Public Health, MS

Contact

Brooks B. Gump, Director of Graduate Programs in Public Health
344H White Hall
315-443-2208
bbgump@syr.edu

Core Faculty

Brooks B. Gump, Brittany Kmush, Sandra D. Lane, David Larsen, Katherine McDonald, Lutchmie Narine, Arthur Owora

Affiliated Faculty

Indu Gupta, Commissioner of Health, Onondaga County Health Department

Staff

Judi Emmi, Administrative Assistant

Susan Scholl, Internship Coordinator

Melinda Stoffel, Office Coordinator

Description:

The Master of Science in Public Health is a 42 credit hour graduate program designed to provide students with core knowledge and research skills necessary for the advancement of evidence-based public health. Within the MSPH, there are two tracks. The Global Health track introduces students to health issues in the context of the global community providing students with exposure to theory, research and applications in both the US and international settings. The Biostatistics track provides students with training in both introductory and advanced biostatistics - applying multiple different analytic methods to the analysis of public health data.

Admission:

A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university with a graduating GPA of 3.2. Students from broad inclusive fields of undergraduate study and work experience will be considered for admission. Applicants will be asked to declare application to a program track and will be evaluated accordingly to that track. GRE scores and a personal statement are required for admission. A minimum GRE quantitative score of 50 percentile or better is required for the biostatistics track. A minimum TOEFL score of 100 is required for admission.

Part-Time Study

Part-time study is acceptable; however, time to degree completion depends on available course offerings and number of courses enrolled. Time limit to degree completion is 7 years.

Financial Support

Limited department financial aid is available in the form of graduate assistantships and scholarship credits for students enrolled in masters and doctoral programs. Financial aid is determined based on merit.

Additional information regarding graduate financial aid can be found at https://graduateadmissions.syr.edu/funding/

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 30 percent of credits counted toward a master’s degree at Syracuse University may be transferred from another institution provided that the credits are an integral part of the degree program.

Degree

MS, 42 credit hours

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Appraise the health of populations using a biological, environmental, behavioral, and social determinants framework

2. Affect positive changes in health through research, policy analysis and evidence-based health programming

3. Conduct independent, original, discipline-specific scientific research

4. Apply analytic methods to the analysis of public health data (biostatistics track)

5. Explain health issues in the context of the global community

Requirements

Public Health Core (15 credits)

HTW 661 - Development and Evaluation of Global Health Programs 3 credit(s)
HTW 664 - Social & Behavioral Determinants in Global Health 3 credit(s)
HTW 665 - Applied Global Health Practice and Policy 3 credit(s)
HTW 668 - Applied Epidemiology in Global Health 3 credit(s)
HTW 706 - Environmental Epidemiology 3 credit(s)

Research and Statistics Core (15 credits)

Required: (12 credits)

HTW 621 - Research Methods in Public Health 3 credit(s)
HTW 622 - Research Proposal Development 2 credit(s)
HTW 623 - Ethical Issues in Public Health Research 1 credit(s)
HTW 630 - Introductory Biostatistics 3 credit(s)
HTW 997 - Master’s Thesis 3 credit(s)

Choose 1 from the following (3 credits):

HTW 631 - Intermediate Biostatistics 3 credit(s) *
GEO 683 - Geographic Information Systems 3-4 credit(s)
SOC 614 - Introduction to Qualitative Research 3 credit(s)
HTW 704 - Epidemiology of Modern Plagues 3 credit(s)
*This course is an option here only for those planning on a Global Health track - it is included as required course for Biostatistics track (see below).

Specialization Track

(choose 1, 12 credit concentration)

Global Health Track

Required (3 credits):

HTW 663 - Global Health 3 credit(s)

Choose 3 courses from the following (9 credits):

HTW 662 - Culture and Reproductive Health and Medicine 3 credit(s)
ANT 665 - Critical Issues in Medical Anthropology 3 credit(s)
ANT 669 - Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective 3 credit(s)
NSD 555 - Food, Culture and Environment 3 credit(s)
FST 603 - The Human Right to Adequate Food and Nutrition 3 credit(s)
FST 703 - Transnational Food, Health and the Environment 3 credit(s)
NSD 617 - Food as Medicine 3 credit(s)
HTW 669 - Disability and Global Health 3 credit(s)

Biostatistics Track

Required (6 credits):

HTW 631 - Intermediate Biostatistics 3 credit(s)
HTW 632 - Advanced Biostatistics 3 credit(s)

Choose 2 courses from the following (6 credits):

HTW 633 - Spatial statistics for public health 3 credit(s)
GEO 683 - Geographic Information Systems 3-4 credit(s)
GEO 685 - Community Geography 3 credit(s)
GEO 687 - Environmental Geostatistics 3 credit(s)

Satisfactory Progress:

Certification for an advanced degree at Syracuse University requires a minimum average of 3.0 for work comprising the program for the degree and a 2.8 average for all credits earned.