Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), Program Information

Program Description

The Doctor of Public Health degree program provides students with problem solving, analytical, program planning, policy development, communication, research, and cultural sensitivity skills as well as competencies in the development and implementation of health promotion and disease prevention programs for community health behavioral change. The program, which educates public health practitioners to address and solve contemporary health problems of urban populations, is also committed to increasing and validating the body of knowledge required for public health research and practice

Program Objectives

To obtain the DrPH degree, students must complete a doctoral curriculum designed to provide advanced-level knowledge of the domains of public health plus other foundational courses. Combined, these courses cover advanced areas of quantitative analytic methods, environmental justice, community engagement,  research methods, health planning, and policy administration as well as social and behavioral factors in public health. In addition to satisfactorily completing the core courses in each of the domains of public health, doctoral students must pass a core competency exam, satisfy 6 credits in electives, complete a practicum, and satisfy all dissertation requirements for the degree.

General Requirements

Candidates for the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree complete 39 credit hours of coursework, three (3) credit hours for a public health practicum and are required to submit an approved dissertation in partial fulfillment of the DrPH degree. While only three (3) credits are counted for the completion of the dissertation, students must be continuously registered in a dissertation-level course until the dissertation is satisfactorily completed.  

Length of Program

Although Program length will vary for students who are part-time, the time allotted for completion of all requirements for the doctoral degrees by the School of Graduate Studies is seven (7) consecutive years. Full-time students progressing satisfactorily should be able to finish in four to 5 years, allowing two to two and a half years for courses and two to two and a half years to complete the dissertation.

Admission

To be eligible for admission to the DrPH Program, an applicant must:  

• Have earned a master’s degree in a helath or social science discipline from and accredited College or University with a minimum academic grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above.  Students admitted with a degree other than the MPH may be required to fulfill additional course requirements. 

• Submit an application for admission to the School of Graduate Studies.  All required documents must be submitted as directed by the School of Graduate Studies before the program review and admission decision.  

• Provide official transcripts of all post-secondary studies and documentation of previous academic achievement, and professional accomplishments. 

• Use the application system to arrange for three letters of recommendation to be placed with the application.  These letters must be from practicing public health professionals or faculty members of institutions previously attended who are acquainted with the applicant’s ability for graduate study or from employment supervisors where applicable. 

• Submit a professional updated resume or CV.

• Submit a typed 1-2 page exposition describing work/educational experience, area of interest, career objectives, personal academic and professional plans, and the reasons for selecting Morgan State University. 

• Have at least two (2) years of relevant work experience (public health/ allied health experience is preferred). 

• Complete an interview with the program Admissions Committee.

Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements and submitting all the required documents does not guarantee that an offer of admission will be made to the applicant.  The decision of the Program Admissions Committee involves a review and analysis of all the elements of the application as well as the availability of positions in the program.  The committee then recommends to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies that an offer of admission should be made based on that review.  Only the School of Graduate Studies provides offers of admission to graduate programs at the university.

Transfer Students from Other Morgan State University Graduate Programs

The School of Community Health and Policy’s Public Health Program will accept MSU students from other graduate degree programs wishing to go into the field of public health. Such students will be assessed on an individual basis regarding their public health interest, relevance of prior undergraduate and graduate courses to the School, and academic performance in their respective fields, as well as their potential to cope with public health science-based courses. A maximum of six (6) graduate credits of coursework may be transferred from other graduate programs (which were not counted towards the previous graduate degree).

Doctoral Dissertation

The doctoral dissertation is designed to provide students with a comprehensive and original research experience. The dissertation credits are completed after the successful completion of coursework and passing the core competency examination. The SCHP-PHP is committed to helping students successfully move through the Program in the allotted time.

Public Health Practicum

Doctoral students complete an applied practice experience (i.e., practicum), completing 200 hours of fieldwork.  The site and scope of work must be approved by the public health program.  The practicum provides the student an opportunity to demonstrate selected doctoral-level competencies, especially in the area of leadership. The practicum may be carried out in governmental or non-governmental health agencies, health institutes, community organizations, and academic units and programs of public health.

Program of Study

Incoming DrPH students must complete the doctoral core which is designed to provide advanced level knowledge of major areas of public health. The core courses cover advanced areas of epidemiology, environmental health,biostatistics, research methods, health planning, and policy and administration as well as social and behavioral factors in public health. A total of fifteen (15) credit hours of graduate courses are designated for the DrPH degree core area. Students not holding an MPH degree must complete the Master’s core (See MPH curriculum) prior to beginning the doctoral core courses.

Curriculum Sequence

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) and Online Doctor of Public Health (ODPH), Curriculum Sequences