the Community Health Sciences Division (CHS) and the College of Nursing (CON) through the Department of Public Health, Mental Health, and Administration (PMA).

The 57-59 credit program is tailored to accommodate full-time students working to complete both degrees in two academic years. The required course work also can be completed on a part-time basis in up to four years.

Specific information on the core courses and field experience required for this program is available in the CHS Student Handbook. For further information, contact L. Michele Issel, PhD, RN, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Public Health, (312) 355-1137, or Marie Talashek, EdD, RNC, Associate Professor, College of Nursing, (312) 996-7986.

For further information, contact: Babette J. Neuberger, JD, MPH, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, at the School of Public Health, 312-996-5381 or email bjn@uic.edu, or Martha Dewey Bergren, DNS, RN, NCSN, ILCSN, FNASN Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing 845 S Damen (MC 802), Chicago, IL 60612, 312 996 1321 or email bergren@uic.edu.

JD/MPH Program  

The UIC School of Public Health (SPH) and the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology offer a coordinated program leading to the Juris Doctor (JD) and the Master of Public Health (MPH).

The goals of this coordinated program include (1) providing students with a core understanding of the ways in which law and public health work together, (2) enhancing the educational value of each degree by coordinating respective curricula, and (3) helping develop a well-trained group of professionals capable of addressing issues at the intersection of public health, medicine, and law.

To be considered for admission students must take the LSAT, have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, and satisfy other application requirements for each institution. Applicants who are accepted into both schools will be considered enrolled in the coordinated program. Applicants who are accepted into one school, but not the other, will be given the option of accepting matriculation to that school. Students in the coordinated program will have the option of starting at either institution, and will have to comply with that institution's rules for enrollment.

Both programs may be completed in 3 ½ years for full-time law students and 4 ½ years for part-time law students. Students in the program will be assigned faculty advisors chosen from among the attorneys on the faculty of the School of Public Health and from the faculty members engaged in health-related issues at Chicago-Kent. Each student will be assigned one advisor from each school.

Students must complete a minimum of 42 semester hours of course work at SPH through the Health Policy and Administration Division (HPA) of the school. Students' work at UIC will qualify for twelve hours of elective credit at Chicago-Kent (approximately one semester's work). During the remaining semesters at Chicago-Kent, students will be required to meet all other curricular requirements of the law school. Students may begin their study by attending either school first, but cannot take courses at both schools during the same semester without special approval by both schools. Students receiving financial assistance are advised to attend only one school during an academic year.

Specific information on the core courses and field experience required for this program is available in the Student Handbook. For additional information about the MPH please contact Babette J. Neuberger, JD, MPH, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, at (312) 996-5381. For additional information about the JD please contact Harold J. Krent, JD, Dean, Chicago-Kent College of Law, IIT, 312-906-5397.

DVM/MPH Program  

The College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the School of Public Health at UIC offer a joint degree program leading to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees. Joint degree students will be awarded their degrees by the respective campuses upon successful completion of both programs.

Veterinarians have played an historically long and essential role in protecting the public's health as many human diseases have animal vectors and animals frequently serve as sentinels signaling environmental degradation and human disease potential. Naturally occurring outbreaks of SARS, avian flu virus, West Nile virus, monkeypox and tularemia in prairie dogs illustrate the need for highly qualified persons trained in zoonosis and public health epidemiology. Bioterrorist threats further the demand for these specially trained individuals.

Veterinary students in the combined degree will acquire epidemiologic and statistical concepts enabling them to understand population-based health phenomena and principles of community and environmental health which bear on the health of the population. More advanced public health courses in epidemiology will strengthen the student's veterinary training.

For further information, contact Babette J. Neuberger, JD, MPH, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, at (312) 996-5381.

MD/PHD Program  

Our society has a need for physicians who are accomplished population-based researchers as well as competent clinicians —individuals whose skills can bring the resources of epidemiology and biostatistics to bear on the problems of clinical medicine that have both individual and community effects. MD/PhD training in epidemiology and/or biostatistics provides an extended period of study in the etiologic and methodologic approaches of population-based health research in concert with a complete medical school education. Application is normally made at the time of application to the College of Medicine; however, applicants will also be considered during their first two years of medical training. Students must apply to the MD/PhD Training Program and to the College of Medicine and indicate in their application that they are interested in a PhD in epidemiology or biostatistics. Criteria for admission to the program include academic excellence, prior research experience, potential for independent and creative research, and commitment to a career in academic medicine. Students receive a stipend throughout their years of study. For more information, contact Faith Davis, PhD, Senior Associate Dean, SPH, 312-996-5019, fayed@uic.edu, or the MD/PhD Training Program: Larry Tobacman, MD, Director, 312-413-1010, lst@uic.edu, or Roberta Bernstein, Coordinator, 312-996-7473, roberta@uic.edu.