MPH Program
MPH Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Why is your degree called "MPH in Public Health Practice"?
Q2. What is the job market like for recent graduates with a MPH degree?
Q3. Are there advantages to enrolling at UAA vs. the Lower-48?
Q4. Do I get any credit for a master's or doctoral degree in another field?
Q5. What is a "Professional Program Fee?"
Q6. What do you mean by "substantial professional writing sample"?
Q7. I never took an undergraduate statistics course, or took one years ago...Now what?
Q8. Is the UAA MPH program accredited?
Q9. Can I start taking required courses now and transfer them later?
Q10. How long will it take to get the MPH degree?
Q11. When will core courses be offered?
Q12. Will all courses be available by distance delivery?
Q13. Are any entrance exams required for admission to the MPH program?
Q1. Why is your degree called "Master of Public Health in Public Health Practice"?
A. Informally, we usually refer to the degree simply as the "Master of Public Health," and to our program as the "MPH" program. However, like a number of other Master of Public Health programs across the nation, the formal name of the degree is the "Master of Public Health in Public Health Practice." This name emphasizes the fact that this degree has a practical rather than a theoretical orientation, and that the degree addresses the needs of public health professionals engaged in the real work of public health.
Q2. What is the job market like for recent graduates with a Master of Public Health Degree?
A. This question comes up quite often, but it is a bit difficult to answer because of the extremely varied range of positions that MPH degree holders occupy. For example, Johns Hopkins reports that recent graduates have taken positions as:
- Risk Assessor for the Environmental Protection Agency
- Medical Coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres
- Director of Health Education for a local health department
- Epidemiologist for the National Institutes of Health
- Faculty at several universities
To get a more comprehensive feel for positions requiring MPH degrees, search the Monster.com website for "MPH" and "Master of Public Health." Here in Alaska, take a look at job announcements at sites such as Workplace Alaska, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Southcentral Foundation or What is Public Health. Finally, for an overview of the health care industry in Alaska--the fastest growing industry in the state--see the April issue of Alaska Economic Trends (note: this is a large PDF file and may take time to download).
Q3. Are there any advantages for me to enroll in the UAA MPH program vs. a distance delivered one from the Lower-48?
A. Yes! For starters, we are far less expensive than many other programs in the Lower-48. While other schools charge $500-$600 or more per credit, we charge less. In addition, if you are a student in our program, there are no out-of-state travel or living expenses, and you can continue to live and work in Alaska while you earn your MPH degree. Another very important benefit of our MPH degree is that the instructors are Alaskans. In contrast to MPH programs in the Lower-48, most of our instructors live in Alaska, work in Alaska, and know the public health issues of the far north. Our MPH program is relevant to your personal experience and your public health work.
Q4. I already have a master's or doctoral degree in another field. Do I get any kind of credit for this in the MPH program?
A. Courses you took for a prior master's or doctoral degree may meet the requirements for some of the courses you would otherwise be required to take in the MPH program. Depending upon the types of courses required for your initial masters or doctoral degree, you may be required to take as few as 21 additional credits in order to earn the MPH degree. Once you are accepted to the MPH program, we can do a full analysis to determine how many courses from the first master's degree will meet the requirements of the second. Here is what the UAA Course Catalogue says about this:
Students who have received a master 's degree from a regionally accredited college or university may earn another master 's degree by completing at least 21 resident credits beyond the previous master's degree. The student must meet all the Graduate General University Requirements, University Requirements for Graduate Degrees, School or College Requirements, and Program Requirements; fulfilling all university, college, and program requirements may require more than the minimum of 21 credits beyond the previous master 's degree.
Note that while the above quote only mentions "a master's degree," the Provost has interpreted the intent of this quote to include doctoral-level degrees as well.
Q5. What is a "Professional Program Fee?"
A. Several graduate programs at UAA charge Professional Program Fees as authorized by the Board of Regents when new graduate programs are approved. Graduate programs are considerably more expensive to maintain than undergraduate programs, and these fees help defer the additional costs. A Professional Program Fee is required for many of the courses taken as part of the MPH program. The Fee is a sum equal to 50% of tuition (e.g., 2006/07 graduate tuition per credit = $265 + 50% Program Fee of $137 = $402 per credit hour). The fee is charged upon enrollment in relevant courses, independently of whether or not the student has been accepted into the MPH program. Note that, even with the Professional Program Fee, our distance delivered MPH program costs the same or less per credit compared with most other distance delivered MPH programs in the United States.
Note that periodically the schedule of courses and/or fees may be adjusted or expanded. However, at this time Professional Program Fees are charged to all students who enroll in the following courses or sections:
HS A605 Public Health and Society
HS A610 Environmental and Occupational Health
HS A615 Health Services Administration
HS A624 Circumpolar Health Issues
HS A625 Biostatistics for Health Professionals
HS A626 Principles of Epidemiology
HS A628 Program Evaluation
HS A629 Public Health Research Tools and Methods
HS A630 Public Health Emergencies and Disasters
HS A690 Selected Topics in Public Health
HS A699 Public Health Thesis
In addition, the fee applies to the following research, independent study, and miscellaneous courses when offered by MPH faculty, and/or when offered to MPH students: HS A692, HS A693, HS A694, HS A695, HS A697, and HS A698.
Q6. What do you mean by "substantial professional writing sample"?
A. The purpose of the writing sample is to enable us to assess the level of your writing, organization, and communication skills, and perhaps give us insight regarding your views about public health. This is important in this program because, as a primarily distance delivered program, it is writing intensive. What have you written that might help us with our assessment? For example, have you written a peer reviewed publication, a substantial term paper, or a professional report? Note: Please do not send confidential or sensitive documents. If you do not have an appropriate writing sample, please send an expanded essay about your understanding of public health, how obtaining this degree will benefit you, how this degree corresponds with your goals, etc.
Q7. I never took an undergraduate statistics course, (or...) I took one years ago, (or...) I took an undergraduate statistics course, but I got a poor grade. Now what?
A. One of the admission requirements for the MPH program includes
"documentation indicating a grade of 2.00 ("C" or higher) in an introductory statistics course which covers descriptive and inferential statistics." If you never took such as course, or you did but you did not do well, we advise you to sign up and take one. The following introductory statistics courses offered at UAA are particularly appropriate: AS A252, PSY A260, or SWK A324. UAF also offers an online statistics course, PSY F250. For more information about this course, call 1-800-277-8060, M-F, between 8-5 PM. A working knowledge of basic statistical methods is an important expectation of public health practice and our curriculum reflects this fact.
Note that you may apply for admission into the MPH program on a conditional basis while you finish the undergraduate course.
Q8. Is the UAA MPH program accredited?
A. Yes and no. The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is accredited by the Commission on Colleges and Universities of the Northwest Association of Schools and of Colleges and Universities, which is an institutional accrediting body. The MPH program within UAA is still too new to have been accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), a specialized accrediting body for master in public health degrees nationwide. The CEPH web site provides accreditation criteria on Community Health and Preventive Medicine Programs. CEPH requires that each new MPH program produce a graduating class before the accreditation procedure can be started. Once started, the accreditation procedure can last up to 18 months. The UAA MPH program has been designed according to the accreditation criteria established by CEPH for Community and Preventive Programs. We believe the UAA MPH program will be accredited by 2009. Most potential employers understand that a new MPH program cannot be accredited during the first few years, but if you want to make certain, contact potential employers and ask.
Q9. Can I start taking the required courses now, and transfer those credits into the program if I am accepted at a later time?
A. According to the 2007/08 UAA Catalogue, "Up to 9 semester credits not previously used to obtain any other degree or certificate may be transferred to UAA from a regionally accredited institution and accepted toward a graduate degree or certificate…Acceptance of transfer credits toward program requirements is at the discretion of the individual program." If you intend to exercise this option, you are strongly advised to have a chat with the MPH program academic advisors before taking any courses.
Q10. How long will it take to get the MPH degree?
A. If you take a full load (9 or more graduate credits per semester) and average 19 credits per year, you can graduate in about two years. If you are a working mid-career professional, you are strongly advised to take one class at a time--about three or four classes per year including summers. At this rate, you can graduate in three, or three-and-one-half years.
Q11. When will core courses be offered?
A. Course schedules are always tentative, reflecting shifting demand and faculty availability. See course schedule.
Q12. Will all courses be available by distance delivery?
A. All core courses will be offered via some combination of internet-based instruction and telecommunications. There is, however, one required face-to-face meeting in Anchorage so that all MPH students can have an opportunity to meet each other and the faculty in person. While the details may vary year-to-year, this meeting will likely be in the first week of December, during the Alaska Health Summit, and may last several days. Details will be provided to students well in advance of the event. Note that the courses comprising the Public Health Administration and Planning emphasis area are not taught in a distance delivery format. However, it may be possible for a student and the MPH program advisor to develop an alternative, all-distance-delivered series of courses for any Interdisciplinary emphasis area a student may choose.
Q13. Are any entrance exams, such as the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) or the Miller's Analogy Test (MAT), required for admission to the MPH program?
No.
