Graduate Catalog
2023-2024
 
Policies, Procedures, Academic Programs
Public Health
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
Houses the Veterinary labs and classrooms.
Population Health Sciences (0442) 205 Duck Pond Drive Blacksburg VA 24061
VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Building
Degree(s) Offered:
• MPH
MPH Degree in Public Health
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Offered In:
Blacksburg
Email Contact(s):
Web Resource(s):
Phone Number(s):
540/231-3945
Application Deadlines:
Fall: Mar 01
Directions
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The Graduate School
to
VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Building

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Department Head : Laura Hungerford
Graduate Program Director : Nicole Holt (MPH Program Director)
Emeriti Faculty: Frank Pierson
Professor: Laura Hungerford; Kerry Redican
Associate Professor: Andrea Bertke; Julia Gohlke; Kathryn Hosig; Audrey Ruple
Assistant Professor: Ryan Calder; Alasdair Cohen; Natalie Cook; Cassidy Rist; Nick Ruktanonchai
Associate Professor of Practice: Jacquelyn Pelzer; Valerie Ragan
Assistant Professor of Practice: Nicole Holt; Sophie Wenzel
Collegiate Assistant Professor: Cornelia Deagle
Research Professor: Lisa Lee
Collegiate Associate Professor: Yuba Gautam

Master of Public Health

The Master of Public Health (MPH) is a professional degree that prepares graduates to practice public health in local, state, regional, national, and global settings. The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accredits schools and programs in public health to ensure that their curriculum is appropriate to effectively prepare students to enter the public health workforce. Requirements include a supervised practice experience where the student assumes job functions in public health. Additionally, participation in a final culminating experience demonstrating competence in the field is required. Students in other graduate or professional degree programs often add the MPH degree to broaden their training and job prospects.

In order for students to fully appreciate and assimilate the content, the 42-credit program is designed as a two-year, four-semester experience for full-time students with options for part-time, accelerated, dual, and simultaneous degree studies. The program intentionally sequences the courses to ensure continuity in course materials and effective preparation for public health practice. Students formulate their plan of study with faculty advisors to include 22 core credits, 9 concentration credits, and 8 professional preparation credits. The MPH degree program offers two concentrations: Infectious Disease and Community Health Promotion and Equity.

Standalone MPH applicants may only apply for admission to enter the program in the fall semester. All application materials are due by March 1 (Review of verified applications will begin January 5). Standalone degree MPH applicants (pursuing the degree either full- or part-time) should submit all of the required application materials listed below to SOPHAS. More information about the application process for standalone MPH applicants can be found on our website here. 

Entry terms and application instructions for our accelerated (BSPH/MPH, BS/MPH, BA/MPH), dual (DVM/MPH, MD/MPH), and simultaneous degree (PhD/MPH, MS/MPH, MA/MPH, etc.) vary. Information on each of these programs can be found on our website here. 

Offered In (Blacksburg)

Degree Requirements

Minimum GPA: 3.0
Institution code: 5859
Testing Requirements:

The 42-credit program is designed as a two-year, four-semester experience for full-time students with options for part-time, accelerated, dual, and simultaneous degree studies. The program intentionally sequences the courses to ensure continuity in course materials and effective preparation for public health practice. Students complete 22 core credits, 9 concentration credits, and 8 professional preparation credits. The MPH degree program offers two concentrations: Infectious Disease and Community Health Promotion and Equity.

For information on degree requirements, please visit our website or contact us at phs@vt.edu or 540-231-3945.

MPH Core Courses:

  • PHS 5004: Foundations of Public Health
  • PHS 5054: Public Health Leadership and Interprofessionalism
  • PHS 5025: Epidemiology and Quantitative Methods in Public Health I
  • PHS 5026: Epidemiology and Quantitative Methods in Public Health II
  • PHS 5024: Lab for Epidemiology and Quantitative Methods
  • PHS 5034: Health Behavior and Health Education
  • PHS 5044: Public Health Policy and Administration
  • PHS 5064: Public Health Program Development and Evaluation
  • PHS 5014: Environmental Health

MPH Professional Preparation Courses:

  • PHS 5935: Preparation for Public Health Practice I
  • PHS 5936: Preparation for Public Health Practice II
  • PHS 5964: Practicum
  • PHS 5934: Public Health Integrative Learning Experience or PHS 5924: Capstone in Public Health

Concentrations

Community Health Promotion and Equity Concentration

Community Health Promotion and Equity Concentration Competencies: 
  • Design health education messages for specific public health issues and target audiences using appropriate communication channels and technologies.
  • Design a health education session for a specific target audience, using appropriate principles, theories and models of health education.
  • Apply key models for community organizing and capacity-building to help communities address priority population health needs.
  • Facilitate inclusive engagement and collaborative decision-making with diverse stakeholders to prioritize and address public health concerns.
  • Apply the principles of social epidemiology to explain health inequities as they pertain to critical health outcomes.
  • Devise community-engaged practice and policy solutions to advance health equity at individual, community and societal levels.
Near completion of the MPH degree, students that have completed the Community Health Promotion and Equity Concentration courses will demonstrate proficiency in the main areas of responsibility defined by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) and be eligible to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam. 
Community Health Promotion and Equity Concentration Courses:
  • PHS 5204: Principles of Community Health Education
  • PHS 5254: Social Epidemiology and Health Inequities
  • PHS 5234: Methods in Community Health Engagement

Infectious Disease Concentration

Infectious Disease Concentration Competencies:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of infectious disease processes in individuals, including microbiology and pathogenesis of bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal organisms, and the host response.
  • Design effective communication strategies to convey infectious disease information to a variety of audiences.
  • Identify and evaluate the temporal and spatial dynamics of causes and risk factors for infectious diseases in populations.
  • Describe and analyze host, agent, and environmental dynamics, including ecological, genetic, economic and social factors for infectious disease transmission in populations.
  • Design interventions, policies, and procedures for control and prevention of infectious diseases in communities and populations, including sources, dissemination, antimicrobial resistance, vaccines, food and water safety, and hospital-based infections.
  • Develop evaluation plans for infection control and prevention applicable to broad variety of settings, from local community to global settings.
  • Critically evaluate global health challenges that contribute to persistence of neglected infectious diseases and emergence of new infectious diseases.
  • Apply public health and research concepts to One Health oriented interventions and studies, including the ability to critically assess current practices and research, define problems, and design strategies to eradicate and respond to infectious diseases.
Infectious Disease Concentration Courses:
  • PHS 5334: Principles of Infectious Disease
  • PHS 5314: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
  • PHS 5324: Public Health Infection Control and Prevention

Facilities

The MPH program is primarily physically located in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) on the Virginia Tech campus. The majority of faculty and staff offices are located at the VMCVM and MPH classes are held at the VMCVM. 
Additional program faculty have their offices adjacent to their labs in other Virginia Tech buildings, including the Integrated Life Sciences Building (ILSB) and the Center for One Health Research (COHR). 

Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine - Blacksburg campus

Address: 205 Duck Pond Drive (0442), Blacksburg, VA 24061
Resource: VMCVM website (https://vetmed.vt.edu/)
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