 |
Doctor
of Public
Health
Objective:
The Doctor of Public Health degree program provides its students with policy developing, problem solving, analytical, program planning, communication, research, and cultural sensitivity skills as well as competencies in the development and implementation of health promotion and disease prevention strategies. The program, which educates public health practitioners to address and solve contemporary health problems of urban populations, is also committed to increasing and validating the body of knowledge in public health research pertaining to public health practice.
Admission to the Program:
To be considered for admission, applicants must have earned a master's
degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum academic
grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above. Successful applicants to the
Doctor of Public Health degree program are admitted only in the Fall semester.
Admission is based on the following requirements:
| • | Three letters of recommendation from public health professionals and/or other appropriate professionals. |
| • | An up to date curriculum vitae including previous academic achievement, professional accomplishments, and earned degrees. |
| • | A Masters Degree in a health or social science. |
| • | An essay outlining the applicant's career objectives. |
| • | Official transcripts of all post-secondary studies. |
| • | Results obtained on the Graduate Record Examination (sent directly from Education Testing Service [ETS) or a doctoral degree in a health or social science career. Test scores for those without a doctoral degree may not be more than ten (10) years old prior to date of application. If the applicant has a doctoral degree in the health or social sciences, this criterion may be waived based on assessment of his/her individual record. |
| • | At least one (1) year of experience in the public health/allied health field is preferred. |
| • | Interview
with the School's doctoral program admissions committee (in person).
|
General Requirements
for the Doctor of Public Health Degree:
All students who seek to earn the Doctor of Public Health degree will
be required to complete the following requirements, including a dissertation
for a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours:
| • | A minimum of sixty (60) credit hours of course work must be taken at Morgan State University in the DrPH Program. The total amount of credit hours required for the DrPH degree can be reduced based upon a student's completion of previous relevant graduate course work. Twelve (12) relevant graduate credits (which were not counted towards the previous graduate degree) may be transferred from previous graduate programs. |
| • | Successful completion of all core courses. |
| • | Passing the comprehensive examination, which has written and oral components. The comprehensive examination may be repeated only once. |
| • | Successful completion of a doctoral dissertation. |
| • | Completion of all the requirements of the DrPH degree within a period of seven (7) consecutive years. |
Residency Requirements:
All full-time students must complete a minimum of two consecutive semesters
in residence, with at least nine (9) credit hours of course work per semester,
to satisfy the residency requirement of the School and university. A full
course load within the DrPH program consists of twelve (12) credit hours
per semester. Upon completion of course requirements and passing of the
comprehensive examination, the DrPH candidate must continue to register
for PUBH nine hundred-ninety seven (997) Dissertation Guidance each semester
until the dissertation is fully and successfully completed.
Transfer Students
from Other Morgan State University Graduate Programs:
The School of Public Health and Policy will accept MSU students from other
graduate degree programs wishing to go into the field of public health.
Such students will be assessed on an individual basis regarding their
public health interest, relevance of prior undergraduate and graduate
courses to the School, academic performance in their respective fields
as well as their potential to cope with public health science-based courses.
A maximum of six (6) graduate credits of course work may be transferred
from other graduate programs.
Departments:
The new School will be organized into the following departments: Public
Health Analysis, Behavioral Health Sciences, and Health Policy and Management.
DrPH degrees will be awarded with a concentration in Epidemiology, Behavioral
Health Sciences and Health Policy and Management.
Program of Study (Students with an MPH Degree)
The core curriculum, designed to provide fundamental knowledge of major
areas of public health, is required of all DrPH degree students. A total
of twenty-four (24) credit hours are designated for the DrPH degree core
area and the courses are as follows:
| Advanced Level Social Behavioral Health Sciences |
4
|
| Advanced Level Epidemiology |
4
|
| Advanced Level Health Policy & Administration |
4
|
| Advanced Level Biostatistics |
4
|
| Advanced Level Environmental Health |
4
|
| Advanced Level Critical Health Issues |
4
|
|
Total
Core Credits Hours
|
24
|
| Methodology Course: | |
| Advanced Research Methods |
3
|
|
Total
Required Credits Hours
|
3
|
Program of
Study Prerequisite (Students without an MPH):
The core curriculum prerequisite, designed to provide fundamental knowledge
of major areas of public health, is required of all DrPH degree students
without an MPH. A student's transcript will be evaluated to determine
if the following courses were taken in their previous Master's program.
A total of twenty-four (24) credit hours are designated for the MPH degree
core area and must be documented and accepted based on the student's transcript.
The courses are:
| PUBH 500 Epidemiology I |
4
|
| PUBH 501 Introduction to Biostatistics |
4
|
| PUBH 502 Introduction to Behavioral Health Sciences |
4
|
| PUBH 503 Introduction to Policy and Health Services Planning and Management |
4
|
| PUHB 504 Introduction to Public Health and Health Disparities |
4
|
| PUBH 506 Environmental Health |
4
|
| PUBH 512 Biological Basis of Public Health |
0
|
|
Total
Core Credits Hours
|
24
|
Summary for DrPH Degree Course Work:
| Program Core Courses |
24
|
| Concentration Courses |
12
|
| Methodology Course |
3
|
| Internship Practice Experience |
9
|
| Dissertation Research |
12
|
|
Total
Credits for the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Degree
|
60
|
Total Minimum
Credits for the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Degree 60.
Other Requirements:
Doctoral Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation is designed to provide students with a comprehensive
and original research experience, and requires a minimum of twelve (12)
hours of dissertation credits. The dissertation credits are completed
after the successful completion of course work and passing the comprehensive
examination. The SPHP is committed to helping students identify possible
dissertation problems early in the program so that their progress can
be expeditious. During Research Methods I and II, students are expected
to develop and present a preliminary proposal as a step in the preparation
of the doctoral dissertation.
Internship
A minimum of six (6) credit hours of internship is required of every MPH
and DrPH student. The internship provides the student an opportunity to
engage in community practice experiences by working with ongoing community
projects. Depending on the student's interest, the internship may be carried
out in governmental or non-governmental health agencies, health institutes,
or academic units and programs of public health.
Comprehensive Examination:
The comprehensive examination contains both written and oral components,
and each doctoral student must pass the examination at a proficiency established
by the School of Public Health and Policy. At a minimum, the comprehensive
examination covers content from core and required courses from the student's
approved plan of study, which will be developed cooperatively by the student
and his/her advisor and submitted to the full faculty for approval.
Financial Assistance
Fellowships and Grants:
Financial assistance for students, who, for financial reasons, cannot otherwise attend the School of Public Health and Policy, is available in the form of loans, scholarships, fellowships, and research assistantships. Financial assistance is awarded in accordance with the criteria governing each source of funds and is often on the basis of need and academic merit. To inquire about the financial assistance for which all graduate students are eligible, please contact the Office of Graduate Studies at http://www.morgan.edu/academics/Grad-Studies/index.html
In addition to the financial aid offered
by the University, The School of Public Health and Policy offers research
assistantships to students with interests in specific areas, such as,
drug use, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, disaster preparedness and complementary
and alternative medicine. The following programs and projects have research
assistantships.
1. Prevention Sciences Research Center
2. Complementary and Alternative Medicine
3. HIV/AIDS project
4. Disaster Preparedness Initiative
5. Male Reproductive Study
These research assistantships are funded by federal, state and local grants
awarded to faculty in the School of Public Health and Policy and have
the requirement that students engage in research in the areas for which
the funds have been given.
DrPH RECOMMENDED ORDER OF COURSES
| Fall (Year 1) | |
| Advanced Level Social Behavioral Health Sciences |
4
|
| Advanced Level Epidemiology |
4
|
| Advanced Level Health Policy & Administration |
4
|
|
Total
Semester Hours
|
12
|
| Spring (Year 1) | |
| Advanced Level Biostatistics |
4
|
| Advanced Level Environmental Health |
4
|
| Advanced Level Critical Health Issues |
4
|
|
Total
Semester Hours
|
12
|
|
Total
Core Credits Hours
|
24
|
Comprehensive Examination
| Fall (Year 2) | |
| Advanced Research Methods |
3
|
| Doctoral Internship I |
3
|
| Concentration Course |
3
|
| Concentration Course |
3
|
|
Total
Semester Hours
|
12
|
| Spring (Year 2) | |
| Doctoral Internship |
3
|
| Concentration Course |
3
|
| Concentration Courses |
3
|
|
Total
Semester Hours
|
9
|
Concentration Oral Exam
| Fall (Year 3) | |
| Doctoral Internship III |
3
|
| Dissertation Seminar |
6
|
|
Total
Semester Hours
|
9
|
| Spring (Year 3) | |
| Dissertation Guidance 3 |
3
|
|
Credit
Hours
|
3
|
| Fall (Year 4) and Subsequent Semesters | |
| Dissertation Guidance |
3
|
| Total Semester Hours |
3
|
|
Total
Degree Required Credit Hours
|
60
|