Master of Public Health Public Health with a Concentration in Applied Data Science (MPH)
For information about the MPH Program:
mph@odu.edu
Website: https://www.odu.edu/academics/programs/masters/public-health
Students can complete this program in a traditional (classroom) format or online.
The Master's of Public Health (MPH) is designed to prepare students for entry and/or advancement in public health careers. The program provides students with an understanding of the public health sciences and with knowledge and skills that can be utilized in healthcare management, population-based research, and the community practice of public health. The MPH is designed for students with a bachelor’s degree from all academic disciplines within and outside of the health disciplines. The graduates of the program will be ready to serve as invaluable professionals and leaders in the realm of public health.
The 43-credit Applied Data Science curriculum provides students with hands-on skills of applying data science principles to process, visualize and analyze data in order to extract meaningful information to address important questions in public health and the health sciences. Students in this track will also learn to use popular software packages such as R, SAS, SQL and Tableau. Data scientists are in high demand in several fields. Data science professionals with added contextual expertise of public health will find career opportunities at state or federal departments of public health, universities, pharmaceutical industries, and business entities.
Admission
The Master of Public Health program evaluates applicants using a holistic review process. All components of an application are reviewed prior to making an admission decision. Consideration may be given for appropriate work experience in a health-related field.
All applications are made through the Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS), the centralized application service for schools and programs of public health.
Application Checklist:
- Completion of Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited US institution or Foreign institution with a GPA of 2.8 or higher.
- Two (2) letters of recommendation from academic sources or employment supervisor. Additional letters of recommendation are encouraged, if available.
- Unofficial transcripts from all degree-granting programs listing the dates of program completion or attendance.
- A personal essay of approximately 500 words explaining your public health career goals, reasons for interest in the Public Health program, specialty concentration selected with reasons for this selection, and any relevant work experience
- TOEFL (minimum 79 IBT or 550 paper)/IELTS (minimum 7.0) is required for International Applicants.
There are no pre-requisite courses or specific undergraduate degrees required to be eligible to apply. Previous coursework in statistics and research methods is encouraged but not required. Applicants will be formally notified of admission decisions within two weeks of receipt of a completed application. Applicants need to confirm their spot in the program within 2 weeks of receiving a decision. Admitted students will be assigned a faculty advisor in their concentration area.
Curriculum Requirements
Recommended Prerequisites
Faculty recommend that students have taken some college-level math courses such as college algebra or calculus. Faculty also recommend that students have taken at least one college-level statistics course.
Full-Time Course Sequence
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ||
| Fall Term | 10 | |
| Introduction to Public Health Practice | ||
| Health Management and Systems Thinking | ||
| Introduction to Healthcare Analytics | ||
| Programming Tools and Techniques in Data Management | ||
| Spring Term | 9 | |
| Environment and Public Health | ||
| Principles of Epidemiology | ||
| Research Methods in Public Health | ||
| Summer Term | 6 | |
| Introduction to Biostatistics for Public Health | ||
| Predictive Data Analysis | ||
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall Term | 9 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences for Public Health | ||
| Data Mining and Machine Learning | ||
| Categorical Data Analysis | ||
| Spring Term | 9 | |
| Data Visualization | ||
| Applied Practice Experience | ||
| Survival Analysis | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 43 | |
Additional Requirements
Sequence of Course Offerings
A full-time student should be able to finish the program in five (5) academic terms. The study plan is designed to both accommodate typical student program time-to-completion needs and ensure a successful path through the coursework to program completion. Most courses are offered once per academic year in a specific semester for both online and on-campus students. Please review the course sequence carefully. Students interested in attending the program in a part-time capacity should contact their academic advisor for an individualized plan.
Graduation Requirements
Requirements for graduation include a minimum 43 graduate credit hours, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 overall and in the concentration.
Financial Assistance
Financial aid is available to graduate students at Old Dominion University. In addition to the financial aid offered by the University, graduate students may be eligible for aid and student loans administered by other agencies. For information please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid.
For additional information on the MPH curriculum or admission requirements, or if you’re interested in taking courses as a non-degree seeking student, please contact the Graduate Program Director (mph@odu.edu).