Executive Master of Public Health

About the Program

Master of Public Health (MPH) 42.0 credits semester credits

The Executive Master of Public Health (MPH) program is designed for working professionals, whether in public health or considering a career change to public health, who wish to accelerate or redirect their career.

Modeled on the highly successful full-time MPH program offered by the School of Public Health since 1996, the Executive Program is designed for working professionals, whether in public health or considering a career change to public health, who wish to accelerate or redirect their career. The program is tailored for individuals who are committed to advancing their careers and acquiring the knowledge and tools to advance to leadership roles in public health. The program is fast-paced, intensive and demanding but builds on each individual's former education, work experience and skills.

 The MPH Executive Program is designed to enable individuals to acquire a generalist MPH in 21 months with a convenient class schedule and intensive utilization of the internet. The class meets one Friday and one Saturday each month. Between class sessions, students utilize web-based technologies to interact with facilitators and other students with whom they may be collaborating in preparation for the next class.

 Like the full-time MPH Program, the Executive Program covers the major disciplines of public health, including Community Health and Prevention, Environmental and Occupational Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Health Management and Policy. It is case-based and built upon the problem based learning (PBL) model in which the student becomes a self-directed learner as well as a collaborator in learning with her/his peers, assisted by the faculty facilitator. The PBL model develops in the student a set of skills designed to effectively address the increasingly dynamic, uncertain world in which we live and work and prepares each individual to be an effective life-long learner.

Additional Information

For more information, about this program, contact:

Colleen Baillie

Director of Enrollment

MPH Progrm

cpb32@drexel.edu

William Hickey, PhD

Executive MPH Program Director

4h34@drexel.edu

Or visit the School of Public Health's Executive Master of Public Health Degree page.

Admission Requirements

The School of Public Health seeks students with intellectual and interpersonal competencies as well as those with potential for leadership. The school has set a high priority on establishing a student body that is representative of the nation's population. We strive to recruit and to admit applicants from underrepresented minority groups who can contribute to the richness of our student population and to that of the nation's public health professionals.

While most of the students in the Executive MPH program are from the Philadelphia area, the format of the program does not limit students from outside of the Philadelphia region from attending.

Admissions process:

• The Admissions Committee carefully reviews applications and gives personal essays and letters of recommendation particular attention.
• The selection process weighs prior academic and personal accomplishments, emphasizing demonstrated leadership.
• Diversity of background and outside interests, depth of self-appraisal, commitment to public heath, and working with individuals are highly valued.
• A minimum of 3 years of professional work experience is required.

Applicants should have:

• Satisfactorily completed an undergraduate bachelor degree program in an accredited U.S. college or university, or its equivalent in another country
• A course in Statistics is highly recommended
• Six undergraduate or graduate credits in the social or behavioral sciences and three in the biological sciences are preferred, but not required.
• Satisfactory results from one of the following taken within the past five years (the GRE or GMAT is preferred):
  o Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
  o Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
  o Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
  o Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for applicants whose first language is not English

The Application Process also requires:

• Completion of the School's application
• A personal essay describing what you perceive to be pressing public health issues, why a career in the field appeals to you, and how it will use your strengths and commitment
• Two letters of recommendation, preferably from individuals who can assess the applicant's ability to handle a rigorous graduate curriculum (for example, faculty, supervisor etc.)
• Resume or CV.

Forms, details about requirements, and information about application deadlines are all available on the Executive MPH page of Drexel's Graduate Admissions website.

Degree Requirements

The Executive Program is designed for working professionals, whether in public health or considering a career change to public health. The program is tailored for individuals who are committed to advancing their careers and acquiring the knowledge and tools to advance to leadership roles in public health.

The Executive MPH program requires a minimum of 42.0 credits. All degree requirements must be completed within sevem years of the date of matriculation. A minimum of five consecutive academic semesters is required for the degree. Enrollment must be continuous unless academic leaves are granted. A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation.

The sequential blocks of courses are as follows:

Block I
Introduction to Public Health
Introduction to Public Health introduces the mission, roles, issues, and context of public
health, community health, and health systems. Topics include the history and mission of
public health as well as a comprehensive exploration of the definition of public health
including the essential services and core functions of public health. In addition, the
relationships between public health, social justice, and human rights are examined.
Block I introduces and explores the five disciplines of public health: Epidemiology and
Biostatistics, Community Health and Prevention, Environmental and Occupational
Health, and Health Management and Policy.

Block II
Biostatistics
Introduces and applies the biostatistics tools and analytical base required for
population-based and community health assessment and evaluation. The focus is on
providing a broad and basic understanding of biostatistics, with more advanced
methods included as appropriate.

Block III
Epidemiology
Introduces and applies the principles of epidemiology and study design needed to
support population-based and community-health assessment and evaluation. Basic
and more advanced methods are covered as appropriate, with applications to public
health and community contexts.

Block IV
Behavioral Assessment
Behavioral Assessment is an interdisciplinary block that focuses on how individuals and
groups approach issues of health behavior, health communication, and health
promotion. The goal is to acquire basic knowledge of social and behavioral science
theories, models, and research methods. Developmental theories and concepts are
also introduced as an important component to understanding and analyzing behavior
change models and program design. The concept of social determinants of health and
the human rights framework will be introduced to analyze and develop public health
interventions and policies.

Block V
Community Assessment
Examines concepts and theories regarding planned change, including models of
community organization for health promotion. Presents critical appraisal of community-wide
health communication campaigns.

Block VI
Health Management and Leadership
Explores critical elements of the assurance role of public health, beginning from the
premise that effectiveness of program delivery and of the assurance role itself requires
an understanding of organizations, leadership, and change in economic, strategic &
systemic context. Applies management concepts and theories through an integrated
model of the management process. In the latter portion of the block it extends, applies,
and integrates previously developed concepts and theories with those of strategy,
planning, accounting, financial management, and information systems

Block VII
Program Planning and Evaluation
The block content is built on the premise that the health-assurance role of public health
begins with program planning, development, implementation and evidence-based practice. Examines concepts and theories underlying program planning, development, and evaluation. Emphasizes program application in context of specific problems and community context.

Block VIII
Public Health Independent Study
Allows students to develop in-depth knowledge of concepts and theories, and competencies in an area of public health that is of special interest to the student through preparation of a major paper under the guidance of a faculty member.

Block IX
Environmental and Occupational Health
Introduces concepts, theories, and programmatic applications within the fields of
environmental and occupational health.

Block X
Health Policy and Advocacy
Introduces the fundamentals of public health law and the concepts and theories of health policy development, adoption, and evaluation. Also introduces the advocacy process and its importance to development of sound public health policy. Emphasizes systemic integration and the integration of the assessment, assurance and policy development roles of public health in problem, population, and political context.

Block XI
Capstone: Integrated Public Health Case Analysis
This course has been designed to fulfill the requirement that all Master of Public Health degree candidates have the opportunity, as described by the Council on Education for Public Health, “to synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired in course work and other learning experiences and to apply theory and principles in a situation that approximates some aspect of professional practice”. This is accomplished through student engagement with multidisciplinary cases, including the preparation of an original case.

Students interested in the Executive Public Health program in Sacramento students should visit the Public Health, Executive MPH page on the Center for Graduate Studies, Sacramento web site.

School of Public Health Faculty