A. The Chair of the MPH
Program directs the Program, chairs the MPH Executive Board, oversees the MPH
Program Office, and is a member of the School’s Advisory Board and Committee of
the Whole.
B. The members of the MPH
Executive Board are appointed by the Dean and include at least one member from
each academic department in the School.
C. The Chair of the MPH
Program, with the assistance of the MPH Executive Board, is responsible for
establishing policies and procedures for all aspects of the MPH Program
including curriculum requirements, areas of concentration, and faculty advisor
assignments.
D. The MPH Executive Board
also shares responsibility for oversight of joint and dual degree programs
involving the MPH that include the following: the JD degree in conjunction with
Georgetown University Law Center; the Master of Social Work in conjunction with
the University of Maryland; the Master of Nursing in conjunction with the Johns
Hopkins School of Nursing; the Master of Business Administration in conjunction
with the Johns Hopkins School of Professional Studies in Business and
Education; as well as other dual programs such as that in conjunction with the
Johns Hopkins dietetics internship program.
E. The MPH Executive Board
has oversight and responsibility for publishing the annual MPH Student Manual
that describes specific MPH policies.
F. The MPH Executive Board
is the parent Board of three standing committees.
1. The MPH Scholarship
Subcommittee of the MPH Executive Board is responsible for selecting recipients
of MPH scholarships. Members of the MPH Scholarship Subcommittee are appointed
by the chair of the MPH Program.
2. The MPH Student Matters
Subcommittee of the MPH Executive Board is responsible for reviewing student
requests for exceptions to MPH academic policy and for recommending student
dismissals from and reinstatements to the Program. The recommendations of the
MPH Student Matters Subcommittee are reviewed and voted on by the full MPH
Executive Board. Members of the MPH Student Matters Subcommittee are appointed
by the chair of the MPH Program.
3. The MPH Admissions Committee consists
of all MPH Executive Board members plus additional faculty appointed by the
Dean. The Committee is responsible for all admissions decisions to the MPH
Program and for making recommendations on policy regarding admissions
standards.
II.
Admissions Requirements
Policy
The minimum requirements for admission to the Master
of Public Health Program include the following.
1. A
baccalaureate-level degree.
2. Additional
health-related experience beyond the baccalaureate degree. This requirement can
be satisfied in several ways: a minimum of 2 years full-time post-baccalaureate
work experience in health or other fields related to public health; a doctoral
degree in a field underlying public health; or completion of two years of
medical school curriculum. The requirement of health-related experience may be
waived for students in some of the joint and dual degree programs as approved
by the MPH Executive Board. However, in those joint and dual degree programs
where the health-related experience requirement is waived, the MPH is awarded
only after the candidates have successfully completed the requirements for both
degrees.
3. At
least one college level course in quantitative sciences; a college level course
in general biology; and a college level course in a health-related science or a
second biology course.
4. Submission
of standardized test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the
Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), or
the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). MPH applicants who have a
graduate degree beyond the baccalaureate or have a medical degree may request
that their application be reviewed without submission of standardized tests. However,
the absence of scores may place their application at a disadvantage in the
admission selection process.
5. Applicants
from non-English speaking countries must submit the results of the Test of
English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum TOEFL score of 600 on the
paper-based or 250 on the computerized format is required for admission into
the MPH program.
6. Submission
of a statement of purpose that includes career goals and objectives in pursuing
the MPH degree, including how the Program will help in attaining those goals.
7. Submission
of three references which address the applicants’ potential for success in a
public health career.
Procedure
1. The MPH Admissions
Committee, with support from the MPH Program Office and the School’s Admissions
Office, has responsibility for selection of applicants to be admitted to the
MPH Program. The MPH Admissions Committee establishes procedures for the timely
review of applications to the Program. Deferrals of admission are at the
discretion of the MPH Admissions Committee.
2. The applicant’s
acceptance is contingent upon the receipt of all required documents including
official transcripts. The Admissions Office is responsible for identifying
those students with missing documents and/or credentials which do not meet
eligibility standards and for communicating this information to the applicants
and other offices within the School in a timely fashion.
3. Applicants applying to
the MPH Program from special student-limited or special student-regular status
must comply with the PPMs governing special students Policy and Procedure Memorandum Students #2 – Special Student Status: Regular Special Student, Policy and Procedure Memorandum Students #3 – Special Student Status: Limited Special Students. A maximum of 16 academic
units for “special student-limited” or 40 units for “special student-regular”
completed at the School prior to matriculation into the Program may be credited
toward the degree requirements, provided those units were completed not more
than 3 years prior to the date of matriculation into the MPH Program, or unless
a special exception has been granted by the MPH Program.
4. Students in other degree
programs of the School who wish to transfer to the MPH Program must make such
requests in writing to the Chair of the MPH Program and submit it to the
Admissions Office. This request must include a supporting letter from the
student’s current advisor copied to the department chair. All MPH admissions
criteria cited above apply to such transfer students. The MPH Program office
must approve all transfer credit units.
5. All students are
required to earn a minimum of 40 units as matriculated MPH degree candidates
regardless of the number of previous units earned at the School.
6. Students who wish to
apply to joint and dual degree programs must apply separately and be accepted
to both programs and schools involved in the joint and dual degree.
III. Program
Sequence, Duration, and Faculty Advising
Policy
1. Students are expected to follow all
academic requirements concerning program sequence and duration described in the
MPH Student Manual which they are provided at the time of matriculation in the
MPH Program. It is the Program’s responsibility to provide every matriculated
student with a copy of the MPH Student Manual.
2. Each student will be assigned a faculty
advisor who will provide advice and assistance in curriculum planning and in
dealing with issues related to academic progress. Students are responsible for
arranging and planning conferences with their faculty advisors.
3. Full-time students matriculate into the
Program in July and commence their studies with participation in the MPH
orientation program. Full-time students are expected to take the five-term program sequentially,
beginning with the summer term.
4. Part-time/Internet students matriculate
into the Program at designated times during the year determined by the MPH
Executive Board. Part-time/Internet students must complete the degree
requirements within 3 years of matriculation. Students who anticipate exceeding the
time limit must submit an appeal for an extension to the MPH Executive Board
and the MPH faculty advisor following procedures described in the MPH Student
Manual. This appeal must include an explanation of the need for extension and a
plan for completion by the end of the student’s fourth year. If the degree is
not completed by the fourth year, a second petition will be submitted and must
be approved by the faculty advisor, the MPH Executive Board, and the School’s
Committee on Academic Standards.
5. Students in joint and dual degree programs
with the MPH have specialized requirements with respect to program sequence and
duration. These requirements are developed jointly by the MPH Executive Board
and the other participating degree program. Students in joint and dual degree programs
must complete the MPH degree requirements.
Procedure
1. The MPH Executive Board
establishes procedures for assignment of faculty advisors.
2. The MPH Program office
and students’ faculty advisors monitor the full-time and part-time/Internet
degree students to facilitate successful completion of the program.
3. The Student Matters
Subcommittee of the MPH Executive Board has responsibility for recommending
exceptions to the above policy in specific cases or recommending dismissals
from the Program.
4. Monitoring of students
in MPH joint and dual degree programs is done jointly by the MPH Program office
in conjunction with the MPH Executive Board and faculty from the other
participating School.
IV.
Academic Requirements
Policy
1. The requirements for the MPH degree include the following.
a. Students must complete at
least 80 academic units that include the MPH core curriculum as approved by the
MPH Executive Board and published annually in the MPH Student Manual.
b. Students must complete at
least 60 of the 80 units in School of Public Health formal coursework that is
not special studies.
c. All courses that are part
of the core curriculum (except for the MPH Goals Analysis and the MPH Capstone
Project) must be taken for a letter grade and students must receive a grade of
“C” or higher. Students electing an optional concentration must also receive a
grade of “C” or higher in courses offered for a letter grade that is intended
to meet concentration area requirements.
d. Students are required to
complete an individualized MPH Goals Analysis within two terms of
matriculation.
e. Students must complete a
MPH capstone project. The goal of the MPH capstone project is to give all
students an opportunity to apply the skills and competencies they have acquired
to a public health problem.
f. Students must remain in
good academic standing as defined below in the Academic Standards section.
g. All incomplete grades (I)
must be resolved in time to meet graduation deadlines.
h. Students must complete at
least 16 of the 80 units in a traditional face-to-face format as opposed to
being completed over the Internet. Special studies units are not considered to
be in the traditional face-to-face format.
i. Students must complete
the School’s Student Academic Ethics requirement.
2. Students should carefully review the MPH Student Manual
that is updated annually for further details about the academic requirements
described above.
V.
Academic Standards
Policy
1. Students
must abide by the Academic Ethics Code as detailed in the School’s Student
Handbook.
2. Students
must meet minimum academic standards to remain in the MPH Program. Failure to
meet any of the criteria below is grounds for dismissal from the program.
a. Students
must maintain a minimum 2.75 cumulative grade point average to remain in good
academic standing. Students falling below 2.75 will have one term, or 12
additional units of coursework, to raise the GPA to or above 2.75.
b. Students
must maintain a grade of “C” or better in all required courses and courses
applied to meet concentration area requirements.
c. Students
receiving a grade of “D” or “F” in a course required by the MPH Program may
repeat the course only once. Students receiving a grade “D” or “F” twice in the
same course may not repeat the course a third time. Students may choose another
course option, if any are available, to fulfill the requirement. However, if
the course is a required core course with no other options, two failures of the
course is grounds for dismissal.
d. Students
may not accrue more than 9 units of “incomplete” coursework at any given time.
Procedure
1. Each student is
responsible for fulfilling all academic requirements. The Office of Records and
Registration will maintain the official transcripts. The MPH Program office and
the Records and Registration Office will jointly monitor internal transcripts
each term to ensure satisfactory academic progress. Students who do not meet
minimum academic standards will be referred to the MPH Student Matters
Subcommittee of the MPH Executive Board for deliberation concerning dismissal
from the program.
2. Individual requests for
exemption from required courses and core areas must be approved by the MPH
Executive Board as outlined in the MPH Student Manual. They will convey these
decisions to the Records & Registration Office for purposes of recording in
the student’s file.
3. Requests for exceptions
to any other academic requirements must be submitted to the MPH Program office.
These requests will be reviewed by the Student Matters Subcommittee of the MPH
Executive Board, ratified by the full MPH Executive Board, and in some cases,
as previously specified, forwarded to the Committee on Academic Standards for
review.
