Community Health Studies Master's Degree Requirements

Program | Faculty | Master's | Doctoral | Courses

Master of Public Health Degree Program

This degree program offers experienced health workers an opportunity to complete a course of study that leads to a professional degree. Working health professionals expand their knowledge base in public health, extend and sharpen their professional skills, broaden their perspective on public health problems, and prepare to assume greater professional responsibility.

The basic requirement of the M.P.H. degree is the completion of a minimum of 39-42 credits of academic work depending upon area of concentration, and practice experience*. Candidates may enroll either full time, in which case they should be able to complete degree requirements in three semesters and an intervening summer, or part time, in which case they are expected to complete degree requirements within three years of matriculation.

*Note: All M.P.H. students are required to complete a practice experience as part of their degree requirements, and may receive credit for it depending on their major department's policy. Practice experiences may be paid or unpaid. Placements are arranged in consultation with the student's faculty adviser or the Office of Public Health Practice and Outreach in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. The adviser reviews the student's interests, preferences, financial standing, experience, and skills, and is usually able to arrange for interviews with a suitable organization either directly or through another faculty member.

Master of Science Degree Program

The M.S. degree program is designed for candidates whose career goals include research and teaching. Graduates of the program will obtain skills in important areas of public health practice and competence in basic research methodology, and should understand the interaction of technical, social, economic, and political determinants of health problems and the way these factors influence processes of social change. The degree program provides a sound methodological preparation for working in a research setting or for pursuing an advanced academic degree.

The basic requirement for the M.S. degree is the completion of a minimum of 48 credits of course work including the thesis. The normal time for satisfying requirements for the M.S. degree in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences is two academic years and the intervening summer (21 months).

Each student is expected to carry out an individual investigation or research project as one of the requirements for the Master of Science degree. This is done as a thesis, which is conducted under the guidance of two or more members of the graduate faculty. As part of the requirement, each thesis is defended orally before at least three members of the graduate faculty.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should meet the following minimum criteria for admission to the program:

1. Have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution in the United States, or a foreign equivalent.

2. Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 (B average on a 4.00 scale) in their baccalaureate degree.

3. Meet the general requirements of the Graduate School for admission (see www.umass. edu/gradschool/).

Applicants need to submit an official report of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which is required if they do not have a doctoral degree. Other professional test scores—e.g., Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT), or comparable foreign graduate or professional test—are acceptable in lieu of the GRE. Test scores must not be more than seven years old.

All master's degree applicants who are not U.S. citizens and/or whose native language is not English must obtain an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In order to be considered for admission, the applicant must achieve a score of 600 on the paper-based exam or a score of 250 on the computer-based exam.

Applicants may also submit copies of any pertinent publications or reports, which they have authored, that would be helpful in evaluating their potential for success in public health.

Preference may also be given to applicants with an advanced professional degree (M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M.) or other graduate degree, or applicants who have two or more years' work experience in the field of public health. Students without two years of professional experience in health education are required to complete a supervised field training internship of 200-400 hours, depending on experience. The field training internship is in addition to the required curriculum.

Applications for fall semester and summer semester must be received by February 1; applications for spring semester should be received by October 1.

Prospective applicants with questions should contact Dr. Shlomo Barnoon, Graduate Program Director, email: barnoon@schoolph.umass.edu or tel. (413) 545-0309, or Dr. Michael E. Begay, Community Health Studies Concentration Chair, email: begay@schoolph.umass.edu or tel. (413) 545-1203.