Graduate Minor in Maternal and Child Health

About the Graduate Minor

The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) graduate minor is designed to prepare students for work to improve the health of individuals who identify as women, infants, children, adolescents, and families. The minor takes a life-course perspective and focuses on areas such as MCH policy and advocacy, global health, health equity, cultural competency, reproductive health, perinatal epidemiology, adolescent health, LGBTQ+ health, children and youth with special health care needs, family-centered maternal and pediatric care, breast feeding, nutrition, health communication, program evaluation, and health disparities.

Students in this minor program will be assigned a faculty advisor from the school’s MCH program, a multidisciplinary coalition of faculty, community partners, and students with backgrounds in community health and prevention, health management and policy, epidemiology, environmental and occupational health, nursing, nutrition, social work, and medicine based on mutual student and faculty interest. Students in the MCH graduate minor program are designated as MCH Catalyst Trainees through the  MCH Public Health Catalyst Training Program at the Dornsife School of Public Health. This training program is supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Opportunities for MCH Trainees include learning and social opportunities with others interested in MCH, mentorship, MCH career networking events, student leadership positions in the MCH student groups, MCH research and service opportunities, participation in national MCH internships and conferences, networking opportunities with MCH professionals and trainees across the country, and an array of MCH-focused events including MCH Speaker Series, Journal Clubs, Leadership Workshops/Projects, and Symposia.

Students develop skills in critical thinking, application, and analysis of maternal and child health issues through achieving nationally recognized MCH Leadership Competencies. As MCH Catalyst Trainees, students in this program will also be afforded additional MCH opportunities both within Drexel and nationally through HRSA/MCHB. Graduates of this training program are poised for entry into the MCH workforce or related doctoral programs.

Admission Requirements

Graduate minors are designed to complement students' training by providing basic knowledge in topics outside their primary discipline. All matriculated graduate students in quarter programs are eligible to enroll.

Students must receive approval from their home program and the Dornsife School of Public Health and complete the necessary paperwork with the DSPH Academic Advising Team.

Program Requirements

Additional Information

For more information about this graduate minor, please contact:

DSPH Academic Advising Team
Office of Education
​dsphadvising@drexel.edu

Additional information can be found on the Dornsife School of Public Health website and the MCH Program webpage.