PROGRAM IS PENDING APPROVAL FROM THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION. AFTER THAT FINAL APPROVAL, PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS MAY APPLY FOR ADMISSION.
About This Program
Earn your M.P.H. in Social and Behavioral Sciences and gain the skills to design, implement and evaluate health programs that drive real change. Work on cutting-edge research, prepare for careers in health promotion and even pursue licensure as a chemical dependency counselor in Ohio. Read more...
Contact Information
- Eric Jefferis | ejefferi@kent.edu |
330-672-6502
- Connect with an Admissions Counselor: U.S. Student | International Student
Program Delivery
- Delivery:
- Fully online
- Mostly online
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries*
Please provide
Accreditation
Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
PROGRAM IS PENDING APPROVAL FROM THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION. AFTER THAT FINAL APPROVAL, PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS MAY APPLY FOR ADMISSION.
For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
- Minimum 3.000 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale1
- Official transcript(s)
- Goal statement
- Résumé
- Two letters of recommendation
- English Language Proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:2
- Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
- Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
- Minimum 58 PTE score
- Minimum 110 DET score
- 1
Students with less than a 3.000 GPA will be considered for conditional admission.
- 2
International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.
Application Deadlines
- Fall Semester
- Priority deadline: March 15 (international student)
All application materials (including applicable fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.) submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission. - Rolling admissions (domestic student)
- Priority deadline: March 15 (international student)
- Spring Semester
- Priority deadline: August 15 (international student)
All application materials (including applicable fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.) submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission. - Rolling admissions (domestic student)
- Priority deadline: August 15 (international student)
- Summer Term
- Rolling admissions (domestic student)
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| BST 62019 | BIOSTATISTICS IN PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
| CES 67664 | THEORIES AND PRACTICES IN ADDICTIONS COUNSELING 1 | 3 |
| or SBS 63030 | SEMINAR IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR SCIENCES | |
| EHS 62018 | ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONCEPTS IN PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
| EPI 62017 | FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3 |
| HPM 62016 | PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION | 3 |
| HPM 63007 | PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS: PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION | 3 |
| HPM 63010 | HEALTHCARE COMPLIANCE II | 3 |
| SBS 60002 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES | 3 |
| SBS 60021 | SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE THEORIES | 3 |
| SBS 63008 | GRANT WRITING IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES | 3 |
| SBS 64634 | SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH BEHAVIORS | 3 |
| Major Electives, choose from the following: | 6-9 | |
Other courses with coordinator approval | ||
| Culminating Requirement | ||
| CES 67692 | PRACTICUM IN ADDICTIONS COUNSELING 1 | 3-6 |
| or SBS 60392 | APPLIED PRACTICE EXPERIENCE IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES | |
| PH 61199 | INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE | 1 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 46 | |
- 1
Students declared in the Addictions Counseling graduate certificate will take CES 67664 and CES 67692.
Graduation Requirements
| Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
|---|---|
| - | 3.000 |
- Practicum placement at an approved public health agency under the guidance of a qualified preceptor (150 contact hours)
- Final portfolio/report and a seminar presentation integrating theory and practice
- Successful completion of PH 61199.
- Participation in at least one approved interprofessional education event; event requires students to participate at a specific time/date to be determined in consultation with the student's advisor.
- No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
- Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health
- Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.
- Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
- Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate.
- Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice.
Public Health and Health Care Systems
- Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings.
- Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and societal levels.
Planning and Management to Promote Health
- Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health.
- Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs.
- Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention.
- Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management.
- Select methods to evaluate public health programs.
Policy in Public Health
- Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence.
- Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes.
- Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.
- Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.
Leadership
- Apply principles of leadership, governance and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration and guiding decision making.
- Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges.
Communication
- Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors.
- Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
- Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.
Interprofessional Practice
- Perform effectively on interprofessional teams.
Systems Thinking
- Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue.
Full Description
The Master of Public Health degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences provides students with an interdisciplinary approach to improve health in populations across the life course. Students learn to apply theoretical principles to design, implement and evaluate effective programs that include behavioral and environmental approaches. Graduates are able to design and evaluate public health interventions intended to improve health for families, workplaces, communities and other settings.
The active research of the college’s faculty — particularly in the areas of childhood obesity, violence and injury prevention, substance abuse prevention and chronic disease prevention — provides students the opportunity to work on large-scale externally funded prevention research. Students are prepared for careers in health promotion; program design and evaluation; and prevention program development for state and local health departments, workplace health promotion programs, hospitals, international health agencies, mental health centers and non-profit organizations.
Students have the opportunity to declare the Addictions Counseling graduate certificate to become a licensed chemical dependency counselor in Ohio.