A graduate certificate in public health provides documentation that a student has completed a core set of public health courses beyond the bachelor’s degree level. Through the graduate certificate in public health program, graduates bring population-based health knowledge to their work in health and medicine. The program covers managerial epidemiology, population health analytics and environmental health. Students then have the option to focus on coursework in health care policy and administration or public health and aging.

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. The courses are offered on a fixed schedule so that all are taught once a year. Students can complete the coursework in one academic year. All courses are offered fully online to allow for a flexible learning environment and to accommodate working professionals.

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 senior living management.
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 (GCPH) can be completed 100 percent online. It comprises 12 total credit hours covering the essential aspects of public health that are beneficial across professions. The curriculum explores disease distribution, population health issues, and the social and behavioral aspects of health. Students then choose to focus in public health and aging or healthcare policy and administration.

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

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 GCPH 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.