Program Curriculum

The KU-MPH program has concentrations in Epidemiology and Public Health Practice. The table below lists the core and program required courses (21 credit hours), the concentration courses (15 credit hours), Public Health Internship (3 credit hours) and Public Health Capstone (3 credit hours.)

The 42-credit-hour degree program culminates with an internship and capstone experience. The curriculum assists students to attain fundamental public health knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors. The KU-MPH program provides opportunities for students to master 24 core competencies in addition to concentration specific competencies. Each KU-MPH student is required to create an e-portfolio throughout his/her program of study, allowing the documentation of student achievements of the MPH core and concentration competencies. Students' artifacts such as papers, presentations, and homework that demonstrate achievement of each competency, along with a résumé and other reflection statements complete the e-portfolio which students may then share with future employers. 

Public Health Internship

The KU-MPH internship is a 192 hour service-learning experience in a community setting (12 hours/week for the 16 week semester) during PRVM 891 Public Health Internship.  The internship is designed to enhance and extend the student's academic experience through the application of public health concepts and skills in a supervised field experience. The internship will provide the student with an opportunity to engage in actual public health practice through an individualized experience with a host organization or a community-focused enterprise.

The goals of the internship are:

1. To broaden and hone student proficiency in a specified area of public health practice through a meaningful field experience.
2. To demonstrate integration of knowledge and a deeper understanding of public health practice through the completion of learning objectives/goals and activities that are mutually agreed upon by the student, site mentor, and MPH program office prior to initiation of the internship.
3. To expose the student to the expertise and leadership of a public health professional, as embodied by the site mentor.

Placement Sites

The Departments of Population Health in Kansas City and Wichita have memoranda of understanding with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, several local health departments in the region, and other public health organizations.  These agencies will serve as placement sites for MPH students.

• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, Public Health Department
• Sedgwick County Health Department
• Johnson County Department of Health and Environment
• Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department
• Kansas Public Health Association
• Kansas City Missouri Health Department
• Jackson County (Missouri) Health Department

Public Health Capstone

The KU-MPH capstone is a 192 hour culminating experience that requires students to synthesize and integrate knowledge and/or apply theories and principles learned to and area of public health.  The capstone is meant to be completed at the end of the student's degree program and is designed to give the student an opportunity to apply skills to a variety of problems or issues in public health.

Each capstone will differ by concentration.  It is up to the student's capstone committee to determine which projects are suitable for the concentration.  Students are encouraged to be creative in proposing capstones, especially if the proposed product would meet a need in the community or the setting in which the student completed his/her internship.

The goals of the capstone are:

1. Demonstrate the ability to synthesize and integrate knowledge and/or apply theories and principles learned across the MPH curriculum, particularly in the student's concentration, to an area of public health.
2. Submit a written report describing activities and outcomes to the capstone committee.
3.  Complete an oral defense.