Recommended Prerequisites

The MPH Program faculty strongly recommends that students applying to the Epidemiology Track have a minimum of two college-level math courses at the level of algebra or above. A statistics course is acceptable for one of the math courses. Prospective Epidemiology Track students should also have at least two college-level biology courses. In addition, students not scoring in at least the 60th percentile of the quantitative section of the GRE are advised to apply to a track other than Epidemiology.

Recommended Sequence Of Courses

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Core Requirements (18 credit hours)

All MPH graduate students are required to take the following courses:

MPH-601: Introduction to Public Health (1 credit hour)

An introduction to the multi-disciplinary field of public health; will use a series of lectures, readings, discussions and interactive sessions to provide students with a framework for studies during the course of the program.

MPH-602: Introduction to Biostatistics (3 credit hours)

An introduction to the use of statistics in the health field. Emphasis is on descriptive statistics, estimation, linear regression and contingency tables. Lectures, reading, demonstrations, experiential activities in a laboratory setting and written and oral assignments.

MPH-603: Principles of Epidemiology (3 credit hours)

An introduction to epidemiology as a body of knowledge and a method for analyzing community health problems. Emphasis is on how to measure and describe the health of populations, the natural history of diseases in population groups, standardization of rates, sources of data, study designs, measurements of risk, evaluation of screening tests, causal inferences and outbreak investigation. Lectures, reading and individual and group assignments.

MPH-604: Health Education & Behavioral Science (3 credit hours)

An introduction to the underlying principles of health education and behavioral science as used in public health. Emphasis on the primary social-psychological variables that may influence health and disease, strategies that can influence behavior change, community assessment, risk communication and evaluation designs to measure outcomes of health education efforts. Lectures, reading and individual assignments.

MPH-605: Health Admininistration & Organization (3 credit hours)

An introduction to the understanding of the structure and functions of the American health-care system, public health practice in the United States and basic managerial responsibilities. Emphasis is on management tasks and styles, structure and trends in the health-care system, legal and regulatory framework for public health, organizational and community assessment, public health settings and services. Lectures, reading and written assignments.

MPH-606: Environmental Health Science (3 credit hours)

An introduction to the chemical, physical and biological factors affecting human health and disease. Emphasis is on the skills to detect environmental factors in health problems and to determine methods of control to prevent disease and maximize environmental quality. Lectures, readings and required assignments.

MPH-609: Ethics in Public Health Practice (2 credit hours)

An examination of the central principles, concepts and values in public health ethics. Emphasis is on identifying ethical issues in public health practice using lectures, readings and group discussions.

Track Course Descriptions (18 credit hours)

Students in the Epidemiology Track are required to take the following six courses:

MPH-624: SAS Statistical Package for Windows (3 credit hours)

A beginner's course in data management, statistical programming and basic data analysis using the SAS system. The course will introduce the students to database construction, database management and statistical programming and analysis. This is a hands-on course which will be taught using demonstrations and experiential activities in the computer laboratory.

MPH-702: Biostatistics II (3 credit hours)

Topics from inferential statistics and probability modeling will be discussed and illustrated using data selected from real-life health-related applications. Data analysis emphasizing proper interpretation of results and familiarity with SAS software will be a key component of the course.

MPH-711: Epidemiologic Methods I (3 credit hours)

Introduces elements of study design, data analysis and inference in epidemiologic investigation.

MPH-715: Current Issues in Epidemiology (3 credit hours)

Discussions with experts experienced in the diverse applications of epidemiology in current research and practice. Emphasis on emerging infectious diseases, environmental and occupational health, chronic diseases and community intervention trials. Lectures, discussions, class presentations and development of research project.

MPH-718: Epidemiologic Methods II (3 credit hours)

Coverage of statistical design and analysis concepts and methods in epidemiologic research.

MPH-722: Methods of Program Evaluation (3 credit hours)

Examination of methods for designing and conducting program evaluation and research in health-care settings. Experimental, quasi-experimental and non-experimental procedures will be covered.

Other Requirements (8 credit hours)

MPH-668: Internship (1 credit hour)

(Program Director may waive based on the student's prior experience.) A supervised experience to acquaint the student with a public health organization and its population-based programs for health promotion and disease prevention. Written report describing the experience required.

MPH-767: Introduction to Public Health Project Methods (2 credit hours)

introduces students to the practical application of research methods, outcome measurement and project management to practicum projects. The course also introduces the basics of the Community Practicum that they will be involved in during the fall and spring Terms.

MPH-768: Community Practicum A/B (2 credit hours)

An opportunity to apply knowledge and skills gained in academic courses in a working environment or community setting under the supervision of a preceptor. Written report to the preceptor and the course director; oral presentation in the Capstone Seminar.

MPH-770: Capstone Seminar (3 credit hours)

A synthesis and integration of the knowledge gained through the course work and other learning experiences, with the application of theory and principle to various public health issues. Students from both tracks will take this seminar.

Elective Courses

MPH-69X: Selectives (2 credit hours)

Advanced studies on selected topics in public health, under supervision of a faculty member. Requires approval of the Program Director. Course topics reflect professional requirements for certifications in various public health-related fields.

MPH-677: Field Epidemiology (1 credit hour)

This course will provide an introduction to field epidemiology methods used when conducting outbreak investigations. At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to describe the operational steps of an outbreak investigation, how systems surveillance are used to identify outbreak patterns, essential functions and roles of various agencies/healthcare facilities in responding to a public health event.

MPH-678: Leadership Theories, Skills, & Applications (1 credit hour)

This one credit hour course will equip the student with the basic managerial background, fundamentals, and theories which will be applicable at any level in management and in a leadership position. Technical skills are essential in accomplishing public health goals, but these skills must be evidenced in an organization where professionals and non-professionals are managed and leadership is provided. This course will supplement other

MPH-672: Disaster Preparedness (1 credit hour)

This course will present an introduction to disaster preparedness and response. The course will consist of lectures and exercises on such topics as bioterrorism, pandemic influenza, isolation and quarantine, natural disasters, chemical emergencies, radiation emergencies, incident command, and the national incident management system. The class will visit a city Emergency Operations Center to learn how public health interacts with other agencies in a disaster.

MPH-670: Coalitions & Partnerships In Community Health (1 credit hour)

Coalitions mobilize people, expand resources, and focus on community issues better than any single group or agency can do alone. This course is based on a public health model for building and sustaining these complex partnerships. It includes practical approaches, resources for further study and examples from actual coalition work.

MPH-673: GIS Mapping (1 credit hour)

This 1-credit hour graduate level course will emphasize the use of GIS as an applied tool for a better understanding of infectious disease and environmental health interactions as well as brief exposure to approaches in modeling and simulation. The goal of the course is to give students a combination of theoretical background, examples of applications in the literature and hands-on experience in using hardware and software that will enable them to use GIS in their work.

MPH-679: Global Health (1 credit hour)

This course will present the basic concepts and tools of Global Health. It will prepare students for a meaningful short-term Global Health experience overseas, including basic language training.

MPH-675: Social Marketing (1 credit hour)

Social Marketing is one strategy for addressing social issues like smoking, breast cancer, teen pregnancy, obesity. Simply put, social marketing uses marketing principles to influence behavior change for social benefit. Students will understand the definition, identify appropriate uses, identify research applications, learn the 10-step model for planning; design a social marketing plan, apply the social marketing mindset and discuss ethical principles. Class format will be varied and include case studies, dialogue and small group work.

MPH-674: SAS For Non-Epidemiologists (1 credit hour)

No time to learn programming in SAS? Here is a 15 hour short course where you can learn just do point and click to perform data manipulation and statistical analysis in powerful JMP software. JMP is another statistical analysis application by SAS Institute, Inc. and it lets you interactively explore your data, instantly visualize it using powerful analytics and easily share your discoveries with others.

MPH-676: Health Disparities (1 credit hour)

This course will help you to explore the ways that race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status influence the health. You will learn about the classic findings in medical and epidemiologic literature on health disparities. This course will prepare you to identify health disparities and develop causal explanations between the socio-demographic factors and health disparities. We will also discuss the public policy to reduce health disparities. You will gain knowledge and experience from this class that will be valuable in your future career.

MPH-798: Research (1 credit hour - optional)

Research in public health, under supervision of a faculty member. Requires approval of the Program Director.

Approved Old Dominion University courses may be used as electives for students in the MPH program. Refer to the Old Dominion University catalog for course descriptions and to the Schedule of Classes for term availability. To identify an appropriate elective, students will need to consult with their Academic Advisor and/or the Program Director.

Educational Format

The educational program includes courses 46 total credit hours. Classes are taught in three terms per year. Students are expected to take six to eight credits hours per term. With this schedule, the required 46 credit hours can be completed in two years. Core courses consist of 18 credit hours in Principles of Epidemiology, Health Education & Behavioral Science, Ethics in Public Health Practice, Introduction to Biostatistics, Health Administration and Organization and Environmental Health.

After completing the core courses, students concentrate on courses in either Epidemiology, Health Management or Environmental Health, for an additional 18 credit hours. The remaining 10 credit hours are earned through Selectives, an Internship (may be waived at the discretion of the Program Director), Community Practicum and Capstone Seminar. All students are paired with an Academic Advisor.

Career Opportunities

Class Locations

Classes are held in the evenings or on Saturdays, to accommodate working professionals. Seminar Series lectures and other for-course-credit events are often held throughout the year on weekdays. Classes are taught on the campuses of Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, Virginia.

MD/MPH Dual Degree Program

Eastern Virginia Medical School offers an MD/MPH Dual Degree Program leading to both Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees. Candidates admitted to the MD Program are admitted to the MPH Program, if an application is completed.

View more information on the Joint MD/MPH Program.

If you have further questions, contact:

Graduate Program in Public Health
Eastern Virginia Medical School
PO Box 1980
Norfolk, Virginia 23501-1980
Phone: (757) 446-6120
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it