Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Record 2022-2023 
    
Graduate Record 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Public Health


Admission


The Master in Public Health (M.P.H.) applicants must possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and must have taken the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), LSAT or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Students who hold an M.D., Ph.D., Pharm.D., J.D., or D.V.M. from an accredited American university are exempt from the GRE/MCAT/LSAT requirement. Applications must be submitted through SOPHAS with supporting transcripts, Statement of Intent, and recommendations as described in the on-line application packet. Those whose first language is not English must pass the TOEFL with a score of at least 600 (paper-based test) or 250 (computer-based test).

Master of Public Health


The Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) is an interdisciplinary professional degree offered individually or as a dual program with other professional degrees (MD/MPH, JD/MPH, MBA/MPH, MPP/MPH). It is designed to provide students with an understanding of public health sciences and foundational knowledge, and with opportunities to develop the competencies needed for the fields of public health, health policy and management, health care systems and other population health related organizations. The program draws upon the strengths of UVa faculty within the Schools of Medicine, Arts & Sciences, Nursing, Law, Education, and Architecture, as well as the larger university community. While the M.P.H. degree is designed to meet national accreditation requirements, it provides flexibility for students to tailor the program to their particular interests. UVa’s MPH program mission is to advance the field of public health by providing an interdisciplinary, interprofessional environment that fosters the success of each student as they develop comprehensive public health knowledge, competencies, and professional values; identify and pursue individualized educational and professional goals in the breadth of public health settings and sectors; and collaborate with faculty and community partners to improve health equity and overall population health and well-being.

Degree Requirements


As defined by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the Accreditation Criteria for the M.P.H. degree include course work in foundational public health knowledge and 22 foundational competencies, additional competencies in an area of concentration, and applied practice experience.  In an Integrative Learning Experience that requires an independent project, students are required to synthesize their foundational and concentration-specific knowledge and to demonstrate their competencies.

Foundational Knowledge and Competencies


Foundational courses focus on the knowledge and competencies at the core of public health. Required courses provide knowledge in competencies required by the CEPH Accreditation Criteria in evidence-based approaches to public health; health care systems; planning and management; policy; leadership; communication; interprofessional practice; and systems thinking.

Applied Practice Experiences


MPH students demonstrate competency attainment through Applied Practice (AP) experiences.  The program assesses each student’s competency attainment in practical and applied settings through a portfolio approach, which demonstrates and allows assessment of competency attainment.  The UVa MPH Program takes an individualized approach to supporting students in AP experiences as students identify opportunities, engage in experiences, develop products, and attain competencies.  AP experiences are tailored to the particular foundational and concentration-specific competencies each student chooses to achieve by graduation from the MPH program.  Students must produce a minimum of two work products that are useful to the community partner and demonstrate the attainment of minimum of five competencies, at least three of which being foundational.  Examples include written assignments, projects, videos, multi-media presentations, spreadsheets, websites, posters, photos or other digital artifacts of learning.

Integrative Learning Experience


MPH students complete an integrative learning experience (ILE) that demonstrates synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies.  Students in consultation with faculty select foundational and concentration-specific competencies appropriate to the student’s educational and professional goals. The ILE final project is on a topic of the student’s choosing and includes work undertaken in 3 MPH required courses:  a Methods Course, PHS 8880 or 8881 ILE Part 1 (Project), and PHS 8930 or 8931 ILE Part 2 (Seminar).

Required Courses and Tracks


The M.P.H. degree program requires students to complete 42 credits of course work:

  • at least 20 credits of required courses;
  • 16 credits of course work in a track or concentration;
  • and the remaining credits in electives.

Each student accepted into the M.P.H. program will identify a concentration and develop an individualized course of study with their advisor (and approved by an M.P.H. faculty steering committee) that addresses the student’s professional interests, needs, and goals.

Students also must complete a minimum of 5 credits to satisfy the applied practice, practicum and integrative learning experience.

Course Descriptions


Public Professional Licensure Disclosure


As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement, the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)).

Upon completion of the Master of Public Health at the UVA School of Medicine, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state.

Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C))

Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402).