The Master of Public Health requires 45 credit hours and consists of 39 credits of course work and a 6-credit internship/practicum in a community setting. All required courses are offered in the evenings and meet once each week. Students can enroll as a full-time (2 year, 4 courses per week) or part-time (3 year, 2-3 course per week) graduate student. The professional preparation program is for qualified students from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds who are interested in careers that involve the development and management of population-based health promotion and disease prevention activities within communities. The program’s approach to professional practice includes reflective practice, a theoretical base, network development, leadership development, and cooperation and collaboration with community health organizations. Throughout the curriculum, special attention is given to community involvement, effective communication, and uses of technology. The curriculum emphasizes the application of health education skills and knowledge with a variety of community populations, as well as the practical application of research findings to health problems and includes preparation in the core areas of public health. Special attention is also given to community engagement, social justice, and the root causes of health within society. The degree program prepares graduates for careers in public health and health care settings at local, state, regional, or national levels.
The M.P.H. program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and the professional requirements are based on the CEPH accreditation and the professional responsibility areas and recommendations of the Joint Commission of the Society of Public Health and the American Association for Health Education. Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the national Health Education Specialist credentialing exam for the profession and become a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), or with a qualifying experience, a Master’s Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES). Students are also eligible to sit for the national exam to become Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential. By the end of the program students will have preparation in the Core Areas of Public Health and in the Seven Areas of Responsibility for Health Education Specialists (assessment, program planning, implementation, evaluation, administration and management, resource, and communication and advocacy).
For information regarding deadlines and requirements for admission, please see https://grs.uncg.edu/programs/.
Applicants can enroll as either full-time or part-time students. All required courses except the internship are offered in the evenings. Full-time students are expected to take four courses each fall and spring semester for two years. Part-time students usually take two courses each fall and spring semester, and one course each summer, over three years.
Degree Program Requirements
Required: 45 credit hours
Course List | Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| HEA 601 | Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
| HEA 602 | Epidemiology Methods | 3 |
| HEA 604 | Quantitative Methods | 3 |
| HEA 607 | Determinants of Health | 3 |
| HEA 619 | Systems, Leadership, and Policy I | 3 |
| HEA 624 | Systems, Leadership, and Policy II | 3 |
| HEA 621 | Public Health Theories and Strategies | 3 |
| HEA 618 | Assessment and Program Planning I | 3 |
| HEA 623 | Assessment and Program Planning II | 3 |
| HEA 625 | Evaluation Methods | 3 |
| * | 9 |
| HEA 650 | Community Health Internship/Practicum | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 45 |
