Missouri State University

Skip search and site index

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Public Health is a discipline that monitors and diagnoses the health concerns of entire communities and promotes healthy practices and behaviors to assure that populations stay healthy. Thus, the field of public health plays a pivotal role in preventing illness and promoting the health of our nation. The program’s mission is to educate students in the theoretical, scientific, and practical aspects of public health. Students gain knowledge in each of the five areas basic to public health: biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services administration, and the social and behavioral sciences.Students are prepared to assess community health needs, plan effective health education and health intervention programs, implement and evaluate educational experiences, serve as resource people in health education, and conduct public health research. Graduates of this program will enter public health service as practitioners, administrators, researchers, educators, and consultants in a wide variety of public health settings. Most will be employed in local, state, and national public health agencies, volunteer and private agencies, health maintenance organizations, medical facilities, governmental agencies, business and industrial settings, and educational institution.

 

MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

42 credit hours

Required Courses (21 semester hours) 

Course

Title

Credits

MTH 645

Applied Statistics

3

PBH 720

Epidemiology

3

PBH 745

Environmental Health

3

PBH 756

Introduction to Public Health

3

PBH 775

Principles and Skills of Public Health Administration

3

PSY 614

Behavior Management and Change

3

PSY 752 or
   SFR 790

Research Methods or

    Introduction to Educational Research

3

 

Elective Courses (in consultation w/ advisor, choose 15 semester hours)

 

Course

Title

Credits

HLH 750

Programming Approaches in Wellness/Health Promotion

3

HLH 752

Health Risk Identification and Management

3

MGT 701

Health Services Organization

3

MTH 647

Applied Regression Analysis

3

MTH 696

Readings – Genetic Epidemiology

3

PBH 778

Chronic Disease Epidemiology

3

PBH 785

Seminar in Public Health (can be repeated for credit)

3

PBH 790

Independent Study in Public Health

3

PLS 653

Management Techniques and Organizational Behavior

3

PBH 772

Hazardous/Toxic Materials Management (may not be available)

3

PSY 602

Learning Theories

3

PSY 745

Statistics and Research Design

3

RIL 637

Environmental regulations

3

 

Field Experience (6 semester hours)

 

Course

Title

Credits

PBH 798

Field Experience in Public Health*

6

 

* The Field Experience is supervised work in an approved public health setting. It is the  culminating experience for the Master of Public Health Program. Students must complete a minimum of 400 approved Field Experience hours. A written Field Experience portfolio must be submitted in the required format at the completion of the field experience.

Comprehensive Examination

A written comprehensive examination must be passed by the candidate before a degree will be granted. Comprehensive examinations will be administered during each semester and each summer session at a time and place to be designated by the Graduate Coordinator. A student may repeat the comprehensive examination upon the recommendation of his advisor and the department chairperson, and with the approval of the Graduate Dean. To be eligible to take the comprehensive examination, a student must have an approved Advisory-approved Program of Study on file in the Graduate College and must have at last a 3.00 GPA. Comprehensive Examination application forms are available in the Graduate College (Carrington Hall, Room 306) or on line at http://graduate.missouristate.edu/forms.htm and should be returned to the Graduate advisor in the department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation