Master of Public Health

Overview

Our Master of Public Health in Community Health Education, with a concentration in Community Health Education, is an in-person professional preparation program for qualified students from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds who are interested in careers that involve the development and management of population-based health promotion and disease prevention activities within communities.

Specific attributes of the program include:

• Most affordable CEPH-accredited MPH program in North Carolina with the lowest yearly tuition for in-state students;
• Students are fully prepared to sit for the MCHES (Master Certified Health Education Specialist) certification and advance their public health career;
• Designated by Carnegie Foundation as a community-engaged institution, we provide special attention given to community involvement and engagement, social justice, the root causes for health within society, effective communication, and uses for technology;
• An emphasis on reflective practice, a theoretical base, network development, leadership development, and cooperation and collaboration with community health organizations;
• A curricular emphasis on the application of health education skills and knowledge and the practical application of research findings for community populations;
• Preparation in the core areas of public health and the use of socio-ecological perspective for understanding the health of populations and broad determinants of health;
• A commitment by faculty to work in partnership with professionals, agencies, and community members to address the priorities emerging out of public health practice and the experiences of communities.

Our approach to research and teaching/learning in this MPH program accelerates the translation of new knowledge into practice in other ways as well. For example, findings generated by research teams (students, faculty, community partners) have immediate implications for improving the undergraduate and master’s curricula that prepare practitioners.

Graduates in Our Program:

• Are eligible to take the MCHES exam, opening up new job opportunities and higher pay;
• Have been hired in government, healthcare, nonprofit, and research roles at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cone Health, Atrium Wake Forest, and Center for New North Carolinians, among others;
• Move into competitive P.A., M.D., and Ph.D. programs across the country.

Student perspective

Milena Duque, former MPH student, on balancing work, school, and family while in the MPH program.

Admission requirements

Please review Additional Requirements needed to apply for the Master of Public Health degree program.