Public Health

"Public Health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research for disease and injury prevention. Public Health professionals assure our drinking water is safe, prevent pollution, help to eradicate life threatening disease (small pox and polio), prevent infectious disease and outbreaks (measles, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis), promote healthy lifestyles, they educate populations to reduce STDs, teen pregnancy and infant mortality. They also evaluate clinical and community-based interventions and so much more. You can find Public Health professions in local, state, federal and international agencies."

(Association of Schools of Public Health)

Public Health students can specialize in several areas including: Behavior and Social Science, Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Health Services Administration, and International/Global Health.

Programs

• There are over 128 accredited programs in the US and Canada
• A list of accredited schools can be found online
• A list of online MPH programs also is available
• Accredited programs in Florida are:
  • Florida A&M University
  • Florida International University
  • Nova Southeastern University
  • University of Florida
  • University of Miami
  • University of North Florida
  • University of South Florida
  • University of West Florida
• Other programs in Florida are:
  • Barry University
  • Florida State University

Admission Requirements

• Most schools look for at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA
• A variety of undergraduate coursework is applicable to the graduate study of Public Health
• Test scores that can be used: (varies by school and program)
  • Graduate Records Exam (GRE)
  • Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) (generally used for Health Administration/Management programs)
  • Millers Analogies Test (MAT)
• Letters of Recommendations (number vary by school)
• Experience (this is dependent on the school you are applying to and can be obtained through having a community health/education undergraduate degree, internships, co-ops or full-time employment)
• 36 out of 43 accredited schools require applicants to use the Schools of Public Health Application Service

Timeline

SOPHAS becomes available in September each year. For fall admission program application deadlines vary from December through March. (Some schools do have spring admissions and those vary by program as well.) To secure graduate assistantships or federal funding you will want to check with each school's deadline. Most programs are going to have an early spring (January/February) deadline to be considered for funding.

Resources

• American Public Health Association
• Association of Schools of Public Health
• Council on Education for Public Health
• This is Public Health