Competencies

Students graduating with an MPH degree and planning to work as public health professionals should meet competencies in the public health disciplines specified in the 2021 Accreditation criteria for Schools of Public Health and Public Health Programs by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

 

Upon graduation, all MPH students will have the following competencies:

 

Program Competencies

The MPH Program is designed to guide students to the achievement of specific competencies in public health. Competencies specify what students will be able to do upon completion of the degree program. All students are expected to achieve and be able to demonstrate the required core competencies and their concentration-specific competencies by graduation. These competencies are introduced at orientation and are available for review on our website. Individual core and concentration course syllabi will list the relevant competencies.

 

 

MPH Foundational Public Health Knowledge
The program ensures that all MPH graduates are grounded in foundational public health knowledge. Grounding in foundational public health knowledge is measured by the student’s achievement of the learning objectives listed below.

 

1. Explain public health history, philosophy and values
2. Identify the core functions of public health and the 10 Essential Services
3. Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health
4. List major causes and trends of morbidity and mortality in the US or other community relevant to the school or program
5. Discuss the science of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in population health, including health promotion, screening, etc.
6. Explain the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge

7. Explain effects of environmental factors on a population’s health
8. Explain biological and genetic factors that affect a population’s health
9. Explain behavioral and psychological factors that affect a population’s health
10. Explain the social, political and economic determinants of health and how they contribute to population health and health inequities
11. Explain how globalization affects global burdens of disease
12. Explain an ecological perspective on the connections among human health, animal health and ecosystem health (eg, One Health)

 

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 (i.e., 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 

 

1. Use theories and models from social and behavioral science to address individual, community and population health in public health research and practice.
2. Engage with diverse partners (e.g., community residents, governmental public health agencies, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and/or nonprofit agencies) to promote health equity in populations at the local, state, national, and/or international level.
3.  Design and advocate for evidence-based, sustainable interventions that align with urban community health needs.
4. Employ health survey research methodology to critique existing survey data and construct a novel survey instrument to measure population health metrics.
5. Use appropriate communication media with linguistic and cultural proficiency to disseminate relevant public health information to stakeholders.

 

1. Apply epidemiologic methods and principles to the design of observational studies.
2. Participate in the design and planning of a clinical trial.
3. Use advanced multivariable statistical methods to answer public health research questions.
4. Conduct secondary data analysis using large, public-access datasets.
5. Critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic research.

 

1. Analyze the roles, relationships, and resources of the entities influencing global health.

2. Apply ethical approaches in global health research and practice.

3. Apply monitoring and evaluation techniques to global health programs, policies, and outcomes.

4. Propose sustainable and evidence-based multi-sectoral interventions, considering the social determinants of health specific to the local area.

5. Design sustainable workforce development strategies for resource-limited settings.

6. Assess the burden of communicable and non-communicable causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide.

7. Advocate for interventions to promote the health of immigrant and refugee populations.