Program Overview

The Health Promotion & Policy department is organized into two distinct related concentrations: Community Health Education and Health Policy and Management. These two areas are related both academically and professionally. Both are applied professional areas dedicated to the improvement of the health of the public. They share essential perspectives of individual, organizational, community and public policy theory, and professional skills. Each field also has its own unique foundations and emphases: Community Health Education in community organizing, education methods, and micro- and macropersonal theory; Health Policy and Management in administration, economics, finance, policy, and law. The concentration offers M.P.H., M.S., and Ph.D., degree programs to qualified students.

Community Health Education

The mission of the Community Health Education (CHE) area is to enable people to gain control over the social, political, and personal conditions that affect their health. Coursework prepares public health professionals to design and implement programs to assist all people to participate in their life situations to the fullest extent of their capabilities.

Health Policy and Management

The Health Policy and Management (HPM) area prepares public health professionals for managerial and administrative positions in health organizations and institutions, both voluntary and private, and in planning and regulatory bodies of federal, state, and local health agencies. The HPM area develops and uses theories and models based in the social and behavioral sciences, such as organizational theory, economic theory, decision theory, and motivation theory to understand the health care system; identify and analyze its strengths and weaknesses; and design, implement, evaluate, and improve programs.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should meet the following minimum criteria for admission to the program:

1. Have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution in the United States, or a foreign equivalent.
2. Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 (B average on a 4.00 scale) in their baccalaureate degree.
3. Meet the general requirements of the Graduate School for admission (see www.umass.edu/graduate/).

Applicants need to submit an official report of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which is required if they do not have a doctoral degree. Test scores must not be more than five years old.

All master’s degree applicants who are not U.S. citizens and/or whose native language is not English must obtain an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). To be considered for admission, the applicant must achieve a score of 600 on the paper-based exam, a score of 250 on the computer-based exam, or a score of 100 on the internet-based exam.

Applicants may also submit copies of any pertinent publications or reports that they have authored, which would be helpful in evaluating their potential for success in public health.

Preference may also be given to applicants with an advanced professional degree (e.g., M.D.,) or other graduate degree, to physician assistants or nurse practitioners, or to applicants who have two or more years’ work experience in the field of public health. Students without two years of professional experience in health education are required to complete a supervised field training internship of 200-400 hours, depending on experience. The field training internship is in addition to the required curriculum.