Curriculum
To encourage students to successfully complete the program (while also working or fulfilling other off-campus responsibilities), the CSUN MPH program allows students to enroll in 2-4 courses per semester. The average student completes the program in 2.5 years, while taking 3 courses a semester. This educational model, which consists of a minimum of 42 units, accommodates the schedules of most students.
If an applicant is accepted with a “Classified” status, it means that they may begin the MPH program without any restrictions. Classified status means they have an undergraduate degree that shows evidence of meeting basic skills and knowledge areas in public health, do not need the GRE.
Students are admitted to the MPH program in either Community Health Education (CHE) or Applied Epidemiology (EPI).
| Class | Units |
|---|---|
| HSCI 533 - Health Behavior | 3 |
| HSCI 587 - Epidemiology | 3 |
| HSCI 531 - Program Planning and Evaluation | 3 |
| HSCI 538 - Community Health Action | 3 |
| HSCI 592 - Biostatistics | 3 |
| HSCI 690 - Program Evaluation | 3 |
| HSCI 694 - Research Design | 3 |
| HSCI 693A/C - Supervised Field Training | 3 |
| HSCI 541 - Administration | 3 |
| HSCI 535 - Curriculum Development | 3 |
Community Health Education Electives (9 units minimum)
With approval of the graduate advisor, students may take 500- and 600-level courses in such areas of study as Communications, Health Administration, Environmental and Occupational Health, or related areas of interest.
Culminating Experience (3 units) HSCI 698C/D Thesis/Graduate Project (3) - you will only choose one option
Choose one of the following:· HSCI 698E Graduate Project (3 units) or HSCI 698C Thesis (3 units)
HSCI 698E Graduate Project - The Graduate Project for the Community Health Education degree is a comprehensive project called Application of Concepts (AC) paper. The AC paper builds on the core curriculum requirements of the MPH program, requiring synthesis and integration of knowledge acquired through coursework and internship. Utilizing students' internship site as the focal organization, the AC paper consist of six sections: 1) program planning; 2) epidemiology; 3) health behavior theory; 4) goal and objectives; 5) strategy development; and 6) and evaluation.
HSCI 698C Thesis - Graduate students in the MPH program can elect to complete the master’s thesis. On average it takes between 1.5 and 2 years to complete the total thesis process (from selecting the committee to submitting the thesis). Very few students are able to complete their thesis in 1 year. Therefore, students should start the process as soon as possible (at the latest the spring semester of the academic year prior to their anticipated graduation date) in order to avoid delay and added costs in completing the degree requirements.
| Class | Units |
|---|---|
| HSCI 587 - Epidemiology | 3 |
| HSCI 592/592L - Biostatistics/Lab | 3/1 |
| HSCI 694 - Research Design | 3 |
| HSCI 533 - Health Behavior | 3 |
| HSCI 592A/592AL - Advanced Biostatistics/Lab | 3/1 |
| HSCI 696 - Advanced Epidemiologic Research Methods | 3 |
| HSCI 695 - Program Evaluation | 3 |
| HSCI 591 - Quantitative Demography | 3 |
| HSCI 693A/C - Supervised Field Training | 3 |
| HSCI 541 - Administration | 3 |
| EOH 554MPH - Environmental Health Problems | 3 |
Applied Epidemiology Electives (6 units minimum)
Choose one of the following:· HSCI 588 Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (3 units)· HSCI 589 Epidemiology of Common Chronic Diseases (3 units)
Select one additional elective. With approval of the graduate advisor, students may take 500- and 600-level courses in areas of study such as Health Administration, Environmental and Occupational Health (e.g., EOH 560: Environmental and Occupational Health Epidemiology), or related areas of interest.
Culminating Experience (3 units) HSCI 698C/D Thesis/Graduate Project (3) - you will only choose one option
Choose one of the following:· HSCI 698E Graduate Project (3 units) or HSCI 698C Thesis (3 units)
HSCI 698E Graduate Project - The Graduate Project for the Applied Epidemiology degree is an empirical project that will incorporate and demonstrate mastery of core epidemiological concepts, research methods, and statistical and analytic methods. Students can either conduct an evaluation or a small-scale research project using secondary data analytic methods. The final product will be submitted in the form of a standard scientific paper submitted for peer-review and include six sections: 1) Abstract; 2) Background and review of relevant theory and literature; 3) Methods and analyses; 4) Results; 5) Limitations; and 6) Conclusion.
HSCI 698C Thesis - Graduate students in the MPH program can elect to complete the master’s thesis. On average it takes between 1.5 and 2 years to complete the total thesis process (from selecting the committee to submitting the thesis). Very few students are able to complete their thesis in 1 year. Therefore, students should start the process as soon as possible (at the latest the spring semester of the academic year prior to their anticipated graduation date) in order to avoid delay and added costs in completing the degree requirements.