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.

Required
Core courses (19 Credits)
PUBH 6000MPH Applied Practice Experience
PUBH 6002Biostatistical Applications for Public Health
PUBH 6003Principles and Practices of Epidemiology
PUBH 6007Social and Behavioral Approaches to Public Health
PUBH 6009Fundamentals of Public Health Program Evaluation
PUBH 6011Environmental and Biological Foundations of Public Health
PUBH 6012Fundamentals of Health Policy
PUBH 6015Culminating Experience
PUBH 6021Essentials of Public Health Practice and Leadership I
PUBH 6022Essentials of Public Health Practice and Leadership II
PUBH 6023Interprofessional Education Experience
Program-specific courses (18 credits)
EXNS 6204Biostatistical Methods and Research Design
EXNS 6208Physical Activity in Public Health
PUBH 6237Chronic Disease Epidemiology
PUBH 6514Preventing Health Disparities
PUBH 6619Fundamentals of Nutrition Science
PUBH 6620Designing Healthy Communities
PUBH 6630Physical Activity and Nutritional Drivers of Cardiometabolic Disease
PUBH 6631Experiential 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.