Master of Public Health in the Field of Health Promotion

Program Director: B. Bingenheimer

Students in the master of public health (MPH) in health promotion program learn to use proven social and behavioral theory and behavior change models and strategies to improve health behaviors and practices for a variety of populations. They acquire the skills to plan, design, implement, evaluate, and communicate programs and research targeted toward health promotion and disease prevention for the public.

The program is designed to prepare individuals to become responsible and productive public health professionals, capable of assessing, implementing, managing, and evaluating health promotion and health education programs for the public and for at-risk populations. Through required courses and electives, students are trained in social and behavioral approaches and applications for improving public health via interventions at the individual, group, organizational, and societal levels.

The health promotion program explores how best to advocate for social practices, policy, and law that provide supportive environments for the improvement of public health. Students put their knowledge into practice, both in the classroom and in the field. With courses scheduled in the late afternoons and early evenings, the programs allow students to obtain valuable career experience while they earn their degree.

Visit the program website for additional 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 15 credits in core courses, 6 credits in departmental core courses, 8 credits in program-specific courses, 14 credits in elective courses, and a 2-credit culminating experience.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
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 6011	Environmental and Biological Foundations of Public Health
PUBH 6012	Fundamentals of Health Policy
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
Departmental courses
PUBH 6500	Planning and Implementing Health Promotion Programs
PUBH 6501	Program Evaluation
Program-specific
PUBH 6503	Introduction to Public Health Communication and Marketing
PUBH 6530	Qualitative Methods in Health Promotion
PUBH 6504	Social and Behavioral Science Research Methods
Electives
14 credits from the following list of suggested courses or other graduate-level PUBH courses:
PUBH 6514	Preventing Health Disparities
PUBH 6516	Community Health Information Resources
PUBH 6531	Health Promotion in Health Care Settings
PUBH 6532	Community Organization, Development, and Advocacy
PUBH 6535	Promotion of Mental Health
PUBH 6536	Workplace Health Promotion
PUBH 6537	Health Promotion and Aging
PUBH 6556	Maternal and Child Nutrition
PUBH 6560	School Health and Safety
PUBH 6562	Physical Activity and Dietary Interventions for Promoting Healthy Weight
PUBH 6573	Media Advocacy for Public Health
PUBH 6599	Topics in Prevention and Community Health
PUBH 6853	Use of SAS for Data Management and Analysis
Culminating experience
PUBH 6015	Culminating Experience

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