AAC: 9/10
Cabinet: 10/10
SBHE: 11/10
North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota
SBHE Policy 403.1, Program Approval
SBHE Policy 404.1, Distance Learning Credit Activities
SBHE Policy 409, Degrees Offered
North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota request approval to offer a
Master of Public Health program and degree (MPH) and a graduate Program Certificate in
Public Health. NDSU and UND are also requesting ongoing approval for distance/online delivery of
these programs. This request is in accordance with SBHE policies 403.1 and 404.1, Program
Approval and Distance Learning Credit Activities and 409, Degrees Offered.
The provision of health care is requiring practitioners in all health care fields to adopt a more
fiscally responsible, comprehensive and inter-professional approach to patient care. As the
population ages and chronic diseases become more prevalent, especially in rural or remote
communities, disease management, health promotion/prevention and a population health
approach are essential. NDSU College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Sciences and the UND School
of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), are partnering with other colleges at each institution, and
coordinating with each other, to provide the expertise, resources, and health professionals to teach
in this degree program. The goal is to prepare public health professionals to effectively and interprofessionally meet the specific needs of the state. Each institution offers unique resources to
support public health education and therefore each student will be able to access the full range of
coursework available at either institution, regardless of where the student is matriculated. NDSU
and UND will coordinate not only their curricula, but their admission standards, marketing efforts,
and tuition charges to ensure that the resulting program truly is an integrated, coordinated, and
seamlessly combined effort by both institutions.
NEED: Since North Dakota has several accredited health professions programs in the State, and
since North Dakota does not have its own school of public health, the demand for a Master of Public
Health degree should be quite good. According to the American Public Health Association, the
public health workforce is currently (and in the future) suffering severe shortages. The number of
public health workers in the U.S. declined to 158 workers per 100,000 population in 2000
compared to 220 workers per 100,000 in 1980. Within the next few years, state and federal public
health agencies could lose up to half of their workforce to retirement, the private sector, and other
opportunities. So the supply and demand side of this issue provide North Dakota with an excellent
opportunity. The salary ranges for Master of Public Health degree employees range between
$40,000 – $80,000 which does not take into account discipline-specific health professionals (Master
of Public Health Degree Salary). Physicians, nurses, and pharmacists with MPH degrees would have
even higher salaries.
Access to health care services in North Dakota can be a challenge with the majority of providers
located in the four largest communities in the State. The North Dakota Department of Health has
openly stated its desire to proactively cross-train health care personnel to fill multiple roles as
dictated by the needs of its communities. New models of health care delivery will be required to
respond to a shortage of health care providers and to meet the needs of the citizens of the state.
Data to support this need comes from the UND Center for Rural Health and from state and national
organizations concerned about health care needs and education. No other program exists in ND. Dr.
Terry Dwelle (state health officer) estimates at least 100 ND public health professionals wish to
obtain an M.P.H. degree or certificate. There are currently 46 ND residents enrolled in the U of
Minnesota M.P.H. program.
COST: An essential and necessary component of this proposed program is the need for additional
appropriated dollars. Only UND and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences have, at present, a
State Board of Higher Education-approved budget request for additional appropriated funds to be
considered in the upcoming legislative session ($1,215,219 included in SOMHS request). In an effort
to demonstrate both the importance of the appropriated funds, and especially to show just how
integrated this approach is, UND and NDSU are proposing that any new appropriated funds
awarded to the UND/SMHS for the upcoming biennium be equally shared by the two institutions
(i.e., UND and NDSU). The conceptual foundation is clear - a joint and cooperative program needs to
be just that—joint and cooperative.
Although some current faculty resources will be redirected into the M.P.H. program, the need for
new courses and converting courses into on-line format will require additional faculty and
administrative support totaling about $1 million/year for each institution at full implementation,
for optimal operation of the program. This will be partially offset by a new programmatic tuition
rate, as well as new grant monies for research. New funds have been requested as part of a new
initiative in the 2011-13 biennium. Both institutions are committed to the program, and will
attempt to redirect any available institutional funds that may be needed for the initial
implementation of the program and to supplement any shortfall from pending new funding from
the state; nevertheless, neither institution will accept any student into the program unless sufficient
resources (financial and otherwise) are available to ensure the successful matriculation and
graduation of that accepted student.
NDSU and UND jointly determined that a per credit hour cost of $600 was both competitive from a
market standpoint, as well as viable from the institutions’ standpoints assuming they receive new
allocated dollars. In discussions with the leadership at both institutions and the university system
office, it was determined that the optimal cost structure is in the form of a differential tuition. If the
differential tuition is approved, the total cost to the student for the M.P.H. degree will be $25,800
(i.e., $600x43 credit hours), an amount that is competitive in the marketplace. Each university will
therefore commit to charging only a uniform differential tuition of $600/credit hour (plus only any
university-required supplemental fee that is charged to all students). In addition to the differential
tuition and request for new appropriated funds, both institutions are providing a reallocation of
resources to show their commitment to the program. Neither university will offer any tuition
waivers during the “core course” phase unless otherwise specified by NDUS policy.
Should the legislature appropriate less than the requested amount of new appropriated dollars,
that will jeopardize the success of the proposed program, UND and NDSU would be forced to
request an increase in the amount of differential tuition that would be collected, which might make
this program significantly less competitive in the marketplace. Indeed, an allocation substantially
less than the requested amount might preclude their ability to proceed at all. Depending on the
amount of legislative funding received, a decision would be made regarding the institutions’ ability
to offer the program. If a favorable response is received from the Legislature in a timely fashion,
both institutions plan to begin offering the program in the Fall semester. In order to prepare on a
timely basis, they would need to begin recruiting and hiring faculty now.
ACCREDITATION: Each institution will seek accreditation from the Council on Education in Public
Health (CEPH). The curriculum, its content and the number of credit hours in this proposal is based
on current CEPH guidelines, and are comparable to those of other CEPH-accredited programs.
RELATIONSHIP TO THE INSTITUTION: NDSU’s proposal draws upon faculty and resources from
the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Sciences, as well as other colleges and departments
from across NDSU, including Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences; Food Safety; Sociology;
Business; Anthropology and Emergency Management; Child Development and Family Science; and
Health, Nutrition and Exercise Science. Meeting the public health needs of ND is appropriate to
NDSU’s land grant mission.
The UND program will draw upon faculty and resources from the School of Medicine and Health
Sciences; the Colleges of Nursing, Arts and Sciences, Business and Public Administration, and
Education and Human Development; and the School of Aerospace Sciences.
Each degree can enhance and be enhanced by the planned undergraduate efforts in Public Health
education.
PROGRAM DELIVERY: This program will be offered in both traditional and on line formats. As the
programs grows and mature, it may be possible to offer coursework at other campuses across the
State. Sites for experiential learning will be developed in communities and organizations to address
the number of students and areas of specialization.
VIABILITY: The enrollment projections for each institution for this MPH program are: Year 1 (20
students); Year 2 (25 students); and Year 3 (30 students). As a part of this goal, we hope to attract
graduates from the undergraduate and graduate programs at UND and NDSU, as well as current
health practitioners or others employed in health-related fields. This should be sufficient to offer
the necessary courses each academic year. About half of these students are likely to be on-line
students.
DUPLICATION: The only other Public Health program available to North Dakota residents is
offered online by the University of Minnesota through the School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Department of Family and Community Medicine at UND (which is not a preferred option for most
North Dakota residents). The NDSU and UND programs are highly coordinated to minimize
duplication of effort.
RELATIONSHIP TO THE ROUNDTABLE: This program will increase vitality in the state by
training rural health practitioners to take expanded leadership roles in health care and advance
public health in the state. It will be competitive with national programs and flexible and accessible
enough to be desirable to our citizens. Tracks of specialization will also be offered as stand-alone
certificate programs. Advancing rural and public health is critical to the future of the state and
Universities. New research dollars will be generated by the programs.
RECOMMENDATION: Approve NDSU and UND’s request to offer a Master of Public Health
program and degree (MPH) and a graduate Program Certificate in Public Health; approve the
requested new tuition rate, and approve distance delivery of this program on an on-going basis.