Master of Science Degree Program

The M.S. degree program for both Community Health Education and Health Policy and Mangement is designed for candidates whose career goals include research and teaching. Graduates of the program will obtain skills in important areas of public health including how to analyze research methodology, the interaction of technical, social, economic, and political determinants of health problems and the way these factors influence processes of social change. The degree program provides a sound methodological preparation for working in a research setting or for pursuing an advanced academic degree.

The basic requirement for the M.S. degree is the completion of a minimum of 48 credits of course work including the thesis. The normal time for satisfying requirements for the M.S. degree in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences is two academic years and the intervening summer (21 months).

Each student is expected to conduct an individual investigation or research project as one of the requirements for the Master of Science degree. This is done as a thesis, conducted under the guidance of two or more members of the graduate faculty. As part of the requirement, each thesis is defended orally before at least three members of the graduate faculty.