Public Health

A graduate certificate in public health is designed for those holding, or seeking positions, in health industries where population aging necessitates evidence-based interventions, policy development and health system planning. The curriculum provides an in-depth exploration of disease distribution, population health issues including health analytics, environmental considerations, public health practice, public health and aging, and healthcare policy and administration. This program meets the demand for well-rounded public health professionals to address complex health challenges facing aging populations. The required courses for this certificate are based on the areas defined by the Council on Education for Public Health to be the basic areas of public health knowledge.

Curriculum Completion/Transfer

The curriculum can be completed within one academic year, with program entry available in both the fall and spring semesters. All credit hours are fully transferable to the Master of Arts in aging studies program. Students may pursue the certificate as non-degree-seeking professionals or concurrently with a graduate program, such as the Master of Arts in aging studies or Master of Health Administration. The online certificate provides affordable, high-quality distance education with in-state tuition rates regardless of residency, enabling students to earn their graduate certificate from anywhere in the state or across the country.

Admission

Admission to this graduate certificate program in public health requires that the applicant meets the following criteria:

1. Possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with substantially equivalent requirements for the bachelor’s degree, and have a minimum GPA of 2.750 in the last 60 credit hours of coursework.
2. Demonstrate evidence of training and/or experience indicative of adequate preparation for the curriculum. This could include a degree in a recognized health profession, one or more years of responsible work experience in the health field, or other relevant evidence.
3. Submit a personal goals essay of 250 words or less which clearly articulates the applicant's reason for seeking the graduate certificate in public health.
4. Submit a current resume.
5. If the native language is not English, submit an official report of completion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 88 or above, or overall band score of 7.0 on IELTS exam, or a score of 65 or above on the PTE-Academic exam. This report must be no more than two years old at the time it is reviewed by the certificate admissions committee.

The deadline for guaranteed review of applications to the public health certificate program is July 15th for the fall semester, and December 1st for the spring semester.

Program Requirements

The graduate certificate in public health is a fully online, 12-credit-hour program intended for those holding, or seeking positions, in health industries where population aging necessitates evidence-based interventions, policy development and health system planning. The curriculum provides an in-depth exploration of disease distribution, population health issues including health analytics, environmental considerations, public health practice, public health and aging, and healthcare policy and administration. This program meets the demand for well-rounded public health professionals to address complex health challenges facing aging populations.

Classes completed in pursuit of the certificate can be applied to the graduate program of study for the Master of Arts in aging studies, public health concentration. A student admitted to the master's program can apply all 12 certificate credit hours to the graduate degree, leading to completion of their MA within one year.

Courses started more than 10 years before the semester in which the master's degree work is completed may not be used as part of the degree program. The total number of credit hours required for the certificate in public health is 12, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.000 or above and no grade that generates less than 2.000 credit points per credit hour.

The certificate can be completed within one year. Courses are offered on the following rotation:

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If a student completed PHS 618 for undergraduate credit, they may select an approved PHS course substitution ( PHS 623, PHS 804 or PHS 812). Additional substitutions may be allowed with advisor approval.

In addition to these requirements, students must meet the Graduate School’s requirements in order to earn this certificate.