Public Health, M.P.H.

Faculty

• Andrea Crivelli-Kovach, Ph.D., M.A., M.C.H.E.S., Professor and Director of MPH Program
• Dejenaba Gordon, M.P.H., Instructor, MPH Internship Coordinator
• Katherine Isselmann DiSantis, Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor
• Margaret Longacre, PhD., M.S.H.E., Assistant Professor
• Heather deVries McClintock, Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor

Adjunct Faculty

• Brandon Becker, M.P.H., Epidemiology, Biostatistics
• Theresa Clark, M.P.H., HIV, STDs, Human Sexuality, Family, Community Health Education
• Alexandra DiOrio, M.P.H., Epidemiology, Maternal and Child Health
• Carrie Grabowicz, M.P.H., Research Methods, Community Health
• Sarah McCool, M.P.H., Global Health and Diversity, Maternal and Child Health, Human Sexuality
• Dierdre McKee, M.P.H., Grant Writing, Public Health Practice
• Dene Mitchell, M.P.H. Program Planning and Evaluation
• Natasha Patterson, M.P.H., Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Jamie Pfister, M.P.H., International & Global Health
• Alison Tartaglia, M.S.P.H., Nicotene Addiction, Chronic Trauma and Health, Global Health Communications
• Susan Villari, M.P.H., Community Health, Intro to Public Health

About the Program

• Preparation for community public health professions
• Capstone projects that integrate practice and research
• Internships that gives students firsthand experience working in public health settings
• Domestic and international service projects and internships
• Option to incorporate more of an international focus in the degree with specific course selections and an international or global focus for the internship and Capstone project
• Four dual-degree programs: Physician Assistant; International Peace and Conflict Resolution; Physical Therapy; and Counseling

The M.P.H. degree is an entry-level graduate degree into the field of public health. The Master of Public Health in Community Health with a global perspective trains graduates to work effectively as public health professionals in a wide variety of health-related organizations.

The Master of Public Health degree provides training in the discipline of public health, which focuses on the health needs of communities and populations domestically and internationally. The core curriculum includes epidemiology, biostatistics, social and behavioral sciences, environmental health, health care policy and administration, and inter-professional training opportunities while the community health concentration supplements the core with courses that focus on the development, implementation and evaluation of public health programs. A required Internship and Capstone project prepares graduates to enter the field of Public Health as program planners, researchers, evaluators, and educators. The focus of the degree affords the student the opportunity to develop a general skill set that enables him or her to work in a variety of settings.

The program trains students as public health professionals with an emphasis on community health. Students are encouraged to focus their coursework on a specific area of interest, choose an Internship experience that emphasizes their individualized interests, and plan a Capstone project focused in the same area. In this way, each student can develop a specialized knowledge base about public health issues related to his or her specific area of interest.

The dual-degree programs train health professionals in the core areas of community-based public health. The application of the public health skill set added to the skills learned within the clinical and behavioral primary degree instills a public health perspective into the classes taken in their primary areas of study.

The Master of Public Health program educates community public health professionals to promote the health of individuals, families, communities, and the environment. This is accomplished through a program that integrates education, research and practice in a global environment. The goals of the Public Health program are the following:

• Educate community public health professionals and develop the skills needed to promote health within communities.
• Provide an academic environment that integrates community public health education with research and practice.
• Enhance the understanding of the connection between health status and human rights.
• Translate knowledge into practice through collaborative service projects and internships both domestically and internationally with community-based organizations, health facilities, government organizations, and local health departments.
• Employ scientific investigation to advance public health knowledge of the relationship between health and the structural environment within which individuals live and work.

The Public Health degree is offered through the College of Health Sciences.

Core Competencies

Public Health Core Competencies

Assessment/Analytical Skills

1. Demonstrates the ability to:
   • Assess the health status of populations and their related determinants of health and illness
   • Describe the characteristics of a population based health problem
   • Reference public health data sources and identify gaps in information
   • Make community-based inferences using qualitative and quantitative data
   • Collect, store, retrieve and analyze qualitative and quantitative data
   • Synthesize demographic, statistical, programmatic and scientific information

Communication Skills

2. Communicates public health information effectively to multiple audiences
3. Presents (orally and in writing) qualitative and quantitative data to address scientific, political, ethical and social public health issues

Cultural Competency Skills

4. Compares across countries cultural and social paradigms underlying public health initiatives

Leadership and Management Skills

5. Uses individual and team learning opportunities for personal and professional development

Public Health Sciences Skills

6. Identifies the core contributions of the basic public health sciences (including biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health, health services administration, social and behavioral health sciences)
7. Describes the scientific evidence related to public health issues through information retrieval from a variety of text and electronic sources and discusses the limitations of research findings
8. Describes the laws, regulations, policies, and procedures for the ethical conduct of research.

Community Health Concentration Competencies

Program Planning Skills/Policy Development

9. Uses a global perspective to critique public health programs, research, policies, and health care systems
10. Contributes to collaborative program planning and evaluation processes including implementing, monitoring, and evaluating public health programs

Cultural Competency Skills

11. Describes cultural and linguistic characteristics and literacy levels of populations to be served

Community Dimensions of Practice Skills

12. Maps stakeholders who constitute the community linkages and relationships essential to involve in public health initiatives
13. Identifies community assets including governmental and non-governmental resources in the delivery of public health services.

Leadership and Management Skills

14. Demonstrates the ability to:
    • Prepare a programmatic budget
    • Describe the organizational structure and policies of a public health agency
    • Adhere to an organization’s policies and procedures
    • Identify strategies to address the public health needs of a defined population.

Accreditation

Arcadia University’s M.P.H. program is an accredited public health program.  Accreditation was granted by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) in June 2013.

Certification

Students are eligible to sit for the National Credentialing Exam in Public Health (CPH) after completing 21 credits in the MPH Program or after they complete the degree  and the National Certification for Health Education Specialists (CHES) exam administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.

Admission Requirements

Applications to the M.P.H. program are reviewed on a rolling basis. Students may apply for admission to the program beginning in Fall, Spring, or Summer. Applications must be complete before they are reviewed for admission to the program.

The following program-specific requirements must be met:

• A completed graduate application including personal statements, to be completed online at www.arcadia.edu/gradapp.
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a recommended GPA of 3.0 or better in the major course of study.
• One official transcript from each college, university or professional school attended. Transfer credits included on a transcript must include grades earned; if not, an official transcript from the original school must be submitted. Transcripts must be sent from the issuing school in a sealed envelope and contain the appropriate signatures and seals to be considered official.
• Three letters of recommendation, at least one from a professor (if a recent graduate) and one from a health professional.
• Test scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) taken within the last five years. Test scores are not required for students with an earned graduate degree in a related field.
• Knowledge of the profession through work or volunteer experience.
• International applicants should visit www.arcadia.edu/international for detailed information on admission requirements and application procedures. TOEFL/IELTS results are required for all students for whom English is a second language or who have not earned degrees or diplomas from post-secondary institutions in English-speaking countries (e.g. the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand). A course-by-course evaluation of all transcripts by an independent evaluation service based in the United States is required.

Expenses

Note: Dual degree program expenses are listed under the specific programs.

2018-19 Tuition: $750 per credit

Fees:

• Registration: $50 per semester
• Technology: $50 per semester
• Parking: $55 per semester or $100 per year (Fall and Spring) before 4 p.m. No charge after 4 p.m.

Financial Aid

Graduate students who have been accepted into a degree program and are enrolled for at least 6 credits per semester are eligible to apply for financial aid. Please visit www.arcadia.edu/finaid for information regarding available aid options and visit www.arcadia.edu/gradfinaidapply to complete required forms online.

Graduate Assistantships/Graduate Student Employment

Graduate Assistantships/Graduate Student Employment may be available to graduate students registered for at least 9 credits per semester. Students may apply for assistantships/graduate student employment upon acceptance and registration. Questions regarding graduate assistantships should be directed to the Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies at 215-572-2925.

Federal Loans

Graduate students are eligible to borrow through the Federal Direct Stafford Loan and Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan programs provided they are taking at least 6 credits per semester (in the summer, 6 credits over all summer sessions combined satisfies this requirement). For more information, visit www.arcadia.edu/finaid.

Degree Requirements (42 credits)

Additional Information

Beginning AY 2017-2018, PBH 585 Health Policy, Law and Bioethics will be integrated into PBH 510 Health Care Systems to create a new focus for our Health Management Course that will include a global focus on both health policy and systems.