MS: Population and Family Health
This 30-credit MS program is for individuals who have started their career, and is designed to leverage the Department’s strength in integrated research and practice. It will enable domestic and international professionals working in public health and related fields to develop and refine their technical skills related to the design, implementation, and evaluation of public health programs in diverse settings. The MS program is designed to be flexible, tailored to the needs of individual students, and specifically intended to augment each student’s professional skills and experience. In addition to gaining technical skills, students will deepen their knowledge in a key concentration area of Population and Family Health, such as: sexuality and sexual and reproductive health and rights; child, youth, and family health; maternal child health; health and human rights; public health and humanitarian action; implementation science; and complex health systems.
The MS degree in PopFam requires 30 credits and a thesis. This in-person program is designed to be either completed in one academic year or part-time over 2-3 years, not to exceed 5 years.
Competencies
- Explain the evidence basis for public health action in the context of at least one of the substantive areas of the Department*
- Effectively apply public health research and program evaluation methods
- Design and evaluate public health interventions
- Demonstrate technical competence in a selected concentration
- Formulate conceptually coherent and evidence-based strategies to improve health at the population level
*Substantive areas of the Department: Sexuality and sexual and reproductive health and rights; child, youth, and family health; maternal child health; health & human rights; public health and humanitarian action; implementation science; and complex health systems.
Learn more about the courses and requirements in the Population and Family Health Student Handbook.
Work Experience
Strong applicants to the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health have demonstrated a commitment to action through public health work experience, which is emphasized in the departmental application review process. Applicants for the MS degree are expected to have three or more years of post-undergraduate work experience in public health or a related field or a doctoral degree.
Contact
Chelsea Kolff, Director of Academic Programs