Public Health

Competencies

Public Health Core

Assessment and Analytical Skills​ 

• 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

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

Cultural Competency Skills

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

Leadership and Management Skills

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

Public Health Sciences Skills

• Identifies the core contributions of the basic public health sciences (including biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health, health services administration, and social and behavioral health sciences).
• 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.
• Describes the laws, regulations, policies, and procedures for the ethical conduct of research.

Community Health Concentration Competencies

Program Planning and Policy Development Skills

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

Cultural Competency Skills

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

Community Dimensions of Practice Skills

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

Leadership and Management Skills

• Prepares a programmatic budget.
• Describes the organizational structure and policies of a public health agency.
• Adheres to an organization’s policies and procedures.
• Identifies strategies to address the public health needs of a defined population.

Degree Requirements

42 credits

Required Core Courses (27 credits)

• PBH 501 Social Determinants of Health and Disease (3 credits)
• PBH 510 Health Care Systems (3 credits)
• PBH 560 Issues in Community and Environmental Health (3 credits)
• PBH 600 Introduction to Epidemiology (3 credits)
• PBH 620 Introduction to Biostatistics (3 credits)
• PBH 640 Research Methods and Design for Health Professionals (3 credits)
• PBH 689 Community Health Internship (3 credits)
• PBH 695 Public Health Capstone Research Project Seminar I (3 credits)
• PBH 696 Public Health Capstone Research Project Seminar II (3 credits)

Required Community Health Concentration Courses (9 credits)

• PBH 530 Theories and Principles of Health Behavior and Health Promotion (3 credits)
• PBH 630 Program Planning and Evaluation for Health Professionals (3 credits)
• PBH 645 Evaluation of Public Health Programs: Case Studies (3 credits)

Electives (6 credits)

• PBH 500 The History and Practice of Public Health (3 credits)
• PBH 572 Concepts of Mental Health and Mental Illness (3 credits)
• PBH 573 Human Sexuality (3 credits)
• PBH 575 Family in Contemporary Society (3 credits)
• PBH 576 Drug Use and Abuse (3 credits)
• PBH 578* Stress: A Life Course Perspective (3 credits)
• PBH 581 Nutrition: Science, Politics and Controversies  (3 credits)
• PBH 582 International Health and Human Rights (3 credits)
• PBH 583 Contemporary Health Topics (3 credits)
• PBH 584 Successful Grant Writing (3 credits)
• PBH 585 Health Policy, Law and Ethics (3 credits)
• PBH 587 Global Health Communications (3 credits)
• PBH 588 Women’s Health: A Global Perspective (3 credits)
• Selected Interdepartmental (ID) courses focused on Public Health Domestically and Internationally

Admission Requirements

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

The following program-specific requirements must be met:

Complete a graduate application online at www.sophas.org. Information about application fees can be found on SOPHAS. The application requirements are:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a recommended GPA of 3.0 or better in the major course of study.
2. 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.
3. Personal Statement
4. Two letters of recommendation, one from a professor (if a recent graduate) and one from a health professional.
5. Test scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or 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 per the department's review and approval. Note: The GRE code for the M.P.H. program is 2687.
6. Knowledge of the profession through work or volunteer experience.
7. 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 also is required.

Expenses

(Dual degree program expenses are listed under the specific programs.)

• Tuition for 2017-18: $735/credit
• Fees:
  • Deferred Payment: $40
  • Audit: $720/course
  • Parking: $40/semester (fall and spring) before 4 p.m. No charge after 4 p.m.

Dual Degree Programs

Our 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.

We offer the following Master of Public Health dual degree programs:

• Physician Assistant
• International Peace and Conflict Resolution
• Physical Therapy
• Counseling

Our Faculty

Public Health faculty are actively engaged in collaborative projects, research and service to the public health community. Their endeavors provide students with the opportunity to participate in ongoing projects with community-based organizations and state and local government agencies. Some faculty are nationally and internationally recognized for work in their respective fields of expertise, while some are directors of local organizations addressing the public health needs of their communities. Many have been honored with service, teaching and research awards.

Meet Our Faculty