Master of Public Health

Accredited by CEPH. The purpose of the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree is to provide students with mastery of theory, knowledge, and skills in areas of public and community health. The program prepares students with a broad foundation in all five core areas of public health: health behavior and education, health services administration, epidemiology, biostatistics, and environmental health sciences. The program emphasis in Community Health Education also exposes students to specialized training in health promotion and education methods, health communication, program planning and evaluation, and program management. All students have an opportunity to apply learned skills in practice during a culminating capstone course and a two-term, supervised practicum (internship) experience in the community. Students also have the opportunity to develop other areas of professional interest through electives, student organizations, and faculty research.
 

MPH Mission

The mission of the MPH program at AASU is to support and enhance public health for the Georgia coastal region through workforce development, research, and community service.
 

MPH Vision

To be a principal center of public health education, information, and advocacy in the Georgia coastal region.
 

MPH Program Goals

1. To prepare, encourage, and recognize academic achievement in public health students in order to create effective public health professionals.
2. To enhance the body of knowledge in public health through academic and applied research.
3. To provide leadership, expertise, and assistance in public health education and promotion that responds to changing community health needs.

What is Public Health?

The field of Public Health has evolved and expanded dramatically over the last century. Early public health efforts focused on issues of hygiene and sanitation as a way to prevent disease. Today, public health encompasses all efforts to protect the public's health and promote wellness equity for all citizens. The emphasis has shifted from the prevention of disease to the promotion of holistic wellness that allows people to meet their human potential, from individual health status to community and environmental health status, and from viewing health disparities as inevitable to viewing health equity as a human right.

Today, public health professionals act as community advocates who work in all facets of health protection and wellness promotion, including violence prevention, public safety, bioterrorism, drug use prevention, nutrition education, fitness and exercise promotion, stress management, cancer prevention, weight management, maternal and child health, health disparities, pollution control, and more.

First and foremost, public health is committed to preventing illness at the population level, by working with communities, experts, policymakers, and others to make multi-level changes. This ecological approach is the cornerstone of modern public health efforts. Visit Generation Public Health for more information.
 

Careers in Public Health

Career Development Resources for Certifications:

• Public Health Exam
• Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)
  A voluntary certification program for health educators, administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, that sets a national standard and assists employers in identifying qualified applicants. The exam is held twice a year and offers reduced fees for current students. For more information, contact NCHES.
• Careers in Public Health
• Association of Schools of Public Health
• American Public Health Association
• Public Health Employment Connection: Rollins School of Public Health - Emory
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Institutes of Health
• Georgia Department of Human Resources
• South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

Program of Study

The MPH program at AASU has adopted the Core Competencies as defined by the Association of Schools of Public Health as the foundation of the curriculum. Graduates from the program will receive essential training in the core concepts of public health practice and will have mastered the following competency areas:

• Biostatistics
• Environmental Health Sciences
• Epidemiology
• Health Policy and Management
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Communication and Informatics
• Diversity and Culture
• Leadership
• Public Health Biology
• Professionalism
• Program Planning
• Systems Thinking

The program of study comprises 15 courses and requires passing 45 credit hours. Required courses are listed below:

• PUBH 7100 Foundations of Public Health, Concepts of Administration
• PUBH 7110 Epidemiology
• PUBH 7150 Environmental Health Issues
• PUBH 7200 Biostatistics
• PUBH 7720 Theory in Health Education
• PUBH 8710 Research Methods
• PUBH 8730 Health Communication
• PUBH 8745 Methods of Health Promotion
• PUBH 8861 Public Health Management
• PUBH 8890 Public Health Planning and Evaluation*
• PUBH 8920 Public Health Practicum I
• PUBH 8930 Public Health Practicum II
• Electives (9 hours)

*PUBH 8890 is designated as the program capstone course. All MPH students will take this course during the last year of their program.

NOTE: The online format of the MPH program has been eliminated and applications for this format will no longer be accepted. The on-campus format will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis and operate without interruption. Some online classes may be offered at the discretion of individual instructors, but completion of the MPH program online will no longer be possible.
 

MPH Program Admission

All applicants must apply through Graduate Studies. Completed application packets received by deadline will be fully considered for admission to the program and financial assistance. Applications received after the priority deadline but before the University deadline will be considered as they are received until the program reaches full capacity.

For more information about the application process and application forms, contact:

• Graduate Studies
• Department of Health Sciences' MPH Program Coordinator

A complete application packet for the Master of Public Health (MPH) program includes:

• Application
• $30 non-refundable application fee
• Immunization form
• Two (2) Official Transcripts of all post-secondary education
• Letter of Intent
• Two (2) completed Reference Forms
• Completed Work Experience Form
• Official GRE or MAT scores

The minimum requirements for an application to be considered for acceptance are:

• 800 GRE combined score (Verbal and Quantitative only)
• 2.8 undergraduate grade point average (GPA)

Applicants must meet the requirements stated above in order to be considered for admission to the program; however, meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Admission decisions are based on complete application packets, including recommendations, writing quality, experience, and potential to succeed in graduate school.

Applicants holding a graduate degree do not need to submit GRE scores. MAT scores will be accepted in the place of GRE scores.

Students who are accepted to the program may attend either part-time or full-time. Students are expected to complete the program within 8 semesters, but individual paces may vary.

A limited number of Graduate Assistantships are available each year in the Department of Health Sciences and in the local community. Most of these are awarded in the Fall. To be considered for one of these GA opportunities, please submit a copy of the Graduate Assistantship Application along with your MPH program application.