Master of Public Health (MPH) with concentration in Epidemiology

 

About the Program

The MPH in Epidemiology prepares students to apply epidemiological methods in public health studies and foster public health practices and policies to improve human health and well-being. Through didactic, hands-on and experiential learning, MPH students develop skills in designing and conducting epidemiologic surveys, analyzing complex public health data, and applying advanced epidemiologic methods to public health practice and research in chronic diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases.  

 This program is suitable for students with a science background who want to apply their knowledge and understand the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in populations, public health professionals looking to advance their careers, healthcare workers who want to grasp the broader context of health and disease, and policy makers involved in creating and implementing health policies, and data analysts who enjoy working with data and want to apply their skills in studying health and disease patterns, risk factors, and preventive measures. 

 The program may be completed full-time (in four semesters) or part-time (completion varies) either on-campus or online. The program may be completed in 12-15 months (accelerated program) for qualified students who can handle an intensive course load. Upon graduation, students are eligible to take the CPH exam. 

Program Flyer - PDFRequest InformationInformation Session

 

Academic and Career Advising

You will have a dedicated one-on-one academic advisor to guide you through your learning experience, and a faculty advisor to work with you to develop your career plan. The Office of Experiential Learning and Career Readiness will support you in identifying opportunities and professional and workplace skills. 

Briana McNeil, MEd
Coordinator, Recruitment and Admissions
sphadmissions@memphis.edu
(901) 678-3740

 

Career Outcomes

Graduates of the MHA program oversee healthcare operations in prominent medical, healthcare delivery and insurance organizations, in public health departments and healthcare consulting firms in Memphis and nationally. 

 

Pathway Opportunities

Students can enhance their skills through graduate certificates in one of the following areas, or create their own plan in consultation with the academic advisor: 

• Health analytics
• Population health informatics
• Health systems leadership
• Population health 

 

How to Apply

• Completed SOPHAS application
• An undergraduate degree from an accredited university with GPA of at least 3.0 preferred.
• Personal statement on career interests in healthcare administration. (< 500 words)  
• CV/Resume
• Two (2) letters of recommendation
• International applicants
  • The University of Memphis accepts evaluated coursework from agencies certified by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) or Association of International Credential Evaluators. SpanTran and IEE are our recommended international transcript evaluation services. They have created a custom application for the University of Memphis that will help you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. You can access their application here: SpanTran Application – University of Memphis or IEE – University of Memphis Application 
  • Evidence of English language proficiency according to the University of Memphis Graduate School requirements

Deadlines 

International applicants should plan to have their applications by May 15 for Fall Semester and October 15 for Spring Semester to ensure sufficient time to receive your Form I-20 and visa. 

• Fall Semester – August 15(a)
• Spring Semester – January 15(a) 

 

Program Requirements

The program requires a total of forty-two (42) credit hours as follows:(a)  

• 18 credit hours of core courses
• 12 credit hours of concentration courses
• 6 credit hours of elective courses
• 3 credit hours of applied practical experiences
• 3 credit hours of culminating experience  

Core Courses (18 credit hours) 

• HADM 7105 Health Policy and Organization of Health Services
• PUBH 7120 Environmental Health I
• PUBH 7150 Biostatistical Methods I
• PUBH 7160 Social and Behavioral Sciences Principles
• PUBH 7170 Epidemiology in Public Health I
• PUBH 7180 Foundations of Public Health 

Epidemiology Concentration Courses (12 credit hours) 

• PUBH 7141 Epidemiologic Survey Method
• PUBH 7152 Biostatistical Methods II(b)
• PUBH 7172 Epidemiology in Public Health II(c)
• One of the following:
  • PUBH 7140 Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases
  • PUBH 7442 Cancer Epidemiology
  • PUBH 7443 Infectious Disease Epidemiology
  • PUBH 7174 Epidemiology III  

Electives (6 credit hours) 

• Two (2) 3 credit hours graduate level courses in consultation with faculty advisor 

Applied Practical Experience (3 credit hours) 

• PUBH 7985 Practicum/Field Experience 

Culminating Experience(d) (3 credit hours) 

• PUBH 7992 Master’s Project Seminar OR
• PUBH 7996 Master’s Thesis 
   
  (a) Graduate students must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA ("B"). Grades of "D" and "F" will not apply toward any graduate degree but will be computed in the GPA. No more than 7 hours of "C-," "C" or "C+" will be applied towards meeting degree requirements.  
  (b) PUBH 7150 is the pre-requisite for PUBH 7152 
  (c) PUBH 7170 is the pre-requisite for PUBH 7172 
  (d) PUBH 7985 is the pre-requisite for PUBH 7992 or PUBH 7996 

 

Skills

The student should be able to: 

• Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.
• Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate.
• Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice.
• Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings.
• Discuss means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and societal levels.
• Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health.
• Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs.
• Design a population-based policy, program, project, or intervention.
• Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management.
• Select methods to evaluate public health programs.
• Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence.
• Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes.
• Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.
• Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.
• Apply principles of leadership, governance, and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration, and guiding decision making.
• Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges.
• Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors.
• Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
• Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.
• Perform effectively on interprofessional teams.
• Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue. 
   
  

Epidemiology 

• Analyze public health data using appropriate epidemiologic and statistical methods to draw valid inferences
• Identify the advantages and disadvantages of various study designs in public health and etiologic research
• Systematically examine a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time and place to develop potential responses or interventions
• Evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic reports
• Apply and describe survey research methodology including assessing survey questions, designing surveys in professional software, and methods for testing reliability and validity