Master of Public Health in the Field of Physical Activity in Public Health

Program Director and Advisor: L. DiPietro

The sedentary lifestyle and its consequent metabolic and cardiovascular complications now assume a considerable public health burden in the United States. The promotion of physical activity for people of all ages has become a top priority on public health agendas around the world. The master of public health (MPH) degree program in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences develops and trains graduate students to integrate physical activity into the core of public health practice. The program encompasses an ecological perspective on the role of physical activity in the etiology, prevention, and treatment of chronic diseases at the community, national, and global levels. The program is designed to train students as public health scientists and practitioners in order to assist public and private agencies with program development and evaluation related to physical activity, health promotion, and disease prevention.

The goals of the MPH in the field of physical activity in public health are to ensure that graduates:

• Understand the pathophysiology of selected chronic disease processes.
• Understand exercise physiology and the role of physical activity and exercise in health promotion and disease prevention.
• Develop skills in physical activity assessment using state-of-the-art technology.
• Utilize epidemiological methods to develop and test hypotheses pertaining to physical activity and health and disease outcomes at the population level.
• Develop skills in designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions for improving physical activity at the community level.
• Appreciate the role of public health policy in altering physical activity patterns at the community level.

Visit the program website for additional program information.

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, 19 credits in program-specific courses, and 7 credits in elective courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Prerequisite
EXNS 3311	Exercise Physiology I
Required
Core courses
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 (taken for 2 credits)
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
EXNS 6202	Advanced Exercise Physiology I (Departmental Courses)
EXNS 6203	Advanced Exercise Physiology II
EXNS 6204	Biostatistical Methods and Research Design
EXNS 6208	Physical Activity in Public Health
PUBH 6247	Epidemiologic Methods I: Design of Health Studies
PUBH 6500	Planning and Implementing Health Promotion Programs
PUBH 6620	Designing Healthy Communities
7 credits in any GW graduate-level courses. Students may wish to tailor their electives toward a focus on epidemiology or program design and evaluation.

MPH graduation requirements

1. Graduate credit requirement: 45 graduate credits.
2. Course requirements: Successful completion of core and program-specific courses.
3. 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.
4. Interprofessional Education Experience (IPE): Students are required to enroll and participate in an authorized IPE activity (PUBH 6023 Interprofessional Education Experience).
5. Minimum grade-point requirement: minimum 3.0 (B) cumulative grade-point average.
6. Time limit requirement: The degree must be completed within five years.
7. Transfer credit policy: With approval, up to 12 graduate credits that have not been applied to any previous graduate degree may be transferred to the master of public health program. External credits must have been earned from an accredited institution in the last three years with a minimum grade of 3.0 (B) in each course. Students in SPH graduate certificate programs can transfer as many credits earned toward the certificate to the MPH degree as meet MPH degree requirements, to a maximum of 18 credits.
8. Graduate certificate students wishing to transfer to a degree program may apply to do so after completion of three or more courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 via the online change of concentration petition. A minimum grade of B is required for a specific course to be eligible for transfer.  
9. 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).
10. 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 at GWSPH Source. within their first semester of study.
11. Professional Enhancement requirement: Students must participate in eight hours of public health-related lectures, seminars, and symposia, related to their field of study.

Combined program

• Joint Master of Public Health or SPH graduate certificate and Juris Doctor or Master of Laws