Master of Public Health - Population Health Research Major

A Master of Public Health degree is designed to prepare students to address the broad mission of public health, defined as “enhancing health in human populations, through organized community effort,” utilizing education, research and community service. Public health practitioners are prepared to identify and assess the health needs of different populations, and then to plan, implement and evaluate programs to meet those needs. It is the task of the public health practitioner to protect and promote the wellness of humankind. The master of public health program prepares students to enhance health in human populations through organized community effort. Graduates are qualified to work in local and state health departments, universities and colleges, hospitals, ambulatory medical centers, non-profit organizations, and the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. The program seeks to attract a rich mix of students, including those pursuing degrees in medicine, nursing, dentistry, law, social work, bioethics, management and other fields, as well as students holding undergraduate degrees. The CWRU MPH Program has a two-year curriculum requiring 42 credit hours. Twenty-one credits are accumulated in seven core required courses, representing the fundamental domains of public health: biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services administration, public health history and social and behavioral sciences. Students receive nine credits for three courses in the major of their choice, three credits for one elective course, and nine credits for the “Culminating Experience,” a 3 credit public health field practicum and a 6 credit capstone project. Previous experience or education pertaining to public health may increase the student’s flexibility in course selection. Students may also enroll part-time and take courses over a three to five year period. Currently, four different majors (a.k.a. tracks) are offered by the CWRU MPH Program: Population Health Research, Global Health, Health Policy & Administration, and Health Promotion & Disease Prevention. Each major has a required course or courses (in addition to the core required courses), plus selective offerings to be combined for a total of 9 credit hours in major coursework. Students develop a Capstone project relevant to the major area to expand and apply the knowledge of the subject. Individual emphasis will differ from student to student within each major. MPH students can also choose to expand the emphasis and depth of their program of study by electing to do a double major plan of study. For the double major, the student chooses two areas (two majors) of equal emphasis and takes 3 courses in each area (this requires the student to take a minimum of 45 credit hours). The student’s Capstone project must embrace and integrate both emphases, and no double-counting of credits can take place. Students choosing to do the double major plan of study should also work closely with an advisor to ensure optimal course selection and foster the evolution of a successful Capstone project. Population Health Research Major Learning Objectives: Working knowledge of epidemiologic principles, terminology, and tools Working knowledge of the primary analytic methods employed in both prospective and retrospective studies relating to population health Understand the most common study designs used in public health and/or clinical research Gain familiarity with some of the key advanced concepts in one of the subspecialties of population health (e.g. epidemiology, health services research, outcomes research.