Master of Public Health (MPH)

Program Location	Distance Education/Online Master of Public Health (MPH)
Program Credits	Master of Public Health (MPH) - 42 Credits
Program Length*	Master of Public Health (MPH): 4 Trimesters, 64 Instructional Weeks or 7 Trimesters, 112 Instructional Weeks
Time to Complete	Master of Public Health (MPH): 16 Months or 28 Months

* Program length may vary.

WCU distance education programs may not be available to residents in all states.

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes: 11-9111.00, 29-9011.00, 11-9161.00, 21-1091.00, 21-1094.00, 29-1093.00, 11-3011.00, 13-1111.00, 25-1071.00, 19-1041.00, 19-4042.00, 19-5012.00

Program Mission: To develop public health leaders who are skilled at addressing emerging needs within diverse communities through health education and advocacy that is aimed at equitable health outcomes.

Vision: Building healthier communities by cultivating public health leaders within them.

Program Philosophy: The Public Health program intends to prepare graduates who will protect and improve the health and well-being of communities as an important part of building a safer and healthier world.  This program is designed to provide a broad perspective on the science and practice of community-based approaches to promoting health and preventing diseases.  Courses focus on health promotion, environmental health, epidemiologic research methods, health leadership, and health policy, culminating in a capstone project intended to integrate essential concepts, attitudes, and behaviors.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon graduation, MPH graduates will possess the knowledge, skills and aptitude to:

1. Assess the elements to improve health outcomes and systems through planning, implementation, and evaluation of health programs for individuals and populations.
2. Analyze essential services that public health programs provide to protect and improve the health of populations.
3. Apply research tools and analytical methods to critically analyze, monitor and assess the health status of populations, utilizing qualitative and quantitative research methodology.
4. Determine the impact of policies and legislation on individual and population health; while navigating the legal, regulatory, and organizational impact they have on the health care system.
5. Construct public health, cross-cultural community-based programs, using behavioral science and health promotion methods.
6. Create communication approaches for lay and interprofessional audiences using epidemiologic methods to analyze patterns of disease and injury.
7. Justify the relationship between environmental factors and community health, and plan solutions for environmental health problems.
8. Assemble a network of professional alliances to address social determinants of health and health disparities.  

Attendance Policy: The maximum percent of absences allowed in Public Health courses is 20% per class.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Master of Public Health Program must:

1. Complete an online application for admissions.  
2. Participate in an interview with a University Admissions Advisor.  
3. Complete an enrollment agreement, consisting of program policies, costs, completion requirements, and other student obligations.
4. Have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a 2.7 cumulative GPA or higher.
   1. Applicants with an undergraduate degree GPA of 2.00-2.69 may be considered for probationary admission after meeting the following admissions requirements:  
      1. The applicant must provide a letter of intent.  
      2. The applicant must be approved for admission following an interview with the Program Dean/Director.  
      3. The applicant must satisfy program prerequisites. 
      4. A student admitted under the probationary admissions pathway must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on all coursework attempted over the first trimester (two terms). Students who meet this standard will be converted to a full admit status and will be subject to the standard Satisfactory Academic Progress requirement for the duration of their program.  Students failing to meet these requirements following the first trimester (two terms) will be withdrawn from the university. 
      5. Students accepted under the probationary admissions pathway will be considered regular students and eligible for Title IV, if the student otherwise qualifies for funding, for the first trimester of their program of study while completing the requirements for full admission to their program. 
5. Provide official undergraduate transcripts of a baccalaureate degree prior to the end of the add/drop period of the first term.
   
   1. Applicants submitting non-U.S. or non-English transcripts will be required to have their coursework evaluated by a transcript evaluation service to determine the equivalency to a U.S. degree/coursework.  If the transcript evaluation is unclear as to the equivalency to a U.S. degree/coursework, the Program Dean will review the transcript (translated if necessary) and transcript evaluation to determine if a minimum of 3 academic years of undergraduate coursework has been met for admission.
   2. Applicants submitting advanced degrees will be reviewed by the Program Dean to determine if a minimum of 3 academic years of undergraduate coursework has been met for admission.
6. Master of Public Health Transfer Credit Evaluation:  Only graduate level courses in which a grade of B- (80%) or better was received, taken in a program similar to the Master of Public Health will be evaluated for transfer credit.  A maximum of nine (9) credit hours will be considered for transfer and must reflect the same content and course credit as the course for which transfer credit is requested.  

Students who request to transfer credits from previously attended institutions must submit sealed official transcripts to the Registrar's Office from originating institutions prior to their first day of class.  If students are unable to submit transcripts or transcripts are unavailable, students may be conditionally enrolled for a period of one (1) term through the submission of unofficial transcripts, submitted no later than four (4) days after the start of a student's first term.  Students failing to submit official transcripts prior to the final day of the first term may be denied transfer credit for prior courses.  In addition to official transcripts, copies of course descriptions, school catalogs, and course syllabi may be requested for evaluation purposes.  

Individuals who are concurrently enrolled at another institution at the time of their matriculation to West Coast University, may be allowed to request transfer credit for courses that are in-progress.  In this situation, official transcripts must be received by the end of the first term of matriculation to receive transfer credit.  

Please note all veteran students are required to submit all postsecondary transcripts.  Please see the Veterans Educational Benefits policy in the Financial Policies and Information Section of the Catalog. 

Eligibility for Reentry

A student who has been academically dismissed from West Coast University may apply for reentry to the University's MPH program if:

The applicant was in good standing with the University excluding previous Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) or GPA requirements at the time of their dismissal.  If any other "good standing" issues exist, the individual would be admitted to the university on probationary status.  If a student in probationary status is not in "good standing" after completing their first trimester of coursework in the MPH program, they would be dismissed from the University.  If an applicant was previously dismissed from West Coast University for any conduct violations, he/she would not be admitted into the program.  Please refer to the "Good Standing" policy for specific information on the terms.  

Individuals granted reentry would have their successfully completed WCU credits, and credits previously transferred from other institutions, considered for applicability to the MPH degree.  Decisions regarding transferability of credit are made by the MPH Program Dean.  

An individual who is readmitted by this clause will not be considered for dismissal due to the course failures in other WCU programs.  Any failures that occur after the student has reentered the university into the MPH program would be subject to the university dismissal policy. 

Public Health Progression Requirement

A minimum grade of a “C-“will be required to receive course credit in the MPH Program. Should a student receive below a “C-“ grade, it will not be considered a passing grade for the MPH program and the student will be required to retake the course. The earned grade will be counted into the student’s CGPA and will be replaced once the course is repeated with a passing grade. The student will be placed on an academic action plan to repeat the course and may be required to meet with the program Dean.

Public Health Curriculum

To achieve the graduation requirement of 42 credits, all students must complete 42 credits of core courses.  Core courses provide students with the specific discipline experience required for the degree. 

Students who graduate with either the BSPH or MPH degree may be eligible to take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam. CHES is a nationally recognized certification for the health education field. For more information, please visit https://www.nchec.org/ches.

Core Courses:

Core Courses to be completed by all students (42 credits)

HA 500	Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care Management	3
HA 530	Managerial Epidemiology	3
HA 535	Health Research Methods	3
PH 500	Foundations of Public Health	3
PH 511	Health Promotion and Social & Behavioral Health Sciences	3
PH 515	Cultural Diversity & Health Disparities in Public Health	3
PH 521	Biostatistics	3
PH 525	Development and Evaluation of Health Education Programs	3
PH 536	Environmental and Occupational Health	3
PH 540	Special Topics in Epidemiology	3
PH 546	Leadership Principles and Policies in Public Health	3
PH 551	Global Family Health	3
PH 560	Infectious Diseases - Applied Practical Experience	3
PH 566	Integrated Learning Experience	3
Total Credit Hours:		42

MPH Program Costs

For program costs, please see the Graduate Tuition and Fees section.