Academic Program

Health Education

Master's Degree

The Health Education Program and the Department of Public Health Sciences offer a 60 quarter hour Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree with a concentration in Health Education. This is primarily a practitioner's degree for those desiring to work as public health educators in departments of public health, voluntary agencies and other community health organizations. Students will complete a core of seven courses (28 credit hours) that are common to MPH students, and then complete a 32 credit hour concentration in health education. Since this concentration includes course offerings that cover all major responsibility areas of health education as defined by the profession, MPH graduates of this concentration are eligible to receive the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential after passing the national exam.

Admission Requirements

In recruiting students, the Cincinnati MPH program will focus upon several target populations:

  • health professionals who are currently practicing or in training for medicine, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and similar clinical fields who are interested in public health practice and research
  • practicing public health professionals who seek additional education; and
  • individuals who are interested in developing skills in population-based health, including graduates with degrees in relevant fields such as health education/health promotion, medical anthropology, medical sociology, psychology, social work, and those with undergraduate degrees who wish to enter the public health workforce.

The MPH Program leadership and faculty are committed to enhancing the diversity of health professionals involved in public health-related practice and research. Toward that end, efforts have begun to coordinate with current University of Cincinnati programs that have this objective as their mission, such as the Student National Medical Association, the Office of Diversity and Community Affairs at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and the Academic Health Center's Graduate Student Recruitment Office.

The evidence-based approach of our curriculum is modeled in the way our degree will be developed -- our goal is continuous program improvement, based upon ongoing assessment. The spirit and intent of this decision is to develop the highest quality program in these initial years. Accordingly, for our early classes we are seeking a relatively small number of individuals who possess a pioneering spirit and the ambition to provide informed leadership on the frontier of public health. We do not anticipate enrolling full-sized classes until after the program is fully accredited. The Council for Education in Public Health (CEPH) will not consider a program for accreditation until after it has graduated its first cohort of students.

Acceptance to studies leading to the Master of Public Health degree will depend upon admissions committee review of the full range of credentials submitted by each candidate. Strengths in any one area will not necessarily offset weakness in any other. Public health is a demanding profession which requires strong interpersonal abilities, incisive analytic skills, a well-developed work ethic, and a commitment to improving the health of populations. Correspondingly, the admissions committee has identified the following as minimum criteria for consideration for acceptance to MPH studies:

  • The applicant must possess at least a Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
  • The applicant should have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 at the undergraduate level leading to the Bachelor Degree (all calculations are based on a 4.0 scale).
  • GRE scores of at least 500 quantitative, 500 verbal and 4.0 analytical must be presented. (For candidates enrolled in, or having graduated from, medical school, MCAT scores of at least 27 may be substituted.)
  • International students must take the TOEFL exam and score a minimum of 580 (paper), 237 (computer) or 93 (internet) to be admitted to the program.
  • Candidates must submit a letter or brief essay (no more than three pages, double-spaced) that will allow the admissions committee to assess their commitment to safeguarding and improving the public's health, and outlining how completing the MPH program is consistent with their career and life goals.
  • Using the forms below, each candidate must submit three letters of recommendation: one which addresses his/her commitment to population health, one which principally concerns his/her work ethic, and one which comments upon his/her academic ability. The recommender should be asked to advise the committee in his/her letter which of these three topics he/she is addressing.

    • Admissions to the Program will be competitive, particularly in the early years of the program when admitted classes will be smaller than at program maturity. We anticipate that admitted students may possess credentials substantially in excess of those outlined above.

International Admission Requirements

TOEFL Scores: International students must submit original copies of TOEFL scores. On the TOEFL students must score a minimum of 580 on the paper version, 237 on the computer version or 93 on the internet version to be admitted to the program. You can obtain information on the TOEFL and apply on line at http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/. To be able to serve as a graduate teaching assistant, international students must also take pass the Test of Spoken English which is administered upon arrival at UC.

Application Information

Application Procedures

The deadline for the submission of all application materials for January enrollment has been established as November 30th and for September enrollment as May 31st. The steps of this process are as follows:

  1. 1. Follow this link and fill out the UC Graduate Studies application online: www.grad.uc.edu/admissions.aspx
  2. 2. If you do not have the Adobe Reader installed, please download and install it by clicking the icon below and following the instructions on the page Web site will open. Once you have the Adobe Reader installed, proceed to Step 3.
  3. 3. Use the Adobe Reader to open the following pdf files. Complete the Supplementary Application Form, and complete Part 1 of the Reference Forms and forward them to your recommenders. Supplemental Application Form Recommendation Form
  4. 4. Submit the Supplemental Application Form and the required essay, and arrange to have official copies of transcripts of all undergraduate, graduate, professional and/or any other enrollments submitted, to:

MPH Program Admissions
Department of Public Health Sciences
PO Box 670840
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati OH 45267-0840

Forms may also be submitted electronically to the Program Director, Dr. James Boex, at James.Boex@uc.edu.

Transcripts: Provide one copy of final and interim transcripts bearing official seals from all institutions attended, showing courses, grades, all degrees and dates of attendance. Keep transcripts in the original, unopened envelopes from the respective colleges. Applicants whose previous degrees were earned at the University of Cincinnati may request the program to download their transcripts. International students should submit official, translated transcripts.

Goal Statement: Provide one typewritten copy of your academic and professional goals, approximately one to two pages in length. Explain how the Health Promotion and Education program will help you to meet these goals. This writing sample will also be used as one of the criteria for evaluating the application.

Resume: One typewritten copy of your resume containing academic and professional data. It should include: name; address; email, phone; date of birth; citizenship; colleges attended with degrees, dates conferred and grade point average; employment history; professional experience; present employer; names of references who are writing letters for you.

Recommendations: Provide at least three current letters of recommendation from people familiar with your academic and professional abilities. Ask them to introduce themselves on their letterhead stationary and describe their relationship to you, what your academic and professional abilities are, and why they think you will prosper in the Health Promotion and Education graduate program. Submit business-size envelopes to the persons writing the letters. Advise the writer to sign his/her name across the flap of the sealed envelope. Either have the recommenders send these letters directly to the program OR have them sent to you and enclose these unopened envelopes in your application packet.

Graduate Record Examination: An original copy of scores taken within the five-year period preceding admission is needed. All sections of the General Tests are required. Be sure to identify the University of Cincinnati as one institution to which scores are to be sent. Do not identify a specific department as all GRE scores go the Graduate School and are then made available to programs. You must allow sufficient time for scores to reach our office ahead of any application deadlines. Students can not be fully admitted until official scores are available. To facilitate time, we will accept original student copies of the scores if they are enclosed with the above materials. This will allow us to process your application; however, you must still have ETS send us the original scores. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want your student copy returned to you. Computer administered versions of the GRE are available at UC Monday-Saturday. For information on the procedures for taking the Graduate Record Examination via computer, call (513) 556-7173 or go to 100 University Pavilion Building. You can also obtain information on the GRE and apply on line at http://www.ETS.org and click on GRE.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all materials are received In the Department of Public Health Sciences. No admission decision can be made until the application file is complete. Please check all pertinent dates carefully and start the application process much earlier than the time you anticipate starting classes.

Incomplete applications will not be processed and will not be returned. This include, but is not limited to, GRE and TOEFL scores, transcripts, and recommendation letters.

Program Requirements

Graduation Requirements

The student must be registered for a minimum of one graduate credit hour in each academic year from enrollment in the program until graduation. In addition, the student must submit a graduation registration form in the term prior to when graduation is expected. This is done online at www.grad.uc.edu. If the student registers and does not graduate, she or he must reapply for graduation the next term. Failure to apply for graduation by the university deadline will delay graduation for one quarter.

Financial Aid

On a limited basis, two types of financial aid are available to graduate students through the Division of Teacher Education. The Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) is a stipend and full-tuition award that requires students to teach and or assist faculty 19 hours a week. GA's are awarded April-August as available and run from September through June. The University Graduate Scholarship (UGS) offers partial tuition and is available for academic year or summer. These are awarded on a competitive basis. Students receiving a UGS are not required to work for the program. Students must be admitted into a graduate program before they can be considered to receive these awards.

For more information on scholarships that are available based on your program and/or areas of interest, please contact the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, 401 Teachers College, (513) 556-2327.

Curriculum

The Cincinnati MPH degree will include a minimum of sixty quarter hours of coursework and will consist of 28 quarter hours of core courses and 32 quarter hours in a concentration selected by the student, including the experiential Practicum and Capstone requirements.


The final requirement for all MPH students is the Capstone (2+6), to be registered for across at least the final two quarters of the student's enrollment.

Degree Requirements

Capstone Experience

This culminating experience is the mechanism by which the student demonstrates her/his ability to synthesize and integrate the knowledge and skills gained throughout the program. It allows the student to apply theory and principles in a situation that approximates some aspect of professional problem-solving practice and serves as a means by which faculty judge whether the student has mastered the body of knowledge and can demonstrate proficiency in the required competencies. Many different models are possible, including comprehensive examinations, supervised practice experiences, a major written paper such as a thesis or an applied research project, development of case studies, capstone seminars, extended internship with a portfolio, and others. Students will typically register for the Capstone across more than one term.