Public Health (Simmons MPH)
Description
Simmons MPH students develop the scientific, leadership, and advocacy skills needed to address health inequities and ensure fair and equitable health opportunities for individuals and communities. The 42-credit curriculum is broken down as follows: 36 Core Credits, 3 Elective Credits, 3 Immersion Credits.
The concept of health equity, as well as practice-based strategies for addressing population health, is woven throughout the curriculum. Students learn core public health methods, community-based practice approaches, and policy and structural strategies used to tackle entrenched health inequities.
Learning Outcomes
The Simmons MPH curriculum is guided by a learning framework that encompasses core MPH professional competencies and knowledge domains. The MPH includes a concentration in health equity with competencies designed specifically to prepare students to advance health equity. Upon graduation from the Simmons MPH program, students will be able to:
- 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
- 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 systemic levels
- Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities' health
- Analyze awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique 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
- Discuss 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
- Apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue
- Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges
- Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
- Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation to a non-academic, non-peer audience with attention to factors such as literacy and health literacy
- Describe the importance of cultural humility in communicating public health content
- Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health
- Apply a systems thinking tool to visually represent a public health issue in a format other than a standard narrative
- Apply the history and principles of health equity, human rights, and social justice and apply to the discipline and practice of public health
- Analyze systems of oppression and structural-level determinants of health, including racism and other forms of marginalization, drawing parallels to patterns of health disparities
- Appraise one’s own position, values, and biases, within the systems and structures that shape population health
- Employ skills of community organizing, advocacy, and participatory methods to engage community members in assessing and/or addressing community health issues
- Appraise public health as a vehicle for transformative change by analyzing an existing health equity initiative as a model of social innovation.
Requirements for entry into program
Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. At least one college-level math course (statistics preferred) should be completed with a course grade of B or higher.
Factors such as work experience, community-based endeavors, and undergraduate coursework in health or social sciences, while not required for acceptance into the program, can add value to an application. Simmons MPH seeks applicants who are passionate about improving health equity and highly motivated to develop the skill set for change-oriented leadership.
Delivery Modes Available
Online Coursework and In-Person Immersions
Degree Requirements
The 42-credit curriculum is broken down as follows:
- 36 Core Credits
- 3 Elective Credits
- 3 Immersion Credits
Coursework
The typical course sequence is as follows for traditional MPH students completing the program in two years:
Term 2
Term 3
| MHEO 435 | Community-Based Research for Health Equity | 3 |
| MHEO 440 | Health Policy Analysis & Change | 3 |
| MHEO 473 | Public Health Project Planning I | 1 |
Term 1
Term 4
| MHEO 465 | Health Advocacy, Community Organizing, & Innovation | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| MHEO 494 | Public Health Project Planning II | 2 |
Term 5
Term 6
| MHEO 450 | Environmental Health & Justice | 3 |
| MHEO 496 | Health Equity Change Project II | 3 |
Students complete one elective course as part of their time in the program for a total of three credits. Students also complete two immersion courses, described below, for a total of three credits. Please note that immersion courses take place during intersessions, between terms, and are therefore not included in the course sequence above.
Accelerated MPH Degree Coursework
The typical course sequence is as follows for students completing the Accelerated MPH degree in fifteen months:
Term 2
| MHEO 420 | Socio-Structural Determinants of Health | 3 |
| MHEO 425 | Biostatistics | 3 |
| MHEO 465 | Health Advocacy, Community Organizing, & Innovation | 3 |
| MHEO 490 | Public Health Project Planning I & II | 3 |
Term 4
| MHEO 450 | Environmental Health & Justice | 3 |
| MHEO 496 | Health Equity Change Project II | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
Term 1
Term 3
| MHEO 440 | Health Policy Analysis & Change | 3 |
| MHEO 470 | Global Health & Political Econ | 3 |
| MHEO 495 | Health Equity Change Project I | 3 |
Students complete one elective course as part of their time in the program for a total of three credits. Students also complete two immersion courses, described below, for a total of three credits. Immersion courses take place during intersessions, between terms, and are therefore not included in the course sequence above.
Health Equity Change Project
Completed during the final terms of the program, the Health Equity Change Project (HECP) is the culminating learning experience of the MPH, where students synthesize their prior learning across the curriculum and put their acquired skills into practice. The HECP is supported through Public Health Project Planning I and II (MHEO 473 and MHEO 494 for traditional students and MHEO 490 for accelerated students) and Health Equity Change Project I and II (MHEO 495 and MHEO 496). Students work with a trained professional and an established organization to develop, implement, and evaluate an innovative project that proactively addresses a health inequity. Students must complete a minimum 150-hour practicum at an approved practicum site as one component of this experience. Students also complete their integrative learning experience, a high-quality written product on the topic of their health inequity of focus. Across these experiences, students demonstrate professional public health competencies, which they document through a digital portfolio and final project.
Service-Learning
As part of the course in Health Advocacy, Community Organizing and Innovation (MHEO 465), students must complete a 20-30 hour service-learning placement. This placement allows students to complement their learning about the skills, tactics and strategies of community mobilization and organizing, while contributing to change efforts in their local community.
In-Person Immersion Experiences
Students in the Simmons MPH program are required to participate in two in-person learning experiences called immersions. Immersions offer students the opportunity to gain hands-on public health experience through place-based and immersive community learning in different contexts. Students are required to attend two immersions, one on the Simmons campus and one destination immersion. Students are responsible for fees associated with the immersions beyond tuition.