Contact

Maureen Thompson, Undergraduate Program Director, Public Health
344 White Hall
315-443-9815
mlthomps@syr.edu
 
Dessa Bergen-Cico, Graduate Director, Public Health
444C White Hall
315-443-0250
dkbergen@syr.edu

Description

The BS in Public Health (BSPH)/Masters Public Health (MPH) is a 150-credit hour, 5-year academic program that provides students with an accelerated pathway to an advanced degree in public health. Students gain core knowledge, research, and practice skills necessary for the advancement of evidence- based public health, while eliminating redundancy if the degrees were completed separately. Students complete 2 internships, one in year 4 (undergraduate study) and one in year 5 (graduate study). Each degree requires a culminating experience. The bachelor’s degree requires a capstone internship paper. The master’s degree requires an integrative learning experience paperThe bachelor’s degree is awarded at the completion of year 4 and the master’s degree is awarded at the completion of the 5th year of study.

The BSPH and MPH programs are accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH).

Admission

Entry to the accelerated program is a 2-stage process.

1. Undergraduate stage:  Students initiate interest in the program no later than 2nd semester sophomore year.  Interested students meet with the undergraduate program director to determine if the program can be completed within the 5-year time period.  After meeting with the undergraduate director, students confirm their interest by completing ‘An Intent to Pursue’ form.  A personal statement, note of support from the academic advisor, and UG GPA of 3.3 is required.
2. Graduate program application stage: Students formally apply to the graduate program during the fall of the senior year. Eligibility for the MPH portion of the program is contingent on students earning grades of C- or higher in graduate courses taken as part of the BSPH degree. A personal statement, letters of recommendation, and an UG GPA of 3.0 is required for this application.  The GRE is not required.

Financial Support

Undergraduate financial aid will be provided as awarded via Syracuse University Financial Aid Office.

Graduate assistantships for year 5 will be provided as are feasible under the Falk College annual budget.

Facilities

Courses are taught in classrooms across the newly renovated Falk Complex. Public health faculty and administrative offices are housed on the 4th floor of the Falk Complex. In addition to administrative and academic program offices and classrooms, the Falk Complex also offers student access to dedicated study/collaborative space, computer labs and comforts like a café and student lounge.

Student Learning Outcomes: BS

At the completion of the BSPH/MPH degrees, students will be able to:

B.S. Public Health Learning Outcomes

1. Communicate public health information, in both oral and written forms and through a variety of media, to diverse audiences.
2. Locate, use, evaluate, and synthesize public health information.
3. Apply basic principles of project implementation.
4. Use concepts of population health and models from social and behavioral disciplines to promote health and address health related needs and concerns of groups and communities across the life course.
5. Relate biology, health behavior, social determinants, and environmental contexts to human health, disease, and the expression of health disparities.
6. Outline the organizational structure, function and delivery modalities for U.S. and global healthcare systems.
7. Act according to professional values and ethics in public health practice, research and education.
8. Describe how community forces, economic factors, and research shape health practices and policies.

B.S. Concentration Outcomes

Addiction Studies

• Explain the basic theories, concepts and applications of behavioral neuroscience.
• Identify protective factors and risk factors for chemical dependency in individuals and communities.
• Implement basic principles of addiction prevention education.

Community Health Education

• Assess community level needs for health education.
• Propose health education strategies.
• Identify factors that influence health behavior.

Health and Society

• Elucidate challenges populations may face in regards to human rights, access to services, financial strain, and social stigma.
• Explain the basic theories, concepts and applications of behavioral neuroscience.
• Describe nutrition-related approaches to promote health.

Healthcare Administration

Describe concepts of ethics, law, and regulation in the delivery of healthcare.
Explain basic principles of continuous improvement processes within healthcare.
Discuss challenges to the efficient and effective delivery of U.S healthcare.

Student Learning Outcomes: MPH

At the completion of the BSPH/MPH degrees, students will be able to:

MPH Core Outcomes​

1. Apply epidemiological methods to settings and situations in public health practice
2. Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
3. Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming, and software, as appropriate
4. Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy, or practice
5. Compare the organization, structure, and function of health care, public health, and regulatory systems across national and international settings
6. 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
7. Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health
8. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique of public health policies or programs
9. Design a population-based policy, program, project, or intervention
10. Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management
11. Select methods to evaluate public health programs
12. Discuss the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
13. Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes
14. Advocate for political, social, or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
15. Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
16. Apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue
17. Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges
18. Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
19. Communicate audience-appropriate, non-academic, non-peer audience, public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation
20. Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content
21. Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health
22. Apply a systems thinking tool to visually represent a public health issue in a format other than standard narrative

Global Health Concentration Outcomes

1. Evaluate governance approaches and responses within diverse sociocultural and political settings and how these impact health.
2. Identify the roles, relationships, and resources of entities influencing global health.
3. Apply principles of sustainable development and accountability to global health program planning.
4. Propose strategies to address health equity and social justice challenges affecting underserved populations.
5. Evaluate prevention and control strategies for infectious disease.

Program Requirements

For requirements for the undergraduate and graduate portions of the accelerated program, visit the B.S. and MPH program pages.  15 credits are shared across both programs.

During the junior and senior years of undergraduate study, the following graduate courses are completed and the corresponding BSPH courses are not required.

Graduate Course Substitutes for UG courses

PHP 627 Health Leadership and Management substitutes for PHP 306 Understanding Health Systems: Macro & Micro Perspectives

PHP 661 Development and Evaluation of Public Health Programs or PHP 624 Introduction to Prevention Science substitutes for PHP 402 Implementing and Evaluating Health Programs

PHP 664 Health Equity & Social Determinants of Health substitutes for PHP 309 Health Disparities and Underserved Populations

PHP 665 Public Health Policy substitutes for PHP 403 Public Health Policy

PHP 668 Applied Epidemiology substitutes for PHP 401 Epidemiology

Culminating Experiences

Undergraduate Culminating Experience = Senior Capstone Internship Paper
Graduate Culminating Experience = Integrative Learning Experience Paper

Total Credits Required

B.S. Public Health: 123

Master’s Public Health: 42

[15 credits shared across both programs]

Transfer Credits

The usual Syracuse University rules will apply for the consideration of transfer credit. Transfer credit will be considered for undergraduate level courses (100-499) that are an integral part of the program. Grades of C or better are required for UG courses considered for transfer. A maximum of 66 credits of UG coursework may be transferred from an associate degree program. Transfer credit will be considered for graduate level courses (600-799) that are an integral part of the program. Grades of B or better are required for graduate courses considered for transfer. A maximum of 9 credits of GRAD coursework may be transferred.

Part-Time Study

At the graduate level, students may study part-time; however, all MPH requirements must be completed within a 7-year period from the time the student registers for the first course to be applied in the MPH program. 

Satisfactory Progress

Students are required to maintain a CUM GPA of 2.0 or higher to meet degree requirements for the BS degree.

Students are required to maintain a CUM GPA of 3.0 or higher to meet degree requirements for the MS degree.

Notes

MPH Degree Milestones

These non-credit bearing experiences are required.

• Interprofessional Education:  Students enrolled in the MPH degree participate in an Interprofessional Practice (IPP) event.  Students must successfully complete all required assessments and interactive experiences associated with this event.
• Applied Practice Experience Pre-Planning:  Prior to registering for PHP 667 Public Health Applied Practice Experience Graduate Practicum in Public Health, MPH students must complete the planning steps (agency identification, competency mapping and products) required for this course.