Master of Public Health
Master of Public Health with a Dental Emphasis
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A. T. Still University's School of Health Management offers an online master's degree in public health that prepares the student to be a leader in the field of Public Health. The Master of Public Health program is designed to meet the needs of the busy professional by offering a public health degree online. It is a 60 credit hour, 15-course program that allows the student to choose a healthcare administration graduate degree concentration that best fits their needs. The student is provided with an academic degree plan that allows them to complete the program in as little as 18 months up to 42 months.
The first 52 credit hours of the program are standard with the remaining 8 credits being selected by the student within their chosen area of concentration. The concentration areas offered are:
Health Policy: This concentration addresses health services administration and policy development in public health settings. It focuses on the role of the health manager in formulating and analyzing health policy. Professionals trained in health policy and management have many employment opportunities including positions at governmental health agencies at the local, state, and federal level. Opportunities can also be found in academic settings, such as university health science centers or hospitals, or in the private sector such as pharmaceutical companies, managed care organizations and other health finance organizations.
Health Planning: The Health Planning concentration is for students interested in health services administration and the planning functions of public health. It focuses on comprehensive program assessment, planning, and service delivery that are fundamental building blocks of public health systems. Professionals trained in health planning and management have many employment options including positions at governmental health agencies at the local, state and federal levels. They may also work at pharmaceutical and hospital supply firms, industry and business, international health organizations, colleges and universities, health consulting firms, health marketing groups, hospitals and clinics, health insurance companies, and community-based health advocacy organizations.
Environmental Health: The Environmental Health concentration addresses health services administration and the environmental aspects of public health. It is a complex, multifaceted field of protecting against environmental factors that may adversely impact human health or the ecological balances essential to long-term human health and environmental quality. This concentration provides instruction in epidemiology, biostatistics, toxicology, management, public policy, risk assessment, communication, and environmental law. This course of instruction provides the student with a general education applicable to the various specialties of environmental public health.
Environmental health is an effort engaged in by a varied assortment of disciplines and professions within a broad array of organizations. At the federal level, such agencies are the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Center for Environmental Health, the CDC, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the Food and Drug Administration. Environmental health is the largest component of the public health field and accounts for approximately half of its personnel and expenditures. Environmental health is broad in scope and is often broken down in academic and professional settings such as: air and water quality, food protection, radiation protection, solid hazardous waste management, noise control, housing quality, and infectious disease vector control.
Certificate of Public Health: By completing a five-course sequence in the Public Health program, students may receive a Certificate of Public Health. The courses include:
MPH 735: Introduction to Public Health Concepts
SHM 750: Epidemiology
MPH 815: Health Administration and Policy
MPH 860: Public Health Financial Management
MPH 864: Public Health Education Concepts
Master of Public Health with a Dental Emphasis
The Dental Public Health concentration is for students working in the dental field who want to learn more about the public health side of dentistry. This would include dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, or anyone working in the dental industry. This program prepares the student for careers in dental public health services and administration.
Professionals trained in dental public health are well equipped to work in community health centers, institutes of higher education, non-profit organizations, and local, state, and national government. All class work is completed online and students are never required to come to campus to complete the degree.
While many of the basic principles of public health cut across disciplines, other aspects can be tailored to dentistry. Having specific courses geared toward dentistry enable the student to better understand the uniqueness of dental public health.
After completing the 48 hours of coursework in the certificate and core courses, each student must take 12 more hours in one of the three tracts:
- Leadership and Administration (for those interested in administration/ management/ supervision)
- Education (for those interested in teaching in institutes of higher education).
- Research (for those interested in conducting dental research)
Total Credit Hours: 60
Certificate in Dental Public Health:
For those students wishing to complete only a certificate in dental public health, a five-course sequence is available:
MPH 736: Introduction to Dental Public Health
MPH 737A: Practical Dental Research Planning & Design
MPH 756: Dental Epidemiology
MPH 766: Dental Health Care Policy and
Management
MPH 777: Behavior Sciences and Educational
Concepts
Total Credit Hours: 20
ATSU has set up a demo course of our WebCT Learning Management System
for interested students. Please go to our guest
demo site, click "Log in to myWebCT", and use:
WebCT ID: guest
password: guest
Questions?
If you have further questions about ATSU-SHM programs, please contact a graduate enrollment counselor at (U.S./toll-free) 877.469.2878 or by email at onlineinquiry@atsu.edu.
