The KU-MPH degree program is nationally accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
The MPH degree is offered through the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City and the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita in Wichita. Select courses also available in a Web-based format.

The MPH degree is a 42-credit-hour program that culminates with a practical experience. The MPH student must complete 15 core course hours, a 3 credit hour data management class, a 1 credit hour epidemiology lab, as well as additional courses. Competencies in the five basic public health specialty areas will be provided by the core course work in epidemiology, biostatistics, social and behavioral sciences, health services administration and environmental health sciences.

MPH Degree Requirements

Each candidate shall complete a minimum of 42 credit hours towards the degree. Credits shall be distributed according to the following:

Core Courses (15 credit hours)

PRVM 800 Principles of Epidemiology (3)
BIOS 704 Principles of Statistics in Public Health (3) OR
BIOS 714 Fundamentals of Biostatistics I (3) (required for the Epidemiology Concentration) OR
BIOS 835 Categorical Data Analysis(3) (required for the Biostatistics Concentration)
PRVM 818 Social & Behavioral Aspects of Public Health (3)
PRVM 827 Public Health Administration (3)
PRVM 830 Environmental Health (3)

Program Requirements (4 credit hours)

PRVM 802 Principles of Epidemiology Lab (1)
PRVM 875 Management of Public Health Data (3) OR BIOS 820 Statistical Computing (3) (required for the Biostatistics Concentration

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Concentration Required Courses (12 credit hours)

Epidemiology
Students are required to take:

PRVM 841 Advanced Epidemiology I: Methods in Cross-Sectional and Case-Control Studies (3)
PRVM 842 Advanced Epidemiology II: Methods in Longitudinal Studies (3)

Students must choose 6 credits from:

PRVM 811 Introduction to Pharmacoepidemiology (3)
PRVM 815 Surveillance and Control of Infectious Disease (3)
PRVM 836 Epidemiology and Aging (3)
PRVM 838 Reproductive Epidemiology (3)
PRVM 850 Cancer Epidemiology (3)

Social and Behavioral Health
Methodological and Cultural competency Foundations (9 credit hours)

PRVM 821 Research Methods in Public Health (3) OR PRVM 835 Evaluation Methods in Public Health (3)
PRVM 849 Qualitative Methods in Public Health (3) OR PRVM 856 Community –Based Participatory Research (3)
PRVM 845 Cultural Competency in Public Health (3) OR PRVM 852 Health Care for Special Populations OR PRVM 863 Health Disparities in Public Health (3)

Content Electives (3 credit hours)

PRVM 817 Gender, Race, Class, and Health (3)
PRVM 825 Child and Family Health (3)
PRVM 843 Obesity in Public Health (3)
PRVM 854 Population and Community Mental Health (3)
PRVM 855 Seminar in Women’s Health (3)
PRVM 859 Tobacco and Public Health (3)
PRVM 877 Health Communication (3)

Environmental Health Sciences
Students are required to take:

PRVM 832 Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology (3)
PRVM 870 Environmental Health Law and Policy (3)
PRVM 871 Environmental Monitoring and Exposure Assessment (3)
PRVM 874 Toxicology and Risk Assessment (3)

Public Health Management
Students are required to take:

PRVM 851 Public Health Policy and Law
PRVM 828 Public Health Program Development and Management (3)
PRVM 879 Finance and Human Resource Management (3)
PRVM 861 Leadership in Public Health (3)

Biostatistics
Students are required to take:

BIOS 830 Experimental Design (3)
BIOS 840 Linear Regression (3)
BIOS 871 Mathematical Statistics I (3)
BIOS 872 Mathematical Statistics II (3)

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Elective Courses (5 credit hours)

Students may arrange their electives to meet his/her educational objectives. Elective courses must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor or program director. Up to six credit hours of elective course work from approved graduate programs may be transferred, subject to advisor approval and review by the Curriculum Committee (see Student Handbook for more information).

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The Capstone Project (6 credit hours)

The Capstone Project is a practical experience designed to serve as the demonstration of proficiency in the MPH curriculum and to enhance and extend the student’s academic experience through the application of public health concepts and skills in a supervised field experience, which includes a focused project component. Students are required to synthesize and integrate knowledge gained and to apply theory and principles in situations that approximate some aspect of professional practice.

The goals of the Capstone Project are to broaden and hone student proficiency in a specified area of public health practice through a meaningful field experience as well as demonstrate integration of knowledge and a deeper understanding of public health practice while exposing the student to the expertise and leadership of a public health professional.

The student's capstone experience consists of six credit hours. The capstone is designed to serve as the demonstration of public health competencies.

Capstone Courses (6 credit hours):

PRVM 891 Public Health Practicum (3) OR BIOS 891 MPH Biostatistics Capstone Practicum (3) (Biostatistics Concentration only)
PRVM 893 Public Health Project (3) OR BIOS 893 MPH Biostatistics Capstone Project (3) (Biostatistics Concentration only)

In fulfilling the capstone requirement, each candidate must: (a) submit a formal written paper of sufficient depth and rigor; and (b) satisfactorily complete an oral examination based upon the project chosen as the basis for the written paper.

The candidate must satisfy all applicable University of Kansas regulations for graduate degrees. For further details, see the KU-MPH student handbook.

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MD/MPH Program

The MD/MPH dual degree program is a five-year program of study in which the medical student takes one year to complete the requirements for his/her MPH degree earned through the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Public Health in both Kansas City and Wichita. This can be accomplished either between the second and third or between the third and fourth years of medical school. Students in the MD/MPH program complete the Social and Behavioral Health concentration.
MD/MPH Program Brochure

Students admitted into the MD/MPH Dual Degree program must complete the MD degree requirements as prescribed by the School of Medicine. They will complete the MPH degree in three semesters - beginning in the Summer Semester (June), and proceeding through the Fall Semester (August) and the Spring Semester (January) - with completion by the end of May. Students will have two options for completing the MPH degree within the MD/MPH Dual Degree Program:

PLAN A
Year One and Two - Complete the first two years of medical school
Take USMLE - Step I Exam (May)
Year Three - (June - May) Complete the MPH Degree
Years Four and Five - Complete the final two years of medical school

PLAN B
Years One and Two - Complete the first two years of medical school
Take USMLE - Step I Exam (May)
Year Three - (June - May) Complete first clinical year of medical school
Year Four - (June- May) Complete the MPH Degree
Year Five - Complete the final year of medical school

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PhD/MPH Program

Offered by the Department of Applied Behavioral Science (Lawrence) and the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Public Health (Kansas City and Wichita), this joint program is the first in the nation to combine the strengths of advanced study in applied behavioral science with a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. The joint PhD/MPH program provides a variety of opportunities to learn and contribute through formal courses, research training with faculty mentors, and practicum experiences in the field. For more information, visit
http://www.absc.ku.edu/graduate/

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