Program Overview and History

The MPH is an extremely valuable degree which is increasing in value in the public health job market due to projected retirements in the field and to dramatic increases in public health problems in the U.S. and abroad. The University of West Florida went online with the MPH program in Spring 2006 in order to provide opportunities for people worldwide wishing to work in the public health and allied health fields. The planning, development, and evaluation of the online MPH program is guided by the Master of Public Health Steering Committee with program competencies adopted from the Association of Schools of Public Health. The adopted competencies are also the basis for the national Certified in Public Health Exam. Additionally, the Quality Assurance Plan within the School of Allied Health and Life Science at UWF calls for regularly planned and evaluated quality enhancement initiatives, with results reported annually to administrative offices and our regional accreditation agency.

Time to Degree Completion

The table below summarizes expected time to graduation based on the number of courses taken each academic year. To remain in "good standing" in the MPH program, students must be making timely progress toward meeting their degree requirements. Students who miss course registration or withdraw from all courses in two consecutive semesters are required to reapply to UWF and to the MPH program. The MPH program offers an array of courses during each summer semester for those students wishing to take courses year-round and thereby graduate sooner.

Status	Courses/Year	Degree Completion Time	Current Program Composition (2005-2007)
Full-Time	>= 6	~2 years	~14%
Part-Time	3-5	~4 years	~83%
< Part-Time	< 3	~6 years	~3%

Program Cost

We Are Affordable!

Admission

In order to expedite the admission process, prospective students must submit application materials by the program application deadlines. Courses that are part of the Master of Public Health degree program include a core set of courses and additional elective coursework derived from a number of departments at UWF. Prospective applicants must first read and understand the admission requirements for the online MPH program. Upon acceptance into the program, each student must also read, sign, and submit the MPH Honor Code Form. Admission and registration assistance is available from our Academic Advisor and Program Coordinator, Justice Mbizo. Justice can be reached at jmbizo@uwf.edu or (850) 474-2650.

Internship Requirement

All students in the MPH program are required to satisfactorily complete a supervised internship experience. Policies and procedures for completing the internship are set forth in the Master of Public Health Internship Guide. Your internship experience in the MPH program will include 6 semester hours of practical skills, documenting application of the knowledge, skills, and academic objectives of the MPH degree program. In the internship setting, the student is directly supervised by a public health professional on-site, as well as a faculty member who oversees the student's training experience. During the course of the internship experience, the student participates in public health and administrative activities, as a member of the professional public health staff.

Leads for Internships and Jobs

To begin the search for an internship site, and to research possible job opportunities post-graduation, upon beginning the MPH program, students are required to review the following sites:

• UWF's Career Services and JasonQuest - schedule a meeting with Career Services to prepare/update your resume and cover letter and register free with JasonQuest for alerts!
• SAHLS AfterCollege Student Job Resource Center - register free to receive alerts!
• Master of Public Health: Careers in Public Health
- review these sites for jobs in your preferred geographic area
• Student Association for Public Health
- network with your peers about opportunities!

With the JasonQuest account with UWF's Career Services, the SAHLS AfterCollege account, and the Master of Public Health: Careers in Public Health site, since job postings change regularly, students are encouraged to immediately start a file of prospective employers and their contact information when they begin using these accounts and sites. This will streamline the internship search and facilitate job hunting as a student approaches graduation.

Comprehensive Exam

All students are required to take and pass a proctored, closed-book, type-written Comprehensive Exam with a grade of 70% or better. Policies and procedures for taking the Comprehensive Exam are set forth in the Master of Public Health Comprehensive Exam Guide. The student must submit a request to the Director of the MPH program to take the exam. All requests to take the Comprehensive Exam will receive a response indicating the date, time and location for the exam. The exam is designed to assess the student's level of mastery of the five core competency areas acquired in the MPH core courses (see areas in table below). Students will be given hypothetical situations that relate to their coursework in the MPH program and will be required to draw conclusions and make recommendations based on their knowledge of the core principles of public health. Students are encouraged to keep their course notes from the core courses and use these as study guides alongside the materials summarized on the Reading List for the MPH Comprehesive Exam.

MPH Core Competency Areas and Related Core Courses

Core Competency Area	Associated MPH Core Course(s)
Biostatistics	STA 5176 Biostatistics In addition to the application of biostatistics, as emphasized in one of the following:   PHC 6196 Computer Applications in Public Health   PHC 6015 Epidemiological Study Design and Statistical Methods
Environmental Health	PHC 6018 Survey of Environmental Problems
Epidemiology	PHC 6000 Epidemiology for Public Health Professionals In addition to the application of epidemiology, as emphasized in one of the following:   PHC 6196 Computer Applications in Public Health   PHC 6015 Epidemiological Study Design and Statistical Methods
Health Care Policy and Administration	HSA 5115 Public Health Care Policy and Administration
Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health	PHC 5410 Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health

 

CEPH Accredited  Master of Public Health, Online

The Master of Public Health program at the University of West Florida, is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). For questions about the accreditation status or the Self Study Report please contact:

Dr. George L. Stewart, Ph.D. Director, School of Allied Health and Life Sciences Master of Public Health Program Building 58/79A 11000 University Parkway University of West Florida Pensacola, FL 32514 Phone: 850-473-7226 Fax. 850-474-2749 e-mail: gstewart@uwf.edu