Public Health (MPH, PhD)
The Department of Public Health Sciences at UConn Health offers the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. The M.P.H. focuses on Interprofessional Public Health Practice for students anticipating careers working with local Governmental or non-Governmental agencies in delivering essential public health services. The M.P.H. degree integrates coursework on foundational topics in public health and experiential requirements that demonstrate competency as a public health practitioner with elective options on substantive areas of study (e.g., epidemiology, behavioral science, health systems administration, etc.). The Ph.D. degree focuses on the Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health and rigorously prepares individuals for careers in academic and research institutes, federal agencies and private sector business and industry.
Requirements
The M.P.H. and Ph.D. degree requirements conform to all the Graduate School requirements, as well as standards specified by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit public health schools and programs.
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
The M.P.H. degree requires completion of 48 graduate credits comprised of 30 required credits for foundational (i.e., required) courses in Public Health. In consultation with program advisors, students will complete three PUBH-elective courses to reflect a topical area of student interest, and either an Integrative Learning Experience consisting of either nine credits of GRAD 5950 Master's Thesis Research or two additional electives along with three credits of PUBH 5499 Capstone Project in Public Health. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. Grades below “B” in any foundational course or “C+” in any elective represent academic deficiencies that require a remediation plan approved by a student’s major advisor and Program Director.
Required Courses
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PUBH 5403 | Health Administration | 3 |
| PUBH 5404 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| PUBH 5405 | Social and Behavioral Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
| PUBH 5406 | Law and Public Health | 3 |
| PUBH 5408 | Introduction to Epidemiology and Biostatistics I | 3 |
| PUBH 5409 | Introduction to Epidemiology and Biostatistics II | 3 |
| PUBH 5411 | Introduction to Interprofessional Public Health Practice | 3 |
| PUBH 5431 | Public Health Research Methods | 3 |
| PUBH 5407 | Practicum in Public Health (two semesters) | 6 |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Substantive Areas of Focus
Elective courses should be selected in consultation with program advisors and reflect a substantive focus on Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health Administration and Policy, Environmental and Occupational Health or Health Promotion/Disease Prevention.
Master of Public Health FastTrack (M.P.H.)
A FastTrack (4+1) B.A./B.S. and M.P.H. option is available for highly motivated UConn undergraduate students. The FastTrack allows students to complete their baccalaureate degrees in any UConn-approved discipline and all M.P.H. degree requirements within five years. The FastTrack program is a 14 course, 42-credit opportunity that utilizes distance learning/video conferencing technologies (e.g., iTV) to synchronously link undergraduates with graduate courses offered on the Farmington campus.
Students are accepted into the program as early as their 5th semester of undergraduate study on the basis of their academic performance (a minimum GPA of 3.25), personal background and/or experiences revealing a commitment to the health communities.
While fulfilling requirements of their B.A./B.S. degree, FastTrack students simultaneously complete a maximum of 12 credits of coursework toward the M.P.H. (PUBH 5408 Introduction to Epidemiology and Biostatistics I, PUBH 5409 Introduction to Epidemiology and Biostatistics II, PUBH 5411 Introduction to Interprofessional Public Health Practice and PUBH 5431 Public Health Research Methods) that may be applicable to both undergraduate and graduate plans of study. During a 5th year of study, students will complete remaining foundational course requirements (PUBH 5403 Health Administration, PUBH 5404 Environmental Health, PUBH 5405 Social and Behavioral Foundations of Public Health, PUBH 5406 Law and Public Health and two semesters of PUBH 5407 Practicum in Public Health). In addition, through consultation with program advisors, students will elect to complete either, one PUBH-elective course and GRAD 5950 Master's Thesis Research, or three PUBH-electives and PUBH 5499 Capstone Project in Public Health. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. Grades below “B” in any foundational course or “C+” in any elective represent academic deficiencies that require a remediation plan approved by a student’s major advisor and Program Director.
Doctorate in Public Health (Ph.D.)
This program rigorously prepares public health professionals, scholars, and research scientists needed in a wide variety of settings to meet the health challenges of the 21st century. The degree reinforces foundational principles and advanced methodologies for application in both population-wide and community-level public health research. The Ph.D. degree requires the completion of a total of 60 credits: 45 in coursework beyond the Master’s degree, and 15 credits of dissertation research. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 with no course receiving below a B- grade.
Required Courses
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | ||
| PUBH 5406 | Law and Public Health | 3 |
| or PUBH 5460 | Health and Human Rights | |
| PUBH 5434 | Topics in Intermediate Biostatistics (or advanced statistical elective) | 3 |
| PUBH 5436 | Intermediate Epidemiology (or advanced epidemiology elective) | 3 |
| PUBH 5453 | Chronic Disease Control (or equivalent courses approved by the student's advisory committee) | 3 |
| PUBH 6496 | Public Health Doctoral Seminar: Scholarship and Professional Development (suggested enrollment is near the conclusion of coursework as preparation for the General Examination and Dissertation Research Proposal) | 3 |
| Required Core Courses total 15 credits. | ||
| Required Electives | ||
| Beyond the five required core courses, students must complete at least one advanced course, each, in the topics of population research methods, biostatistics, and epidemiology. | 21 | |
| Electives | ||
| Based on student's interests. | 9 | |
Post-Coursework Milestones
Successful completion of the General Examination and Dissertation Research Proposal in accordance with University stipulations.
Doctoral Dissertation Research
15 credits of GRAD 6950 Doctoral Dissertation Research or GRAD 6960 Full-Time Doctoral Research.