Graduate Student Handbook for the Master of Public Health Program Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Campus 2021-2022 Edition Revised: August 2021 8/27/2021 Master of Public Health Student Handbook Welcome to Loyola University Chicago’s Master of Public Health Program and the Health Sciences Campus! We are excited you have chosen to pursue your graduate degree at Loyola. This handbook contains the policies and information you will need to guide you through the program, from orientation through graduation. This handbook will be particularly helpful as you create your course schedule and plan your Applied Practice Experience (practicum) and Capstone projects. Please familiarize yourself with the contents and use this handbook as a reference and guide as you progress toward your MPH degree.
PURPOSE OF THE HANDBOOK This handbook contains information pertaining to academic requirements specific to the Master of Public Health program, along with LUC Parkinson Graduate Programs policies, facilities, and activities. The information presented here supplements that found in the Loyola University Chicago Parkinson Graduate and Certificate Handbook. For the most up to date information on courses, please consult our web-site https://www. Unless otherwise noted, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health policies shall take precedence over policies in this handbook.
LUC MPH Student Handbook Revised: 8/27/2021 Page ii Ruth Kafensztok, DrPH MPH Program Director Public Health Policy & Management Track Director Public Health Certificate Director Phone: (708) 327-9019 Email: rkafens@luc.edu Amy Luke, PhD Global Health Equity Track Director MD/MPH Program Director Phone: (708) 327-9011 Email: aluke@luc.edu Abigail Silva, PhD, MPH Epidemiology Track Director Phone: (708) 327-9023 Email: asilva8@luc.edu LUC MPH Student Handbook Revised: 8/27/2021 Page iii HANDBOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS MPH Program Mission and Vision. 1 Program Goals and Competencies. 2 General MPH Coursework Requirements. 4 Dual-Degree Programs Descriptions.
7 Public Health Policy and Management Track Description. 14 Epidemiology Track Description. 18 Global Health Equity Track Description. 21 Applied Practice Experience (Practicum) Description.
27 Academic Policies and Guidelines. 43 Appendix A: Student Life. 47 Appendix B: Course Descriptions ………………………………………………………….53 LUC MPH Student Handbook Revised: 8/27/2021 Page iv MPH PROGRAM MISSION AND VISION Inspired by Loyola's Jesuit tradition of social justice and freedom of inquiry, the Loyola University Chicago Master of Public Health program prepares students to promote health equity. Our goal is to prepare leaders that can meet this challenge through a competency-based and flexible community-engaged curriculum with an emphasis on bridging health and health services gaps that exist along racial and economic lines.
We accomplish this by offering career-oriented MPH concentrations, taught through multiple departments and institutes of Loyola’s top-ranked university system, including: Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Stritch School of Medicine, the School of Law, the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Environmental Sustainability, School of Social Work, and the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Both faculty and students come from a variety of backgrounds and religious traditions, but all are committed to the Jesuit heritage of promoting social justice. Mission Grounded in the Jesuit tradition of social justice, our mission is to prepare public health professionals through collaborative community-engaged education, ethical practice, research, and service to improve population health. Vision All communities achieving their full potential for healthy lives.
Values We are grounded in our Jesuit, Catholic values as we pursue our mission. Specifically, we will behave in a manner consistent with the following values and beliefs: 1. Preventing harm and promoting health are the foundations of healthy communities. Our emphasis is on collective health, well-being, and prevention.
Everyone deserves to achieve the highest level of health. We commit ourselves to the idea that everyone deserves the opportunities they need to thrive to their highest potential and attain healthy lives. We are stronger together. Collaboration and cooperation are necessary for innovative solutions to community problems.
Practicing humility, showing respect for the rights, dignity, and worth of individuals, and being LUC MPH Student Handbook Revised: 8/27/2021 Page 1 curious help establish diverse and inclusive communities that are equipped to tackle our greatest challenges 4. We are guided by scientific reasoning and evidence-based knowledge. Action is the desired outcome--whether through implementing evidence-based interventions, conducting research, administering services, or advocating for policy changes. Intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning are our drive in the search for cutting-edge and lasting solutions.
We are committed to professionalism in all endeavors. We promote the highest standards of accountability, leadership, respect, and ethical practice to foster an environment of trust and integrity. PROGRAM GOALS AND COMPETENCIES The MPH program is designed to prepare the student for a professional career in public health through transformative education, research, and service. The development of our program has been guided by the Council on Education in Public Health 2016 Competencies.
The Program currently offers three tracks: Epidemiology, Public Health Policy and Management, and Global Health Equity. Program-Wide Foundational Competencies Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health 1. Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice. Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate. Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice. Public Health & Health Care Systems 5. Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings.
Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and societal levels. LUC MPH Student Handbook Revised: 8/27/2021 Page 2 Planning & Management to Promote Health 7. Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs.
Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention. Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management. Select methods to evaluate public health programs. Policy in Public Health 12.
Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence. Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes. Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations. Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.
Apply principles of leadership, governance and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration and guiding decision making. Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges. Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors. Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content. Perform effectively on interprofessional teams. Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue. Each track also has its own selection of public health competencies (see descriptions of each track for more information).
LUC MPH Student Handbook Revised: 8/27/2021 Page 3 GENERAL MPH COURSEWORK REQUIREMENTS The Master of Public Health degree is a 42-credit hour program offering three distinct tracks of coursework in Public Health: Public Health Policy and Management, Epidemiology, and Global Health Equity. The curriculum consists of 6 core courses (18 credit hours), 5-6 track specific courses (15 credit hours), and 2 elective courses (6 credit hours). Students must also complete an Applied Practice Experience (Practicum,1 credit) and a Capstone project (Integrative Learning Experience, 2 credits). MPBH denotes graduate-level courses offered through the Department of Public Health Sciences; CMAN/GNUR/MCN denotes courses offered through the Marcella School of Nursing Graduate School; LAW denotes courses offered through the Law School; SOC denotes courses offered through the Graduate School Department of Sociology; SOWK denotes courses offered through the Graduate School Department of Social Work; BEHL denotes courses offered through the Nieswanger Institute for Bioethics.
Admissions to the MPH program Students may apply to the program for Fall or Spring enrollment. Admissions decisions are made by the Admissions Committee. Loyola’s Parkinson School policies require that applicants have graduated with a bachelor’s degree or higher with a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a 4-point scale, with 4 being an “A”) from an accredited institution. In rare circumstances, students whose undergraduate GPA falls below a 3.0 may be admitted to the program or may be admitted as non-degree or Public Health Certificate (PHC) students.
The GRE (or other graduate entrance exams) is required of all applicants to the MPH program whose GPA is less than 3. This requirement will be waived for applicants with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and for those with a prior advanced academic or professional degree (MD, DO, JD, PhD, ScD, etc. or Canadian institution. Waivers for other advanced degrees (MBA, MPH, MPP, MSW, etc.) will be considered on a case-by-case basis; waivers are generally granted if the degree is from an institution that required the applicant to take a graduate admissions test such as the GRE or MCAT.
All applicants who are applying directly to the MPH program must apply through SOPHAS, the online application system used by most members of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH): www. The cost (as of August 1, 2021) is $140 for the first application, and $50 for each additional application if the applicant is applying to several schools or programs. Applications are accepted for LUC MPH Student Handbook Revised: 8/27/2021 Page 4 both the Fall and Spring semesters. The admissions deadline for the Fall term is May 15th, and the admissions deadline for the Spring term is November 15th.
International Applicants The MPH program welcomes international applicants to the MPH program. Department of Education requirements, international applicants requiring an F-1 visa are only eligible for the Epidemiology track. Applicants must also submit an Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) general with grade average evaluation (www.org) of their transcripts; or submit an Educational Perspectives general report evaluation (www. Applicants using the SOPHAS application system may complete the World Education Services (WES) evaluation as a substitution.
Applicants must also submit TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores; this requirement is waived for applicants from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, or the United Kingdom, or applicants who completed or are completing a bachelor’s or master’s degree at an institution in one of these countries or the United States, where English is the language of instruction. A complete list of requirements may be found on Loyola’s international applicant website: https://www. Certificate and non-degree program admissions Students who are admitted as non-degree or Public Health Certificate (PHC) students may apply for the degree program after completing 9 or more credit hours of MPH coursework with a minimum grade of “B” in each course. Acceptance of certificate students into the MPH will only be determined after completion of all four required courses.
The Public Health Certificate does not require the GRE. Other MPH requirements Professional Development Students have access to Loyola’s Career Services advising and events. The Career Counselor for Loyola graduate students is Christie Asif. She may be reached via email at casif@luc.edu or by phone at 773-508-7716.
Foundations in the Responsible Conduct of Research: CITI Training Students enrolled in the Loyola MPH Program must complete CITI training prior to enrolling in the capstone or within 15 days after the start of the term of enrollment. Students enrolled in an Applied Practice Experience in research settings will also be required to complete CITI prior to the start of their APE and capstone. Completion of LUC MPH Student Handbook Revised: 8/27/2021 Page 5 CITI training demonstrates formal training in the ethics of research and is recognized by most universities and research centers across the U. CITI training at Loyola will be transferable to other universities and businesses.
There is no fee for completion of CITI training, and it may be done completely online at your own pace. One should allow approximately 6-8 hours to complete the CITI Training. The CITI Training website is: https://www.cfm?pageID=14®ion=1.