Health Sciences

The mission of the CSUN Public Health program is to prepare professionals to:

• Identify and assess needs and assets of diverse communities.
• Plan, implement and evaluate programs.
• Apply analytic and research methodologies to public health practice.
• Serve as leaders and advocates in their community and profession.
• Provide solutions for current and future public health challenges.
• Collaborate across interdisciplinary and community sectors.

The graduate program in Community Health Education provides advanced study for health educators working in a variety of settings, such as community health agencies, patient education, consumer health advocacy, training and continuing education, organizational development and team building, schools and other positions within public, private and professional settings. This program is nationally accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The program is designed to enable health educators to meet responsibilities for leadership, supervisory, administrative and consultative roles in these health education settings.

Applications to the MPH program in Community Health Education are accepted for the Fall semester only. Applicants should visit the Master of Public Health website for detailed instructions and deadlines.

The following criteria are used for evaluating applicants holistically to the MPH program:

1. Cumulative undergraduate GPA.
2. Graduate Record Examination for applicants with an undergraduate GPA less than 3.0.
3. Work experience.
4. Three letters of recommendation.
5. Statement of purpose.

The Master of Public Health program requires a minimum of 42 semester hours of coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree. A minimum grade of “B-” is required for each course; an overall program GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation.

A. For Admission to Classified Graduate Status*

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college.
2. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above for all undergraduate work.
3. Evidence of satisfactory completion of at least one of the following: verbal, quantitative or analytical sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The GRE may be waived with approval for applicants who have a minimum of 3.0 GPA overall and in the major, or have a 3.2 GPA in the last 60 units of undergraduate work, or who already have an advanced graduate degree from an accredited school.
4. Passed the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE). The exam may be waived with approval for applicants who completed the UDWPE at CSUN or another Cal State University, or scored a 3 or above on the analytical writing assessment section of the GRE.

*Admitted students who do not meet the above classified status requirements are identified as conditionally classified.

B. Advancement from Conditional to Classified Status

Students admitted as conditionally classified must complete all qualifying coursework, GRE and/or UDWPE prior to moving from conditional to fully classified status. In addition:

1. A GPA of 3.0 or better must be achieved in qualifying coursework.
2. No more than 12 units of work taken prior to attaining fully classified status will be applied to the master’s program.
3. Students completing qualifying coursework must meet with their faculty advisor to complete the paperwork to advance from conditional to classified status.

Qualifying Courses: To be determined at advisement.

C. Requirements for the Degree

The MPH in Community Health Education requires a minimum of 42 semester hours of coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree. A minimum grade of “B-” is required for each course; an overall program GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation.

1. Required Public Health Core Courses (21 units)

EOH 554MPH Environmental and Occupational Health Problems (3)
HSCI 533 Advanced Health Behavior Theory (3)
HSCI 541 Administration and Management in Public Health (3)
HSCI 587 Seminar: Epidemiology (3)
HSCI 592 Advanced Biostatistics (3)
HSCI 693A Supervised Field Training (2)
HSCI 693C Supervised Field Training (1)
HSCI 694 Research Design and Methodology (3)

2. Required Community Health Education Core Courses (9 units)

HSCI 531 Program Planning and Evaluation (3)
HSCI 535 Curriculum Development in Public Health (3)
HSCI 538 Community Health Action (3)

3. Electives (9 units minimum)

With approval of the graduate advisor, students may take 500- and 600-level courses in such areas of study as Communications, Health Administration, Environmental and Occupational Health, or related areas of interest.

Note: Due to the cohort nature of the program, electives are prescribed for students enrolling through The Tseng College.

HHD 501 Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Aging (3)
HHD 504 Current Issues in Aging (3)
HHD 513 Leadership/Professional Competencies for Health and Human Development Disciplines (3)
HSCI 434 Lactation Education: Prenatal and Perinatal Period (3)
or HSCI 534 Lactation Education for the Healthcare Professional (3)
HSCI 446 Lactation Education: Postpartum Period (3)
HSCI 510 Systems for Health Delivery in the U.S. (3)
HSCI 511 Health Services Administration Theory and Practice (3)
HSCI 515 Seminar in Healthcare Information Management (3)
HSCI 517 Health Economics and National Health Policy (3)
HSCI 518 Managed Care (3)
HSCI 521 Managerial Ethics and Healthcare Law (3)
HSCI 523 Seminar in Healthcare Organization (3)
HSCI 526 Global Women’s Health (3)
HSCI 536 Cultural Issues in Healthcare (3)
HSCI 537 Principles of Communication in Health Education (3)
HSCI 539 Current Issues in Public Health (3)
HSCI 540 Grantsmanship for Health and Human Development (3)
HSCI 545 Seminar: Mental Health (3)
HSCI 588 Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (3)
HSCI 589 Epidemiology of Common Chronic Diseases I (3)
HSCI 591 Quantitative Demography in Public Health (3)
HSCI 595A-Z Experimental Topics Courses (3)
HSCI 699 Independent Study (1-3)

4. Culminating Experience (3 units)

One of the following:

1. Comprehensive Examination: Student registers for HSCI 697 Directed Comprehensive Studies (3).
2. Thesis or Graduate Project: Student registers for HSCI 698C Graduate Thesis (3).
3. Integrative Learning Experience: Student registers for HSCI 698E Integrative Learning Graduate Project (3).
4. Directed Comprehensive Project: Online MPH student registers for HSCI 698F Directed Comprehensive Project (3).

Note: Students in The Tseng College cohorts may register only for HSCI 698F.

Total Units Required for the M.P.H. Degree: 42

For more information about this program, please contact mph@csun.edu.