Master of Public Health (MPH) in Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree
Program Director:
Robert R. Jacobs, Ph.D.
Program Administrator: Tammi A. Thomas
Website: http://louisville.edu/sphis/academics/master-of-public-health.html
Introduction
The dual bachelor-MPH degree program is a five-year program. The first four years are
undergraduate studies, including five core public health courses. An undergraduate student in the
bachelor-MPH program is already or will soon become enrolled in an undergraduate program
culminating in either the bachelor of science (B.S.) or bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree in the
student’s chosen major field and academic unit
The fifth year, including the summer following graduation with a bachelor degree, is graduate
studies in public health, leading to the master of public health (MPH) degree. The master of
public health (MPH) degree program is a school-based program designed to graduate students
with core competencies in public health and specialized competencies in one of the following
concentrations: biostatistics, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, health
management, and health promotion and behavior.
Graduates of the bachelor-MPH program are prepared for positions in the public health work
force, in health-related industries, and in academic organizations and for further professional or
academic education.
Competencies
Competencies for the bachelor degree vary and are determined by the various undergraduate
degree programs.
The MPH program has adopted the competencies published by the Association of Schools of
Public Health. (ASPH Education Committee. “Master’s Degree in Public Health Core
Competency Development Project, Version 2.3.” http://www.asph.org/userfiles/version2.3.pdf.)
The learning objectives for each course in the MPH curriculum are mapped to these ASPH
competencies.
Admission
Admission criteria for the undergraduate component of the bachelor-MPH program are:



Undergraduate student in good standing in the University of Louisville
Completion of at least 45 credit hours of undergraduate studies
GPA of 3.3 or higher
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Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program

Permission of the director of the undergraduate program (“major field”) in which the
student is or becomes enrolled.
The major field is not required to be related to the health sciences.
Application requirements for the undergraduate component are:

Completed program application
The application includes name, contact information, and grant of permission for the school to
access the applicant’s university records.
To continue in the undergraduate component, a student must:


Maintain student status in the university
Earn a B- or higher in each of the five required public health courses
Criteria for admission to the MPH component are:



Bachelor degree from the University of Louisville
GPA of 3.25 or higher for unconditional admission, or 3.0 to 3.2499 for conditional
admission
Grade average of 3.0 in the five required public health courses with no grade below B-
Application requirements for the MPH component are:

Completed graduate application and $50 application fee
For information on the application process, please contact:
MPH Program
School of Public Health and Information Sciences
University of Louisville
485 East Gray Street
Louisville, KY 40202
sphismph@louisville.edu
Phone: 502-852-3289
Fax: 502-852-3294
MPH Concentrations
Concentrations are offered in each of the five basic areas of public health by the department that
focuses on the area. Each concentration is designed to develop the competencies needed by a
public health worker in the corresponding area. Bachelor-MPH students select their
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Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program
concentrations soon after admission to the MPH component of the program following graduation
with their bachelor degrees.
MPH Concentration
Biostatistics
Environmental and Occupational Health
Epidemiology
Health Management
Health Promotion and Behavior
Department
Bioinformatics and Biostatistics
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Epidemiology and Population Health
Health Management and Systems Sciences
Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences
Requirements for acceptance to the MPH concentrations in the MPH program are:
MPH Concentration
All
Acceptance Requirements
 Student in good standing in MPH program
 Successful completion of core courses
Biostatistics
 Grade from PHST-500 Introduction to Biostatistics
 Other evidence of analytic ability, for example:
- Quantitative score from at least one of these exams:
GRE, GMAT or DAT
- Transcripts showing other college-level mathematics
or statistics course
- Instructor recommendation
- Participation in or successful completion of a
research project with analytical component
 Exceptions may be granted.
Environmental and occupational No additional requirements.
health
Epidemiology
 Grade from PHEH-501 Introduction to Epidemiology
 Grade from PHST-500 Introduction to Biostatistics
 Exceptions may be granted.
Health management
No additional requirements.
Health promotion and behavior No additional requirements.
Individual Track Option
A student may complete an individual track in place of completing a concentration. The
individual track option is designed for students who meet the requirements and wish to study
areas of public health that are not directly addressed by one of the available concentrations or
who are enrolled in a dual master’s degree program with the MPH. A student’s program of study
in an individual track is established as part of admission to the individual track option.
Requirements for admission to the individual track option are the following:
 GPA of 3.25 or higher in required first-year MPH program courses
 One of:
o Enrollment in a dual master’s degree program with the MPH
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Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program



o Personal statement of purpose and reasons for an individual track
Program director approval of a faculty member to serve as the student’s advisor for the
track application process and, if admitted, for the track and practicum
An acceptable program of study for an individual track recommended by the student’s
advisor
Competitive selection of student’s application using rankings of the above requirements
among all applicants for an individual track at that time
The program may limit the number of admissions to the individual track option in any one year
based on the total number of MPH students and dual degree students. In addition the program
director may seek review and advice from the MPH Advisory Committee on some or all of the
applications. If a student is not admitted to the individual track option, he or she must choose and
be admitted to an existing concentration.
MPH Curriculum
The curriculum consists of courses in four areas: core (6 courses), concentration (5), practicum
experience (2), and integrating experience (3). Core courses and two integrating experience
courses are completed prior to taking courses in other areas. Toward the end of taking these
courses, each student identifies his or her area of concentration and seeks admission to the
department offering the concentration. Once admitted into the concentration, the student takes
concentration courses, completes the practicum experience, and takes the remaining integrating
experience course, which includes a comprehensive written examination focused on the school’s
core MPH competencies.
Faculty Advisor
On admission to the bachelor-MPH program, the student is assigned an program advisor and is
required to meet at least twice each semester with his or her advisor. Advisors are available to
address questions about program requirements and extra-curricular opportunities in public
health.
On admission to the MPH component, each student is assigned an MPH faculty advisor and is
required to meet at least twice each semester with his or her advisor. Advisors are available to
address general academic and public health questions and to assist the student in declaration of
his or her area of concentration for the MPH degree.
After admission into a concentration, each student is assigned an MPH faculty advisor from the
concentration department who serves as academic mentor and counselor on career and
employment opportunities, professional development, and opportunities beyond graduate school.
MPH Program of Study
The MPH program of study is predetermined for courses in core, practicum experience, and
integrating experience areas and the majority of the concentration area. Concentrations may have
one or two elective courses.
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Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program
MPH Degree Requirements
Requirements for the MPH degree are:
 Successful completion of core, concentration, practicum experience, and integrating
experience coursework
 Completion of all deliverables for the practicum experience
 Minimum score of 80% on either of two tries of a comprehensive examination on MPH
competencies (part of PHPH-697 Integrating Learning and Experience in Public Health)
or successful completion of remediation project (part of PHPH-601 )
Coursework
47 total credit hours:
18 credit hours of core coursework
6 credit hours of practicum experience
8 credit hours of integrating experience
15 credit hours of concentration coursework
Timing
Undergraduate
(Yrs 3-4)
Summer
(Yr 5)
Course #
Required Coursework
Course Title (and Area, as needed)
PHEP-501
PHST-500
PHMS-501
Introduction to Epidemiology (core)
Introduction to Biostatistics (core)
Introduction to Public Health Practice and Administration
(core)
PHEH-500
Introduction to Environmental Health Sciences (core)
PHPB-501
Introduction to Health Behavior (core)
Undergraduate subtotal
PHPH-696
PHMS-618
PHPB-614
Issues in Public Health (integrating experience)
Introduction to Public Health Informatics (core)
Critical Thinking and Program Evaluation (integrating
experience)
Summer subtotal
Fall
(Yr 5)
PHPH-679
Fall subtotal
Concentration course
Concentration course
Concentration course
Practicum Experience
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Credit
Hours
3
3
3
3
3
15
2
3
3
8
3
3
3
3
12
Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program
Timing
Spring
(Yr 5)
Course #
Required Coursework
Course Title (and Area, as needed)
Concentration course
Concentration course
PHPH-679
Practicum Experience
PHPH-697
Integrating Learning and Experience in Public Health
Spring subtotal
MPH Degree Total
Credit
Hours
3
3
3
3
12
47
PHPH-696 Issues in Public Health
The Issues in Public Health course is part of the integrating experience and is a trans-disciplinary
course designed to integrate what students learned in other coursework and experiences and the
application of these lessons to the broader scope of public health. Working in teams and on
selected public health projects or initiatives are the focus of the course.
PHPH-614 Critical Thinking and Program Evaluation
The Critical Thinking and Program Evaluation course is an integrating experience course and
focuses on the identification of public health problems and planning appropriate responses and
evaluations. Planning and evaluation skills are considered pivotal learning concepts for the MPH
degree and for successful public health practice.
PHPH-679 Practicum Experience
The Practicum Experience places the student in a non-academic organization providing public
health-related services. The practicum experience and its required deliverables must be
completed to fulfill degree program requirements.
PHPH-697 Integrating Learning and Experience in Public Health
This course is designed to synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired in course work and other
learning experiences and to apply this knowledge to situations that represent various aspects of
professional public health practice. Through the evaluation of previous cases and the
development of a new case from current and emerging areas of public health, students working
in teams demonstrate their abilities in applying general and specific public health knowledge
they have learned through their courses of study.
The course includes a comprehensive exam that assesses a student’s grasp of core public health
concepts prior to graduation. The exam uses the format of the National Board of Public Health
Examiners and includes questions covering the five core and cross-cutting competencies from
the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH). The exam format consists exclusively of
multiple-choice questions. Some questions may be grouped in a series following a short vignette,
but they remain in an objective, multiple-choice format.
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Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program
The exam is given twice, once in the middle of the semester and once at the end of the semester.
All students are required to take the exam the first time it is given. Students who pass the exam
(a grade of 80% or better) the first time are not required to take the exam the second time unless
they want to try to improve their score. The higher score is used to calculate the student’s portion
of the grade for the exam. Students not passing the exam the first time must retake the exam the
second time.
A student failing to make a grade of 80% or better either time the exam is given receives an
I (incomplete) for the course regardless of the scores on other evaluation components. The
student is required to enroll in PHPH-601 for the next term or semester (usually summer
term) and to successfully complete a remediation project as specified by the course
instructors by the end of the term or semester in order to graduate. If the student
successfully completes the project, the student’s grade of I is replaced with one calculated
using an 80% score on the individual comprehensive examination. If the project is not
successfully completed, the student’s grade for the course is F, which means the student
does not graduate.
Biostatistics Concentration
Coursework
Timing
Course #
Fall
(Yr 5)
PHCI-624
PHST-726
PHST-620
Biostatistics Concentration Coursework
Course Title
PHPH-679
Semester Total
Spring
(Yr 5)
PHST-640
PHST-681
PHPH-679
PHPH-697
Semester Total
Clinical Trials I
Clinical Trials Statistics Laboratory
Introduction to Statistical Computing
Concentration elective course
Public Health Practicum Experience
Statistical Methods for Research Design in Health
Studies
Biostatistical Methods II
Public Health Practicum Experience
Integrating Learning and Experience in Public Health
Concentration Total
Credit
Hours
2
1
3
3
3
12
3
3
3
3
12
24
Electives
The elective course in the biostatistics concentration may be selected from any 3 credit-hour,
graduate-level course in the university with approval of the student’s faculty advisor and the
program director.
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Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program
Environmental and Occupational Health Concentration
Coursework
Timing
Environmental and Occupational Health Concentration Coursework
Course #
Course Title
Fall
(Yr 5)
PHEH-610
PHEH-651
PHPH-630
PHPH-679
Semester Total
Occupational Health and Safety
Advanced Environmental Health Sciences
Geographic Information Systems in Public Health
Public Health Practicum Experience
Spring
(Yr 5)
PHEH-620
Global Issues on Environmental and Occupational Health
Concentration elective course
Public Health Practicum Experience
Integrating Learning and Experience in Public Health
PHPH-679
PHPH-697
Semester Total
Concentration Total
Credit
Hours
3
3
3
3
12
3
3
3
3
12
24
Electives
The elective courses in the environmental and occupational health concentration may be selected
from any 3 credit-hour, graduate-level course in the university with approval of the student’s
faculty advisor and the program director.
Epidemiology Concentration
Coursework
Timing
Course #
Fall
(Yr 5)
PHEP-602
PHEP-616
Epidemiology Concentration Coursework
Course Title
PHPH-679
Semester Total
Epidemiologic Methods
Disease Surveillance and Health Statistics
Concentration elective course
Public Health Practicum Experience
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Credit
Hours
3
3
3
3
12
Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program
Epidemiology Concentration Coursework
Course Title
Timing
Course #
Spring
(Yr 5)
PHEP-617
PHEP-655
PHPH-679
PHPH-697
Semester Total
Field Epidemiology
Emerging Issues in Epidemiology
Public Health Practicum Experience
Integrating Learning and Experience in Public Health
Concentration Total
Credit
Hours
3
3
3
3
12
24
Electives
The elective courses in the epidemiology concentration may be selected from any 3 credit-hour,
graduate-level course in the university with approval of the student’s faculty advisor and the
program director.
Health Management Concentration
Coursework
Timing
Health Management Concentration Coursework
Course #
Course Title
Fall
(Yr 5)
PHMS-603
PHMS-615
PHPH-679
Semester Total
Spring
(Yr 5)
PHMS-605
PHMS-607
PHPH-679
PHPH-697
Semester Total
Legal and Bioethical Aspects of Public Health
Introduction to Health Systems
Concentration elective course
Public Health Practicum Experience
Governance and Management of Healthcare
Organizations
Managing Healthy Communities
Public Health Practicum Experience
Integrating Learning and Experience in Public Health
Concentration Total
Credit
Hours
3
3
3
3
12
3
3
3
3
12
24
Electives
The elective course in the health management concentration may be selected from any 3 credithour, graduate-level course in the university with approval of the student’s faculty advisor and
the program director.
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Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program
Health Promotion and Behavior Concentration
Coursework
Timing
Health Promotion and Behavior Concentration Coursework
Course #
Course Title
Fall
(Yr 5)
PHPB-604
PHPB-615
PHPH-679
Semester Total
Spring
(Yr 5)
PHMS-607
PHPB-612
PHPH-679
PHPH-697
Semester Total
Health Decision and Risk Analysis
Public Health Program Evaluation
Concentration elective course
Public Health Practicum Experience
Managing Healthy Communities
Health Communication Campaigns
Public Health Practicum Experience
Integrating Learning and Experience in Public Health
Concentration Total
Credit
Hours
3
3
3
3
12
3
3
3
3
12
24
Electives
The elective course in the health promotion and behavior concentration may be selected from
any 3 credit-hour, graduate-level course in the university with approval of the student’s faculty
advisor and the program director.
Individual Track Option
Coursework
Semester
Course #
Fall II
PHPH-679
Semester Total
Individual Track Option Coursework
Course Title
Individual track course
Individual track course
Individual track course
Public Health Practicum Experience
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Credit
Hours
3
3
3
3
12
Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program
Semester
Course #
Spring II
PHPH-679
PHPH-697
Semester Total
Individual Track Option Coursework
Course Title
Individual track course
Individual track course
Public Health Practicum Experience
Integrating Learning and Experience in Public Health
Concentration Total
Credit
Hours
3
3
3
3
12
24
The five individual track courses are determined as part of admission to the individual track
option and may be selected from any three-credit hour, graduate-level course in the University
with approval of the student’s faculty advisor and the program director.
v2009.06.12-5
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Dual Bachelor-MPH Degree Program
Name
Degree
Department
Unit
Version
Program Data
Dual Bachelor-Master of Public Health
B.A. or B.S., and MPH
School-based
School of Public Health and Information Sciences
2009.06.12-3
Version
2009.06.12
2009.06.12-1
Submitted
06/16/09
07/27/09
Approved
06/22/09
07/27/09
2009.06.12-2
12/15/09
12/15/09
2009.06.12-3
01/26/10
01/26/10
2009.06.12-4
07/29/10
07/29/10
2009.06.12-5
06/13/11
06/13/11
Program History
Change Summary
 Initial version
As for MPH v2008.11.14-1:
 Five core courses changed to 500-level
 Practicum collapsed to single course
 PHPB-614 and PHMS-697 changed to PHPH prefix
 Program administrator updated
As for MPH v2009.12.01:
 Replaced required epi conc course PHEP-650 with PHEP-655
 Replaced required course PHMS-650 with PHMS-618
 Revised degree requirements to include passing comp exam in PHPH697
Effective Fall 2009:
 Replaced required env health conc course PHEH-650 with PHEH-651
 Replaced env health conc elective with required PHPH-630
As for MPH v2010.04.30-1:
 Changed titles of PHMS-618 and PHEP-616
As for MPH v2011.01.11:
 Added individual track option
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