Public Health
Visit the College of Public Health Web site.
Dean of the College of Public Health to be announced; Joel M. Lee is Associate Director for Academic Affairs; Richard R. Clayton is Division Director, Health Behavior; T. Scott Prince is Division Director, Environmental Health; Richard J. Kryscio is Division Director, Biostatistics; Joel M. Lee is Division Director, Health Services Management; Thomas C. Tucker is Division Director, Epidemiology.
The College of Public Health
A defining characteristic of the area of public health is its focus on population groups rather than individuals. Public health professionals are concerned with the health of communities, relying heavily on collaboration with local, state, and national entities to improve the health status of their targeted populations. With the current interest in health care reform, interest in bioterrorism preparedness, concerns over managed care, and other factors impacting the nation's health care system, the need for highly trained public health professionals is increasing. Professionals with the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) and/or the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) hold important roles in a variety of public and private settings, e.g., local and state health departments, health care facilities, universities, state and national agencies, social service agencies, and community-centered health education facilities. In these positions, they can be involved directly with the development, implementation and assessment of health education/disease prevention programs, and in initiatives for improving health care services.
The College of Public Health offers the M.P.H. degree and the Dr.P.H. degree. The M.P.H. is an applied professional/graduate degree designed for highly motivated students who either have a professional degree or a substantial interest in public health. Unique sequencing of courses, community-based program activities, and field/laboratory research provide students with multiple opportunities to define their course of study. The M.P.H. also may be part of a combined degree with other professional and graduate programs. The Dr.P.H. is a terminal professional degree that will prepare graduates to assume professional leadership responsibilities in local, state, national, and international public health activities. Course work will emphasize the integration and application of new knowledge and theory, and analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving skills to address the public health concerns of the Commonwealth and nation.
The Master of Public Health degree requires 35 to 39 credit hours of study for completion. All students must complete 15 semester hours of required core course work and 14 to 16 hours of specialty work in one of the five concentration tracks. In addition, three to six semester hours of field practicum experience are required, depending on previous professional experience in public health or related areas. UK students also complete elective course work in public health. The M.P.H. core course requirements provide a broad overview of the disciplines of public health and the basic principles of public health practice. Specialty course work develops the skills and knowledge upon which to build or enhance a career in public health. Separate M.P.H. tracks are available in each of the five areas of concentration: epidemiology, environmental health, biostatistics, health behavior, and health services management. A field practicum in a community, a public health facility, a government agency or related setting will represent the culminating experience that will result in a written capstone project paper.
The Doctor of Public Health is a terminal professional degree that will prepare graduates to assume professional leadership responsibilities in local, state, national, and international public health activities. Course work will emphasize the integration and application of new knowledge and theory, and analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving skills to address the public health concerns of the Commonwealth and nation. The Dr.P.H. is designed as a school-wide advanced degree and will require a minimum of 63 semester hours of course work beyond the master's degree. The Dr.P.H. candidate must have a Master of Public Health, a Master of Science in Public Health, or an equivalent degree. Examples of equivalent degrees are programs related to public health, such as the Master of Arts in Communications, or the Master of Science in Nursing, along with course work equivalent to the five basic core courses in the M.P.H. curriculum. Those applications not meeting the preparation requirements will be evaluated on an individual basis.
Students will complete a curriculum spanning the five core discipline tracks offered by the College of Public Health. Typically, a full-time student will require a minimum of three years beyond the master's degree to complete the program. The program is designed to accommodate non-traditional, working, and part-time students.
The Dr.P.H. curriculum includes:
- Twenty-seven semester hours of required course work in the core curriculum, which consists of two advanced courses in the core public health disciplines (epidemiology, biostatistics, health services management, health behavior, and environmental health).
- Fifteen hours of professional selective course work.
- A one-hour integrative professional seminar in each semester of enrollment.
- Two supervised public health field experiences.
- An integrated capstone option of either a problem-based or research-based project paper demonstrating appropriate disciplinary understanding.
Applications for admission to the M.P.H. degree will be accepted and considered at any time. There is an application deadline for each program; for current information, consult the College Web site at: www.mc.uky.edu/kysph/. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their applications are complete, and applications will not be reviewed until all materials have been received.
For further information, contact:
The College of Public Health
121 Washington Ave.
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40536-0003
(859) 323-6010
fax: (859) 257-6644
e-mail: kysph@pop.uky.edu
Or visit our Web site at:
www.mc.uky.edu/kysph
WARNING: Some Web sites to which these materials provide links for the convenience of users are not managed by the UK's Office of Registrar. The UK's Office of Registrar does not review, control, or take responsibility for the contents of those sites.