Program Description
- STEM designated program
Public Health is an interdisciplinary field of study and practice with three primary goals:
- address pressing and emerging threats to health and well-being;
- prevent illness, disease and injury; and
- promote and protect human health.
In achieving these goals, public health emphasizes social justice, supports human rights and respects the dignity of individuals and the integrity of communities.
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health is a 45-credit degree. The MPH degree requires the completion of 27 credits of core courses (including a non-crediting bearing clerkship) and 18 credits of concentration and elective courses.
Classes are held onsite at Thomas Jefferson University’s Center City Philadelphia campus. They are offered during the day and after 5 pm, accommodating working adults.
Concentration Options
The MPH program offers four engaging concentration options. Each concentration offers elective courses that address specific competencies. Students are encouraged to complete their Clerkship-Applied Practice Experience and Capstone-Integrated Learning Experience on topics related to their concentration. Students in each concentration take 6 elective courses.
Public Health Analytics
Focuses on bolstering students’ epidemiological and statistical expertise through advanced coursework giving students the ability to collect, analyze, interpret and visualize data.
Public Health Policy & Advocacy
Gives students the skillset to promote public health policy at the local, state, federal and international levels.
Healthcare Quality & Safety
Focuses on integrating public health knowledge and skills in the clinical space. This concentration is particularly of interest to students currently in or intending to enter the medical field.
Public Health Practice (Generalist)
Gives students the most freedom to choose electives that appeal to them. Academic advisors will support students in determining which electives support their career goals.
Curriculum:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses All Concentrations | ||
| PBH 501 | Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
| PBH 500 | Foundations of US HC System | 3 |
| PBH 502 | Society,Behavior&Environment | 3 |
| PBH 504 | Fundamentals of Stat for Rsrch | 3 |
| or PBH 505 | Fund of Stats for Practice | |
| PBH 506 | Fundamentals of Epidemiology | 3 |
| PBH 509 | Foundation of Policy&Advocacy | 3 |
| PBH 510 | Health Research Methods | 3 |
| PBH 520 | Program Planning & Evaluation | 3 |
| PBH 651 | Clerkship Applied Practice Exp (C-APE) | 0 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Capstone - ILE 1 and LEAP Capstone - ILE 2 (C-ILE) | ||
| LPHT Capstone - ILE 1 and LPHT Capstone - ILE 2 (C-ILE) | ||
| Concentrations | ||
| Select one of the following concentrations: | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 45 | |
Curriculum: Public Health Analytics concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PBH 512 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| PBH 605 | Advanced Statistics | 3 |
| PBH 606 | Advanced Epidemiology | 3 |
| PBH 609 | GIS Mapping | 3 |
| 2 free-choice electives | 6 | |
Curriculum: Public Health Practice (Generalist) concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 6 free-choice electives | 18 | |
Curriculum: Healthcare Quality & Safety concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HQS 500 | Intro Healthcare Qual & Safety | 3 |
| HQS 509 | Appl Princ of Healthcare Qulty | 3 |
| HQS 515 | Appl Princ of Patient Safety | 3 |
| OPX 532 | Project Management Essentials | 3 |
| 2 free-choice electives | 6 | |
Curriculum: Public Health Policy & Advocacy concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PBH 507 | Fundamentals of Environ Health | 3 |
| PBH 513 | Public Health Law & Ethics | 3 |
| PBH 518 | Applied Policy & Advocacy | 3 |
| AHE 501 | Economics of Health Insurance | 3 |
| 2 free-choice electives | 6 | |
Public Health Advanced Standing Pathway
The Advanced Standing pathway is designed to increase the number of healthcare professionals who have advanced training in public health, with the goal of promoting wellness, assuring quality and addressing the social determinants of health n social service, healthcare, government, non-profit, business, research, and community settings.
The Advanced Standing pathway complements the College’s existing efforts to train healthcare and other professional to be more effective and to contribute to population and community health. This program provides those with a terminal degree (including MD, DO, PhD, JD, DSW, EdD, DNP, DHSc, DBA) with an opportunity to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. The program provides training in leadership, epidemiology, biostatistics, research, health behavior, healthcare delivery, healthcare quality and safety, policy, advocacy, wellness and prevention. Professionals with an MPH degree assume leadership positions in the healthcare setting, in state and local public health departments, non-governmental health organizations, and in the global context and are prepared to conduct research, inform policy, and lead advocacy efforts.
Advanced Standing students earn 45 credits: they complete at least 33 credits (11 courses) of MPH coursework at Jefferson and are able to transfer up to 12 credits of prior coursework that comprehensively addresses public health content toward the degree. Students will be asked to provide syllabi for prior course work (note transfer credits must be approved by the MPH Program Director). Jefferson supports Advanced Standing students by providing a host of structured activities to augment classroom learning. These activities focus on the interdisciplinary nature of public health work and include a lecture series and an enhanced field experience. Additionally, students work closely with faculty to design and complete an independent research project on a topic of their choice.
Curriculum: 33 Credits
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PBH 500 | Foundations of US HC System | 3 |
| PBH 502 | Society,Behavior&Environment | 3 |
| PBH 504 | Fundamentals of Stat for Rsrch | 3 |
| PBH 506 | Fundamentals of Epidemiology | 3 |
| or PBH 606 | Advanced Epidemiology | |
| PBH 509 | Foundation of Policy&Advocacy | 3 |
| PBH 510 | Health Research Methods | 3 |
| PBH 660 | Clinical Public Health | 0 |
| PBH 651 | Clerkship Applied Practice Exp (C-APE) | 0 |
| PBH 613 & PBH 614 | LPHT Capstone - ILE 1 and LPHT Capstone - ILE 2 (C-ILE) | 3 |
| General Electives | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Public Health Bridge Programs
Bridge students are enrolled in one of our partner institutions. They take up to four Master of Public Health (MPH) courses while still in undergraduate during their junior or senior year and the courses are applied to their undergraduate degree. After earning their bachelor’s degree, Bridge students continue to take courses in the MPH, either on a part-time or full-time basis.
Curriculum: 45 Credits
Students on the Bridge Pathway are required to:
- Provide their undergraduate transcript to Jefferson upon graduation
- Maintain active status in the MPH program
- Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Complete the 120-hour applied practice field experience (Clerkship)
- Complete an independent Capstone Project of publishable quality