Program Goals

The MSPH Program achieves its mission through a set of complementary and reinforcing instructional, research, service, and diversity goals that reflect the program’s values and provide a framework for defining, assessing, and evaluating both students and the curriculum.

Goal 1 (instructional): Provide public health students with knowledge, skills, and abilities to become effective practitioners and researchers through educational activities, a course of study, and related internship experiences.

Goal 2 (research): Develop new knowledge and innovative re-conceptualizations of theories that improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public health services and contribute to the development, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice, with a primary focus on the Charlotte region.

Goal 3 (service): Promote collaborations with community partners and stakeholders through faculty and students, helping to lead the development of the public health profession in the Charlotte region.

Goal 4 (service): Foster participation in local, regional, and national/international organizations that advance the public health profession.

Goal 5 (diversity): Address the health and public health workforce needs of a dynamic, emerging urban environment and its increasingly diverse population.

Additional Admissions Requirements

1. Acceptable scores on both the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Scores from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) may be substituted for the GRE.
2. Undergraduate major or coursework that prepares students for graduate work.
3. Submission of official scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), if English is not the applicant’s native language and he or she has not earned a post-secondary degree from a U.S. institution. Required is either a minimum score of 557 on the paper-based TOEFL, a minimum score of 220 on the computer based TOEFL, a minimum score of 83 on the Internet based TOEFL, a minimum score of 78 percent on the MELAB, or a minimum total score of 6.5 on the IELTS. Applicants from certain countries are exempt from the English language proficiency requirement.

Early Entry Program

An Early Entry Program is available for well qualified UNC Charlotte undergraduate students majoring in Public Health. The Early Entry Program allows students in the BSPH undergraduate degree program to begin work toward the MSPH graduate degree before completion of the baccalaureate degree. For details, see the UNC Charlotte Undergraduate Catalog.

Degree Requirements

The curriculum leading to the Master of Science in Public Health degree requires a minimum of 45 credit hours of graduate credit including 21 credit hours of core courses, an internship experience (3 credit hours), a capstone thesis (6 credit hours) or project (3 credit hours), the completion of a specialty area (9 credit hours), and elective courses (6-9 credit hours).  While the program can be completed within two academic years (4 semesters), 5 semesters is the expected time to completion for full-time students.  Part-time students are expected to complete the program within 5 years (10 semesters).

Assistantships

Positions as a graduate administrative assistant may be available. Research assistantships may be available as well, and are competitively awarded. Students seeking assistantships should contact the Program Coordinator in the Department of Public Health Sciences for additional information.

Internships

The internship is an intensive, supervised experience and is required for all students.  Students assume a professional role in a community health setting and demonstrate the ability to apply research and theory in a field-based setting, and to assume leadership roles. Internship experiences are designed and approved in concert with the Program Coordinator or other faculty advisor.  Students register for HLTH 6471  (3 credit hours) during the internship period. 

Note: A criminal background check and drug screen are among the internship requirements.  Students who fail these screening measures and who are unable to be placed in an internship face dismissal from the program.

Capstone Experiences

Each student is required to complete either a capstone thesis or project. In all cases, the capstone experience must be of the student’s own design, demonstrate independent learning, and originate under the supervision of a faculty advisor and at least two additional graduate faculty committee members.

Advising

Upon acceptance into the program an academic advisor is assigned to each student. Students are expected to meet with their advisors on a regular basis to plan their progression through their program of study. The Program Coordinator must approve, in writing, all course substitutions. Each student also must assemble a graduate committee for development and evaluation of the capstone thesis or project. Members of the committee include the student’s capstone advisor and at least two other graduate faculty members who represent major areas of concentration in the student’s program.

Program Certifications/Accreditations

The MSPH Program is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and a member of the Association of Accredited Public Health Programs. Students completing the MSPH Program are eligible to sit for the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credentialing exam administered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Students completing the MSPH community health practice specialty area are eligible to take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (students completing alternate specialty areas also might be eligible to sit for the CHES).

Research Opportunities/Experiences

A range of research opportunities exists in the Department of Public Health Sciences and in the College of Health and Human Services for students to conduct both independent and collaborative research projects.

Tuition Waivers

Tuition waivers are available to some students with assistantships.

Financial Aid/Financial Assistance

Financial aid and assistance is available to qualifying students, which may be accessed through the Office of Student Financial Aid. See the Financial Information  section for more information on the opportunities that are available, and how to contact the Office of Student Financial Aid.