Graduate Program

Director
Kristine Tollestrup


Degree Offered

  • Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
    Concentrations: Community Health; Epidemiology; Health Systems, Services, and Policy. 

The Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) at UNM promotes an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach to research and interventions to address health problems. It also provides multiple opportunities for students to practice public health skills in communities and organizations, and fosters critical thinking about issues addressed by the students. Students come to the program from a broad range of social science, biomedical science and clinical disciplines. To complete the degree, students must complete 42 credit hours that include completion of a practicum experience, and either a thesis, professional paper, or the integrative experience courses (PH 595 and 597). All students must also complete an oral master’s examination. Students may enroll either full-time or part-time and have seven years to complete the degree from the time they take their first course applying towards the M.P.H. 

Dual Degree Programs

Master of Public Health and Doctor of Medicine: The College of Population Health and the School of Medicine offer a Dual Degree Program leading to the M.P.H. and the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) See the Graduate and Professional Dual Degree Programs section of this Catalog.

Master of Public Health and Master of Arts in Latin American Studies: The College of Population Health and the Latin American Studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences offer a Dual Degree Program leading to the M.P.H. and the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Latin American Studies. See the Graduate and Professional Dual Degree Programs section of this Catalog.

Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Nursing: The College of Population Health and the College of Nursing offer a Dual Degree Program leading to the M.P.H and the Master of Science (M.S.) in Nursing. See the Graduate and Professional Dual Degree Programs section of this Catalog.

Individual Dual Degree Program: Individual dual degrees with the M.P.H. may be organized by students with any department. Students in dual degree programs must complete both degrees in the same semester. The students must prepare a written rationale for the dual degree and a chart outlining the requirements for both degrees and the shared credit hours. This must be approved by the M.P.H. Program Director, the Director or Chair of the other Department and the student advisors of both departments. The agreement must be signed by all parties involved. The student must meet all requirements for both master's degrees; a maximum of 6 credit hours from each field may be shared between the two programs. See the Graduate Program section of this Catalog.


Admission Requirements

The program only reviews applicants who have met all admission requirements listed below:

1.  B.A., B.S., or equivalent from an accredited U.S. institution or a recognized foreign institution.

2.  GPA of at least 3.0 is required in undergraduate upper-level courses (300- to 400-level), or 9 credit hours with GPA of 3.0 or better in public health-related graduate courses.

3.  An undergraduate basic statistics course or a graduate-level basic statistics course with a 3.0 GPA or higher must have been completed within the previous 7 years.

4.  Foreign applicants must submit one of the following English proficiency tests: 

Paper Test Computer Test IBT
Graduate TOEFL 550 213 79-80
Graduate IELTS 7.0 7.0 7.0
Cambridge English: CAE or CPE grade of "C" or better.


Additional Information

Students may transfer up to 17 credit hours with grades of "B" or better to the program from other institutions or other non-degree or graduate programs within UNM. However, those credit hours cannot have been used to meet the requirements of another degree program.

For Graduate Studies admissions requirements, refer to Graduate Studies Web site.


Master of Public Health

The M.P.H. is completed in four required components:

  • M.P.H. core courses (22-23 credit hours).
  • Practicum experience (2 credit hours).
  • Culminating experience (3 credit hours).
  • Required concentration courses (9 credit hours)
  • Electives (5-6 credit hours)
   

Credit
Hours

M.P.H. Core Courses
PH 501 Determinants and Equity in Public Health 4
PH 502 Epidemiology and Biostatistics I
Corequisite: PH 538 Epdeminiology and Biostatistics I
4
PH 506 Environmental-Occupational Health 2
PH 538 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Laboratory
Corequisite: PH 502 Epidemiology and Biostatistics I
2
PH 552 Interventions for Health Equity 3
PH 554 Health Policy, Politics and Social Equity 3

PH 560
or
PH 510

Topics: Public Health Management and Leadership
or
Public Health and Health Care Management
2
or
3
PH 560 Topics: Global Health 2
Subtotal 22-23
  Practicum Experience
PH 598 Public Health Practicum 2
Subtotal 2
Culminating Experience (choose from):
PH 595
-and-
PH 597
Introduction to Public Health Integrative Experience

Public Health Integrative Experience
3
-or-
PH 596

Professional Paper
3
Subtotal 3
Total 28

Concentrations

Community Health

The mission of the Community Health concentration is to prepare students for leadership roles in population-based disease prevention and health promotion in public and private settings. The philosophical foundation of the concentration relies on a community capacity building, empowerment approach to promote social justice and equity in health. The concentration is designed for students with prior experience, education or interest in community-focused public health practice or research that values diversity, self-reflection and critical analysis of evidence-based practice and practice-based public health approaches. The purpose of this concentration is to provide students with the multi-disciplinary knowledge and skills necessary to plan, implement, and evaluate public health programs at multiple levels of the social-ecologic framework.

Requirements:

  • MPH core curriculum (22-23 credit hours).
  • Practical field experience (2 credit hours).
  • Culminating experience (3 credit hours).
  • Required Community Health Concentration Courses (9 credit hours).
  • Electives (5-6 credit hours).
  Credit
Hours
Concentration Courses
PH 533 Public Health Research Methods 3
PH 555 Public Health Evaluation Methods 3
PH 564 Public Health and Health Care Communication 3
Subtotal 9
Degree Total 42


Epidemiology

The concentration in Epidemiology provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to collect, analyze, and interpret epidemiologic data for the solution of public health problems. The concentration prepares students for employment as a master’s level epidemiologist or research scientist in various settings such as the New Mexico Department of Health, the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and other public health research and service organizations.

Requirements:

  • MPH core curriculum (22-23 credit hours).
  • Practical field experience (2 credit hours).
  • Culminating experience (3 credit hours).
  • Required Epidemiology Concentration Courses (9 credit hours).
  • Electives (6 credit hours).
Credit
Hours
Concentration Courses
PH 534 Epidemiology Data Analysis
Prerequisites: PH 502 Epidemiology & Biostatistics I and PH 538 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Lab
3
PH 537 Advanced Epidemiology Methods
Prerequisites: PH 502 Epidemiology & Biostatistics I and PH 538 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Lab
3
PH 539 Advanced Biostatistics
Prerequisites: PH 502 Epidemiology & Biostatistics I and PH 538 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Lab
3
Subtotal 9
Degree Total 42


Health Systems, Services, and Policy

The concentration in Health Systems, Services, and Policy provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze health systems, public health and health care services and programs, and related governmental and non-governmental policies. Students develop the capacity to analyze and develop interventions and health policies at local, national, and global levels. The goal of the concentration is to prepare students to work in health organizations and policy arenas to improve population health and decrease health inequities.

Requirements:

  • MPH core curriculum (22-23 credit hours).
  • Practical field experience (2 credit hours).
  • Culminating experience (3 credit hours).
  • Required Health Systems, Services and Policy Courses (9 credit hours).
  • Electives (5-6 credit hours).
   

Credit
Hours

Concentration Courses
PH 507 Health Care Systems 3
PH 510 Public Health and Health Care Management 3
PH 583 Adv T: Health Sector and Globalization 3
Subtotal 9
Degree Total 42

Graduate Minor

The graduate minor in Public Health provides a basic understanding of the core principles, sciences, and skills behind the discipline of public health. The four core courses in the minor include basic behavioral and social sciences, and the science of disease causation and distribution. The additional course is chosen from a selection of PH courses.

Credit
Hours
Required Core Courses
PH 501 Determinants and Equity in Public Health 4
PH 502

Epidemiology and Biostatistics I
  Corequisite: 538 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Laboratory I

4
PH 538 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Laboratory
  Corequistie: 502 Epidemiology and Biostatistics I
2
PH 552 Interventions for Health Equity 3
Subtotal 13
Additional Course (Choose from):
PH 506 Environmental-Occupational Health 2
PH 507 Health Care Systems 3

PH 510
or
560

Public Health and Health Care Management

PH Management and Leadership
3

2
PH 513 PH Seminar 1
PH 554 Health Policy, Politics and Social Equity 3
Subtotal 3
Total 16

Courses

PH 101. Introduction to Population Health. (3)



PH 102. Global Health Challenges and Responses. (3)



PH 201. Population Health Biology. (3)



PH 221. Population Health: Introduction to Social, Cultural, Behavioral Theory. (3)



PH 230. Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Health. (3)



PH 240. Health Systems, Services and Policies. (3)



PH 241. Fundamentals of Health Care Finance. (3)



PH 260. Special Topics. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



PH 310. Population Health Research Methods. (3)



PH 311. Essentials of Epidemiology: The Language of Population Health. (3)



PH 350. Health Data Systems. (3)



PH 360. Population Health Management. (3)



PH 375. Population Health Field Experience. (1-3 to a maximum of 3 Δ)



PH 420. Population Health Evidenced-Based Practices. (3)



PH 421. Assessment and Planning. (3)



PH 422. Program Evaluation. (3)



PH 460. Special Topics in Population Health. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



PH 475. Population Health Capstone. (6)



PH 493. Population Health Independent Study. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



PH 501. Determinants and Equity in Public Health. (4)



PH 502. Epidemiology and Biostatistics I. (4)



PH 503. Epidemiology and Biostatistics II. (3, may be repeated twice Δ)



PH 506. Environmental-Occupational Health. (2)



PH 507. Health Care Systems. (3)



PH 510. Public Health and Health Care Management. (3)



PH 513. Public Health Seminar. (0-1 to a maximum of 3 Δ)



PH 524. Social Epidemiology. (2)



PH 528. Infectious Disease Epidemiology. (2)



PH 531. Perinatal Epidemiology. (2)



PH 533. Public Health Research Methods. (3)



PH 534. Epidemiology Data Analysis. (3)



PH 537. Advanced Epidemiology Methods. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



PH 538. Epidemiology and Biostatistics Lab [Epidemiology and Biostatistics Workshop]. (2 [1])



PH 539. Advanced Biostatistics. (3)



PH 552. Interventions for Health Equity. (3, may be repeated twice Δ)



PH 554. Health Policy, Politics and Social Equity. (3)



PH 555. Public Health Evaluation Methods. (3)



PH 556. Community Participatory-Based Research. (2-3)



PH 560. Special Topics in Public Health. (1-6 to a maximum of 30 Δ)



PH 564. Public Health and Health Care Communication. (3)



PH 579. New Mexico Border Health: U.S. - Mexico Border Migration and Latino Health. (2)



PH 582. Global Indigenous Health. (3)



PH 583. Advanced Topics in Health Sector and Globalization. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



PH 593. Independent Studies. (1-3, no limit Δ)



PH 595. Introduction to Public Health Integrative Experience. (1)



PH 596. Professional Paper. (1-3 to a maximum of 3 Δ)



PH 597. Public Health Integrative Experience. (2)



PH 598. Public Health Practicum. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



PH 599. Master's Thesis. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



PH 699. Doctoral Dissertation. (3-12, no limit Δ)



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Office of the Registrar

MSC11 6325
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Phone: (505) 277-8900
Fax: (505) 277-6809