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Health Sciences

Master of Public Health in Urban Health

Overview | Curriculum | Experiential Learning   

The Master of Public Health Program in Urban Health at Northeastern University is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.

For applicants to be eligible for MPH program-sponsored scholarships, the deadline is March 1, 2012 for Fall of 2012.  The deadline for all other applicants is April 1, 2012.

The deadline for Fall 2012 admission is April 1, 2012.  

Overview

We welcome your interest in public health and our program!
The Master of Public Health Program in Urban Health at Northeastern University focuses on addressing the most compelling public health problems facing cities today. These include:

• complex air, water, and food quality management issues
• control of infectious diseases
• prevention and treatment of chronic diseases
• illnesses associated with the built environment
• health threats connected to density and poverty including substance abuse, community violence, and the potential of international terrorism
• racial and ethnic health disparities
• the challenges of effective health education and promotion for diverse populations; and access to timely, appropriate health services.

Central to addressing all of these concerns, but in particular those associated with racial and ethnic health disparities, is the commitment the program undertakes to build a diverse and activist public health workforce, well-trained in the complex issues associated with disparate health status and health care access.

The MPH in Urban Health trains public health professionals who understand their concomitant obligations to advocacy and evidenced-based practice and research and who are animated by the urgent need to reduce racial, ethnic, and class-based health disparities that currently burden urban populations in the US and globally. A graduate from MPH in Urban Health program has both the technical expertise to address specific urban health issues as well as the strategic and cultural competency needed to interact effectively with, and be an advocate for diverse urban populations.

Mission Statement

The Master of Public Health Program in Urban Health at Northeastern University seeks to provide society with knowledgeable and professionally educated racially and ethnically diverse individuals who promote and protect the health of urban communities through innovation in practice-oriented education, research and service.

Program Goals

Education Goal 1:  
to educate students in program identified core public health competencies with an accredited curriculum

Education Goal #2
to provide students with community-oriented education and practice opportunities that will prepare them to effectively address the multi-level public health risks faced by diverse urban population

Research Goal #1
to generate public health knowledge using interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, emphasizing urban, community-engaged and translational research

Research Goal #2:
to provide urban opportunities for students to apply research and evaluation skills and complete experiences in inquiry (e.g. coursework, directed studies, faculty projects)

Service Goal #1:
to participate in public health advocacy, policy, and practice at local, regional, national, and global levels

Service Goal #2:
to establish collaborations among Northeastern University, community organizations and the private sector with the intent of improving the health of diverse urban communities

General Public Health Competencies

The MPH Program in Urban Health has identified the following core public health and urban health competencies which guide all program activities:

Analytic/Assessment Skills

• Assess the health status of populations and their related determinants of health and illness
• Selects variables that measure public health conditions
• Interprets qualitative and quantitative data
• Utilizes data to address scientific, political, ethical, and social public health issues

Policy Development/Program Planning Skills

• Articulates the implications of policy options

Communication Skills

• Communicates in writing and orally, in person, and through electronic means, with linguistic and cultural proficiency
• Applies communication strategies in interactions with individuals and groups

Public Health Sciences Skills

• Describes the scientific foundation of the field of public health
• Applies the basic public health sciences (including, but not limited to: biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services administration, and social and behavioral health sciences) to public health policies and programs
• Determines the limitations of research findings

Cultural Competency Skills

• Explains the dynamic forces that contribute to cultural diversity

Urban Health Specific Competencies

Analytic/Assessment Skills

• Describes the characteristics of an urban population-based health problem
• References sources of urban public health data and information

Policy Development/Program Planning Skills

• Articulates policy options to address urban health issues.

Communication Skills

• Solicits input from individuals and organizations in urban environments
• Presents demographic, statistical, programmatic, and scientific information for use by professional and lay audiences

Public Health Sciences Skills

• Conducts a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence related to an urban public health issue, concern, or intervention
• Retrieves scientific evidence related to urban public health from a variety of text and electronic sources

Cultural Competency Skills

• Considers the role of cultural, social, and behavioral factors in the accessibility, availability, acceptability and delivery of urban public health services

Curriculum

The MPH Program in Urban Health is a non-thesis (professional) master's degree program offered by the Bouvé College of Health Sciences Department of Health Sciences. All MPH degree candidates must complete a total of 42 semester hours consisting of 15 semester hours of core public health courses, 9 semester hours of core urban health courses, 12 semester hours of elective courses, and a 6-credit Community-based Practicum and related Capstone Project in urban health.

Characteristics of the curriculum include academic rigor and competency-based education in a supportive and engaging learning environment. The curriculum components meet the Council on Education in Public Health accreditation requirements. The CEPH accreditation site visit will occur in April, 2011.

Students may enroll in the MPH program on a part-time or full-time basis. In general, the curriculum requires two years of full-time study to complete.

The 8 required courses meet once a week and are taught from 5-7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, facilitating enrollment for students who work full or part-time.

MPH Core Courses (5 courses, 3 credits each = 15 credits):

• Epidemiology
• Biostatistics
• Occupational & Environmental Health
• Public Health Administration and Policy
• Society, Behavior and Health

Core Urban Health Courses (3 courses, 3 credits each = 9 credits):

• Principles and History of Urban Health
• Race, Ethnicity, and Health in the United States
• Urban Community Health Assessment

All MPH students must receive a grade of B- or better in all eight required courses.

Course Descriptions

Updated - MPH-Approved Elective List!

Combined BS/MPH Program

The Department of Health Sciences offers a combined undergraduate BS in Health Science and a Masters in Public Health. This program allows up to 5 students each year to complete both degrees in a shorter amount of time than it would take to do each program separately. Interested students should apply in the spring of their Junior year. For more information please contact Dr. Mohammed at s.mohammed@neu.edu

Experiential Learning

Capstone Project (6 credits)
Instead of a thesis, students are required to complete a Capstone Project associated with the required 6 credit Community-based Practicum in Urban Health. The Capstone project provides students with the opportunity to work on-site in a range of diverse public health practice settings reflective of their particular urban health focus. The Capstone Project provides students with the opportunity to integrate their theory and practice experiences in a major research, program planning, policy development, management, service delivery, or evaluation project. Community-based participatory projects are actively encouraged and, to the extent possible, Capstone Projects have as a goal the active contribution to the health of the local community. Capstone Projects are student led and designed in consultation with community partners. Faculty members provide guidance and mentoring. Students participate in a Capstone Seminar intended to support the integration of their practice and analytic experiences.

Requirements for admission to the MPH program include:

• Completed online application
• Official transcript(s) of all college-level study
• Undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 (B) or higher.
• Three letters of recommendation - 2 academic references and one professional reference are recommended.
• Personal goal statement %7e 2-3 pages in length, describing your interest in and commitment to urban public health. Your personal goal statement should briefly describe: 1) your interests and experiences in the field of public health, 2) what your goals are for a career in urban public health, and 3) why you would like to complete your MPH degree at Northeastern University. You may include any other information that you feel might be useful.
• Interview (in person or via phone) - Optional, at discretion of Admissions Committee
• International students must also submit official scores of the TOEFL examination - The MPH Program looks for IELTS score of 7.0
• Official GRE Scores* (taken within the last 5 years)

*The MPH Program in Urban Health Admission Committee requests all applicants complete the GRE. In very rare circumstances this requirement has been waived. If an applicant wishes to submit a petition to have the GRE waived, a letter should be sent to the MPH Program Director with supporting materials. The petition will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee.

Career Opportunities
Graduates with an MPH degree are employed in number of varied professional settings including: federal, state and local health agencies, universities and colleges, hospitals, ambulatory medical centers, nonprofit organizations, community-based agencies, insurance and pharmaceutical industries, health maintenance organizations, and private foundations.

Affiliated Institutes and Centers
Institute on Urban Health Research
The IUHR's seven faculty, three graduate fellows and nine research staff are focusing research on health issues that disproportionately impact urban communities, such as substance abuse, HIV/AIDS prevention and policy, interventions for children diagnosed with asthma, cardiovascular disease behavioral interventions, nutrition behavioral interventions with school age children, traditional Chinese health practices, racial and ethnic differences in service delivery patterns, and brain mechanisms involved in opiate tolerance. The goal of the IUHR is to improve the health of urban populations through the generation of knowledge that informs health policies, disease prevention programs and health services. In its first year of funding, the IUHR received more than $1.4 million in research and training grants and has partnered with the Boston Public Health Commission, Massachusetts Department of Public Health and community health centers. In addition to these agencies, the IUHR's Advisory Board includes representation from Partners Health Care, Boston Public Schools, Blue Cross/Blue Shield as well as nationally renowned scholars from diverse institutions throughout the country.

Center For Population Health and Health Disparities
The Boston Puerto Rican Health Study at Northeastern University is one of ten Centers for Population Health and Health Disparities (CPHHD) funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Puerto Rican adults living on the United States mainland have documented health disparities; however, little research has been conducted with this second largest Hispanic subgroup. Our long-term goal is to understand the complex interactions of diet and other behavioral and environmental factors, genetics, and psychosocial stress on the high and apparently increasing prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in Puerto Rican adults. Importantly, the Puerto Rican population differs considerably in ancestral genetic history and in exposures to known risk factors from other Hispanic groups. They have unique dietary intake patterns, as well as social, cultural, and environmental structures that contribute and affect reaction to stressors. As this group is rapidly growing, understanding the reasons for this risk is of great importance. Our initial funding period for the Boston Puerto Rican Center on Population Health and Health Disparities (BPR-CPHHD, 2003-08) focused on the role of stress on physical disability and cognitive decline through physiological dysregulation or “allostatic load.” During that investigation, it became clear that risk factors for CVD were highly prevalent. These findings are in contrast to the commonly held belief that there is a Hispanic paradox-lower heart disease and mortality despite greater poverty. The overall aim for the Center is, therefore, to extend follow-up and to measure and analyze relevant characteristics and CVD risk factors, and to add additional contextual and outcome measures for CVD risk in this established cohort of Puerto Rican adults; this will allow us to better understand the dynamics of these disparities.

If you're in Boston and would like to have a personalized tour please call 617-373-3664 to schedule a visit with Victoria Carlo-Carson.

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Contact Info

Dr. Shan Mohammed & Victoria Carlo-Carson
312 Robinson Hall
Tel: 617.373.3664
Fax: 617.373.2968
v.carlocarson@neu.edu