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 UNC School of Public Health
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Purpose:  The School of Public Health is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the population through the interaction of teaching, research, service and professional practice.

Degrees offered by the School of Public Health:

Undergraduate Degree:

      Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH)

Masters Level Graduate Degrees:

     Master of Public Health (MPH)

     Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH)

     Master of Health Care Administration (MHA)

     Master of Science (MS)

     Master of Science in Environmental Engineering (MSEE)

Education:  Varies depending on department and degree sought.

Experiential Component:  Students from the following departments have patient oriented field work:

Health Behavior and Health Education

     The 12 month required field practicum for MPH students begins in the first semester with a community diagnosis (CD) which is conducted by student teams and guided by local health education professionals who serve as preceptors.  Students analyze secondary data resources and identify needs as perceived by community members.  Communities that students are assigned to range from geographic locations, such as a town or neighborhood, to population communities, such as Latinos or senior citizens in a specific county.

     Students must also complete an Individual Project (IP) in the summer following the first year (May-August), in which they are responsible for planning and implementing an intervention based upon an identified need of a community group or agency. Individual Projects may be completed in a variety of settings, including schools, worksites, or communities.

    Health Policy and Administration

         A full-time training experience in an approved health services or other health-related organization is required of all students, unless specifically exempted.  Students usually fulfill this requirement by completing six weeks (MPH degree) or twelve weeks (BSPH/MSPH/MHA degrees) of a planned and supervised learning experience under the guidance of a faculty advisor and an approved field preceptor.  The standard field training experience occurs during the summer after the first year; however, there is flexibility in designing the field training.  Students may work in a variety of organizational settings, ranging from a hospital or HMO to a state-level health agency or national health-related organization.  In addition, students may choose a policy-oriented or management-oriented placement.

    Public Health Leadership Program

         A 3-6 credit practicum is required of all MPH candidates in the Practice and Leadership program.  Placement decisions are tailored to student needs and interests depending on the availability of sites.  The standard format of the practicum is a concentrated full-time experience of approximately 180 hours, following the completion of required coursework.  Field experiences may involve any of the following:

  • interdisciplinary focus: a team working on a public health problem
  • interdisciplinary setting: an individual working on a public health problem at the population level
  • disciplinary setting: an individual in a disciplinary setting, but focusing on a public health problem
  • Public Health Nursing

         A 3-6 credit practicum is required of all MPH candidates in the Public Health Nursing program.  The preferred format is a concentrated full-time experience of approximately 200 hours, either concurrent with coursework or in the summer.  However, there is flexibility based on the student’s schedule.

         Occupational health nursing students may complete their field training in a variety of settings including private corporations, local health clinics, or federal organizations (e.g., OSHA).  Examples of students’ roles include:

  • analyzing work place safety concerns
  • writing an action plan to improve work place safety
  •      Public health nursing students also complete their field training in a variety of settings including health departments, community health clinics or communities (e.g., Native American reservation).  Examples of students’ roles include:

  • assessing the needs of individuals with a specific health problem
  • designing and implementing an intervention focused on a specific health problem

 

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Original Site Design - Keith M. Cochran