Maternal and Child Health, MPH

Maternal and Child Health (48 SCH)

The Master of Public Health (MPH) concentration in Maternal and Child Health is designed to prepare professionals from a variety of backgrounds (medicine, biology, nursing, nutrition, women’s studies, anthropology, social work, sociology, psychology) for leadership roles in organizations that focus on promoting the health of women, children, and families. This interdisciplinary concentration provides knowledge of the major determinants of maternal health and child health, and strategies for improving the health of mothers and children including program planning and evaluation research methods, and policy analysis at the local, state, national, and international levels.

Students in the MPH degree program in Maternal and Child Health are admitted once a year as a cohort. Full-time enrollment is required and students are expected to graduate in five semesters. Students follow a weekly calendar of curricular and co-curricular activity that occupies 8-hour blocks of time, Monday through Friday (9 am - 6 pm). Students are prohibited from holding employment while in the program. 

Curriculum 

• MACH 5330 Introduction to Maternal and Child Health
• BIOS 5300 Principles of Biostatistics
• EPID 5300 Principles of Epidemiology
• BACH 5300 Theoretical Foundations of Individual and Community Health
• MACH 5334 Maternal and Child Health Across the Life Course
• BACH 5314 Applied Public Health Methods
• HMAP 5300 Introduction to Health Management and Policy
• EOHS 5300 Environmental Determinants of Health I
• PHED 5297 Practice Experience
• BACH 5340 Community Assessment and Program Planning
• MACH 5335 Human Sexuality and Reproductive Health
• MACH 5336 Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology
• PHED 5000 CPH Comprehensive Examination
• BACH 5350 Community Health Program Evaluation
• BACH 5345 Participatory Approaches to Improving Community Health
• MACH 5391 Topics in Maternal and Child Health

MPH Practice Experience

All MPH students are required to complete a Public Health practice experience internship. This requirement is based upon the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation.

This course provides opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience addressing MPH foundation and concentration-specific competencies. Students are required to commit to a minimum of 600 cumulative hours total over three semesters and complete other assignments that promote the synthesis of MPH competencies. Students are required to complete a project that is specific and beneficial to the organization and are supervised by a Faculty member and an organizational site supervisor. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the students’ academic and professional goals. Students must attend all required practice experience sessions and obtain approval of their placement before enrolling in the course. 

Prerequisite: Students must be in good academic standing with the university and have completed all required courses during the first year cohort program or have completed at least 21 SCH as an online student. 

For more information, please see the Public Health Practice Experience website.