| FAQs |
|
Master of Public Health Programs
Health Care and Prevention Program
Occupational Health Nursing Programs
Certificate FAQ's: Leadership and Occupation Health NursingMPH ProgramsWhat are the concentrations within the Master of Public Health (MPH) program?There are three: 1) Public Health Leadership (PHL), which includes Public Health Nursing. Contact David Steffen (dsteffen@email.unc.edu). 2) Health Care and Prevention (HC&P). Contact Russ Harris (rharris@med.unc.edu), Sue Tolleson-Rinehart (suetr@unc.edu), or Anthony Viera (anthony_viera@med.unc.edu). 3) Occupational Health Nursing (OHN). Contact Bonnie Rogers (rogersb@email.unc.edu) or Judy Ostendorf (judy_ostendof@unc.edu). How many credit hours are required for completion of the MPH degree?The MPH course of study requires a minimum of 42 credit hours, which is completed over the course of three years of part-time study or in as little as twelve months of full-time study, depending on the concentration chosen. To earn the MPH degree, students are required to meet SPH core course requirements, and to take courses in the PHLP core content areas of assessment, policy development, and assurance. Elective courses, a field practicum designed to complement in-class work, and a Master's paper complete the curriculum.
Health Care and Prevention ProgramThe MPH is usually a one-year program that some medical students and physicians find to be a great help in future years. It can be helpful regardless of your chosen medical specialty and regardless of whether you plan to work as a community practitioner, an academic researcher, or in some other medical field. The idea of the MPH is to add a different perspective to your MD training--the perspective of understanding the health of groups of people as well as the health of individuals. Having this perspective gives physicians ways of contributing to the health of their communities (or to the public at large) beyond providing individual medical care. It is a year of reading, thinking, and discussing important issues in health care. Most students have found it to be an important complement to their medical training. If you have an interest in the MPH, we encourage you to discuss your interest in person with Dr. Russell Harris, the MD-MPH Program Director (rharris@med.unc.edu); Dr. Sue Tolleson-Rinehart, Associate Program Director (suetr@unc.edu); Dr. Anthony Viera, Associate Program Director (anthony_viera@med.unc.edu); or Dr. Georgette Dent, Associate Dean for Student Affairs in the UNC School of Medicine (georgette_dent@med.unc.edu). When should I pursue the MPH?Most UNC medical students pursue the MPH between the third and fourth years of med school. A few do it between the second and third years and others do it between the fourth year and internship/residency. A good reason for doing it between the third and fourth years is that having clinical experience from the third year enhances the MPH experience, and still allows for returning to clinical work in the fourth year before starting internship/residency. Some students prefer to pursue the MPH later in their training, after residency. This may work for some students, but if students do not find themselves in a good MPH situation at that time (because of either being in a place without an MPH program or being in an inconvenient place in their lives), then the MPH may never be earned at all. At UNC, students have available to them one of the best Schools of Public Health in the country, and the UNC Schools of Medicine and Public Health work together very well in the MD-MPH program. Basically, we think the decision about when to pursue an MPH is an individual decision that people must think about with other important considerations in their own lives. If I decide to pursue an MPH during my time at UNC School of Medicine, which MPH program should I choose? Medical students at UNC have available five different MPH programs from which to choose: (1) Health Care and Prevention (HC&P) within the Public Health Leadership Program; (2) Maternal and Child Health (MCH); (3) Health Policy and Administration (HPAA); (4) Nutrition; and (5) Epidemiology. The HC&P program is the most popular MPH program among UNC medical students, primarily because of its flexibility in allowing students to take courses in various departments within the entire school. In addition, several HC&P courses have been designed with the MD-MPH student in mind. It is possible to complete the HC&P MPH program in 12 to 18 months. Programs 2-5 are within departments in the School of Public Health and are specialized to their discipline. They tend to allow students to go deeper into a single area of public health but are less flexible, offer fewer electives, and may take longer to complete. What is the coursework like in the MPH program? Every MPH program in the US requires students to take five core courses: (1) Intro Epidemiology; (2) Intro Biostatistics; (3) Environmental Health; (4) Intro to Health Policy; and (5) Behavioral and Social Public Health. Many of these introductory courses are large – although the HC&P program has redesigned several of them to be smaller and more interactive. After these core courses (usually taken during the fall semester), departmental MPH programs have additional departmental requirements. The HC&P program provides more flexibility for these additional courses, with more electives. There is a wide variety of elective courses available within the School of Public Health, including courses in health disparities, international health, health communication, health policy, critical appraisal, and epidemiology, as well as in special health conditions (e.g., HIV or STIs, cancer, heart disease) and special populations (e.g., underserved groups, adolescents, older people). In the HC&P program, one may also do independent study or international study for credit. We encourage students to take charge of their own education as adult learners. We are interested in supporting them in doing this. A Master’s Paper is a big deal. It is more than a long paper for a single course. In the HC&P program, one can choose any population health topic for the paper, but it must show a rigorous analysis, a population perspective, depth of understanding, and clear communication. The paper can be a research project (primary or secondary data allowed), a systematic review, a policy analysis, a program evaluation, or some hybrid of these. The papers are typically 50 or more double-spaced pages long with multiple references; they require sustained work over a period of time. Students work with 2 advisors and earn academic credit for writing the Master's Paper. Some papers are publishable. By the end of the process, students have become an “expert” on a specific issue. Looking back later, many students find this paper to be one of the most rewarding parts of the MPH. What is a Practicum Experience? A Practicum is an experience of learning outside of the classroom, allowing people to learn to use their population perspective in the real world. There is great flexibility in these experiences – they can be done in Chapel Hill or in another part of North Carolina or another part of the world. The Practicum Experience starts with Learning Objectives – we help the student to decide “what do I want to learn?” and “from whom and in what situation could I best learn it?” This often involves some combination of readings and activities with a knowledgeable person or group. At the end, the student and his/her Practicum mentor assess the extent to which the Learning Objectives were accomplished. Students earn academic credit for doing the Practicum, the amount of credit dependent on the number of hours involved. When does the MPH program start? Should I choose to start in early July (Summer Session II admission) or in mid-August (fall admission)? HC&P students have the option of starting in either early July (Summer Session II admission) or mid-August (fall admission). On the application form, you MUST specify which entry date you prefer. It is difficult to change the entry date after you are accepted. We encourage students, if they can, to start in the second summer session (SSII). The advantage of starting in Summer Session II is that, for HC&P, you can get credit for activities done in the summer, allowing you a head start on earning the 42 credit hours required for the MPH degree. This can either be a summer course (HC&P has an excellent summer policy course that students often take) or a Practicum Experience of some kind (must first be approved by the Program Director – Dr. Harris). For various reasons, however, some students prefer to start with the fall semester, which is also fine. What is the deadline for applying? Each MPH program has its own deadline. For the HC&P program the deadline is March 15 for second summer session (SSII) admission and April 1 for fall admission. By these dates, the application form and fees must be received; recommendation letters and transcripts can be received up to two weeks later. The full application includes submitting the application form for the UNC Graduate School (including sending in the application fee), previous MCAT scores (you do not need to take the GRE exam – MCAT is fine), a resume, transcripts from college and medical schools, 3 recommendation forms, and a 2-page personal statement about why you want to pursue an MPH. How do I apply?For the HC&P program, applicants should follow these 5 steps: Step 1: Review application deadlines
Step 2: Review admission requirements and collect application materials MPH program admissions requirements for the HC&P concentration include:
Step 3: Complete an application form Applications are processed centrally through the UNC Graduate School. Application forms and fee information are available online at http://gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/applicant_dom.html. In completing the application form, HC&P applicants should choose "Public Health Leadership Residential" as their intended major and "Health Care and Prevention" as their area of interest (concentration). Step 4: Submit application materials to the Graduate School Mail the following items to the Graduate School, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bynum Hall, CB# 4010, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-4010:
Step 5: Submit other application materials to the Public Health Leadership Program in the School of Public Health (the umbrella program for HC&P) Mail the following items to Sue Robeson, Registrar, Public Health Leadership Program, School of Public Health, 4111 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB# 7469, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7469:
For other MPH programs, students should review requirements on departmental websites, as application requirements and deadlines vary by department. Is there scholarship money available?Unfortunately, we do not have scholarship funds available at this time. In-state tuition at UNC, of course, is much less expensive than most other Schools of Public Health. How do I deal with the financial issues of earning an MPH? You can remain with the financial aid office in the UNC School of Medicine while you are in the School of Public Health. Most students will be able to keep their same financial aid package during their MPH year. The FAFSA form must be submitted prior to April 1. For additional information on financial aid, please contact Sheila Graham, Financial Aid Officer, UNC School of Medicine, at 919-962-6117 or by email at Sheila_Graham@med.unc.edu. If I pursue an MPH, when should I take STEP II? There is not one answer to this question. Former students suggest that you take it as soon as possible after the end of your third year. Some students find that that they would like to study for STEP II between the end of the Summer Session II policy course (late July) and the beginning of the fall semester (third week of August) – thus, taking STEP II toward the end of August.
OHN ProgramsWhen are the Occupational Health Nursing Certification Review Courses offered?Certification Review Courses are offered annually, generally in January. For more information about either offering please contact Bonnie Rogers (919-966-1765 or rogersb@email.unc.edu) or Judy Ostendorf (919-966-2597 or judy_ostendorf@unc.edu). Is financial assistance available for the Occupational Health Nursing Graduate Program?Yes, tuition assistance is usually available; however, the amount of assistance available depends on the number of students enrolled and other variables. How long does it take to complete the OHN Graduate Program?Completion of the program depends on the number of credits you take each semester. Generally, the Distance Learning Program can be completed in 2 - 2 ½ years, assuming you take two courses a semester. For full time students the On-campus Program generally takes 1½ years to complete, and for part-time students 2 - 5 years. You may have up to five years to complete the entire program. A minimum of 42 credits is required for graduation. |
|
| Last updated January 14, 2008 |
