Program Directors: Loretta DiPietro and Karina Lora
The prevalence of chronic disease, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, dementia, has grown steadily over the past 20 years and currently affects 50 percent of the US population. Treatment for chronic disease now accounts for more than 85 percent of healthcare costs. The prevention and delay of chronic disease morbidity and mortality among people of all ages has become a top priority on the global public health agenda. The mission of the master of public health (MPH) degree in chronic disease prevention, offered by the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, is to train students to integrate principles of the biological, behavioral, social, exercise, and nutrition sciences into the core of public health practice to address biological, environmental, commercial, and social drivers of chronic disease. The program is designed to train students both as public health scientists and practitioners who are well-versed in program development and evaluation to advance behavioral and policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) strategies for chronic disease prevention and management across the life course.
The goals of the MPH in the field of chronic disease prevention ensure that graduates:
- Access and interpret US and global surveillance data pertaining to chronic disease trends.
- Examine the joint contributions of genetic, lifestyle, social, commercial and environmental factors to chronic disease etiology.
- Examine sociodemographic drivers contributing to disparities in chronic disease occurrence.
- Apply statistical and epidemiological methods to develop and test hypotheses pertaining to the independent and combined roles of nutrition and physical activity in the etiology of chronic diseases.
- Synthesize and evaluate scientific research related to the role of nutrition and physical activity in chronic disease prevention and management.
- Design and evaluate community-based behavioral and PSE strategies for chronic disease prevention across the life course.
Use same language as all other graduate SPH pages.
Visit the Milken Institute School of Public Health website for additional information about academic programs and information about GWSPH. Graduate admissions information, including application requirements and deadlines, can be found on the GWSPH Graduate Admissions website.
The following requirements must be fulfilled: 45 credits, including 19 credits in core courses, 18 credits in program-specific courses, and 8 credits in elective courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| Core courses (19 Credits) | ||
| PUBH 6000 | MPH Applied Practice Experience | |
| PUBH 6002 | Biostatistical Applications for Public Health | |
| PUBH 6003 | Principles and Practices of Epidemiology | |
| PUBH 6007 | Social and Behavioral Approaches to Public Health | |
| PUBH 6009 | Fundamentals of Public Health Program Evaluation | |
| PUBH 6011 | Environmental and Biological Foundations of Public Health | |
| PUBH 6012 | Fundamentals of Health Policy | |
| PUBH 6015 | Culminating Experience | |
| PUBH 6021 | Essentials of Public Health Practice and Leadership I | |
| PUBH 6022 | Essentials of Public Health Practice and Leadership II | |
| PUBH 6023 | Interprofessional Education Experience | |
| Program-specific courses (18 credits) | ||
| EXNS 6204 | Biostatistical Methods and Research Design | |
| EXNS 6208 | Physical Activity in Public Health | |
| PUBH 6237 | Chronic Disease Epidemiology | |
| PUBH 6514 | Preventing Health Disparities | |
| PUBH 6619 | Fundamentals of Nutrition Science | |
| PUBH 6620 | Designing Healthy Communities | |
| PUBH 6630 | Physical Activity and Nutritional Drivers of Cardiometabolic Disease | |
| PUBH 6631 | Experiential Outreach in Community Chronic Disease Prevention | |
| Electives | ||
| 8 credits in any graduate-level EXNS or PUBH courses. Students can choose to use electives to focus on exercise and physical activity; nutrition and food; obesity and cancer; brain health and dementia; social and behavioral; or biostatistics. | ||
SPH MPH graduation requirements
- Graduate credit requirement: 45 graduate credits.
- Course requirements: Successful completion of core and program-specific courses.
- Practicum Requirement: Students are required to fulfill all requirements of the Applied Practice Experience (Practicum) to receive credit for PUBH 6000 MPH Applied Practice Experience.
- Interprofessional Education Experience (IPE): Students are required to enroll and participate in an authorized IPE activity (PUBH 6023 Interprofessional Education Experience).
- Minimum grade point requirement: minimum 3.0 (B) program grade point average.
- Time limit requirement: The degree must be completed within five years.
- CITI Training requirement: All students are required to complete training regarding human subject protection regulation and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
- Integrity quiz and plagiarism requirement: All students are required to review the George Washington University Code of Academic Integrity and take the SPH Academic Integrity Quiz within their first semester of study.
- Professional enhancement requirement: Students must participate in eight hours of public health-related lectures, seminars, and symposia, related to their field of study.