Gillings School of Global Public Health

www.sph.unc.edu

BARBARA K. RIMER, Dean

Peggy Leatt, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

Felicia Mebane, Assistant Dean for Students

The Gillings School of Global Public Health provides exceptional teaching, conducts ground-breaking research and delivers dedicated service to people across North Carolina, the United States and around the world. Ranked the top public school of public health by U.S. News and World Report in 2007, the school's mission is to improve public health, promote individual well-being and eliminate health disparities.

The school, accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, offers undergraduate and graduate programs on our campus located near UNC's schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry and Pharmacy, and through our state-of-the-art distance-education programs. Our new research center and our many renovated labs and classrooms provide an environment highly conducive to the learning and creation of public health knowledge. 

Beyond campus, we teach, conduct research and serve communities across our state and nation and around the world. Our Office of Global Health organizes the school's global health activities. The school's service and outreach arm, the North Carolina Institute for Public Health, brings public health scholarship and practice communities together. Carolina Public Health Solutions, our newest initiative funded by the Gillings Gift, enables us to anticipate new public health challenges, quickly find solutions and accelerate the delivery of best practices to improve people's lives.

To learn more about the field of public health, visit www.whatispublichealth.org. Developed by the Association of Schools of Public Health, the site describes public health, its effect on our lives and the variety of public health careers.

Departments and curricula in the Gillings School of Global Public Health are:

• Biostatistics*
• Environmental Sciences and Engineering*
• Epidemiology
• Health Behavior and Health Education
• Health Policy and Administration*
• Maternal and Child Health
• Nutrition*
• Public Health Leadership Program

All departments have graduate degree programs and four (*) offer degrees for undergraduates.

Interdisciplinary programs that provide additional opportunities for students in public health-related education, service, and research include: the Carolina Population Center, the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, the Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility, the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, the Clinical Nutrition Research Center, the Injury Prevention Research Center, the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the North Carolina Institute for Public Health, the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Education Resource Center, and the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness.

Graduate academic degrees offered by the School of Global Public Health are the master of science (M.S.) and the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.), and the graduate professional degrees are the master of science in public health (M.S.P.H.), the master of science in environmental engineering (M.S.E.E.), the master of public health (M.P.H.), the master of health care administration (M.H.A.) and the doctor of public health (Dr.P.H). All requirements for these degrees are administered by the faculty of the School of Global Public Health with the approval of the Administrative Board of The Graduate School.

M.P.H. Degree

The master of public health degree is designed to prepare students for positions that require a considerable breadth of knowledge of the field of public health and a lesser degree of specialization in one area. Students in this degree program may take nearly half of their courses outside of the major department or curriculum and undergo extensive field training (if previous experience is not deemed sufficient by criteria set by the student's department or curriculum). Typically, master of public health students already have acquired education in a health or health-related profession, or have at least three years of experience in a field related to public health. The master of public health degree is often a terminal degree, and qualified students may proceed in the School of Global Public Health to a Dr.P.H. or Ph.D. program for further study.

M.S.P.H. Degree

The master of science in public health degree is designed to prepare students for professional careers in specialized areas of public health and health policy. Students in this degree program typically take courses primarily in one major department or curriculum of the School of Global Public Health. Core requirements provide for orientation to a broader view of public health. The master of science in public health degree is usually a terminal degree; however, students may use this degree or the master of science degree (more so than the master of public health) as a precursor to a doctoral program. Programs of study leading to the M.S.P.H. degree are offered by the following departments: Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Health Policy and Administration, and Maternal and Child Health.

M.H.A. Degree

The master of health care administration degree in the Department of Health Policy and Administration is designed to prepare students for management careers in healthcare organizations. Graduates will be prepared to take positions as staff, management or consultants for hospitals, health maintenance organizations, clinics, public health departments and other health care settings. Courses focusing on health care services are supplemented with core courses offering a broader view of public health.

M.S. Degree

The master of science degree is offered in the departments of Biostatistics, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Nutrition, and in the Public Health Leadership program.

M.S.E.E. Degree

The curriculum leading to the M.S.E.E. degree is designed to prepare graduates for careers in the environmental engineering profession with special emphasis on water resources and air and industrial hygiene. Specifically, students awarded this degree are prepared for professional work with private firms of consulting engineers, with public agencies at the national, state, regional and local levels of government and with a variety of industrial organizations.

Dr.P.H. Degree

The doctor of public health degree provides professional training to prepare students to effectively conduct or supervise research, usually of an applied nature. Graduates are also prepared to integrate new knowledge and techniques into community and/or public health practice. Graduates are typically employed by operating community or public health programs at the local, state, national or international levels. Programs of study leading to the Dr.P.H. degree are offered by the following departments: Biostatistics, Health Policy and Administration (distance learning format), Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition.

Ph.D. Degree

The doctor of philosophy degree prepares students for leadership in academic and related settings involving teaching and research. Students learn how to develop and apply theories for understanding public health, health care services and policy. Graduates are typically employed by universities or other organizations conducting research. This degree is offered in the departments of Biostatistics, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Epidemiology, Health Behavior and Health Education, Health Policy and Administration, Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition. The precursor to the Ph.D. degree is typically (although not exclusively) an M.S.P.H. degree, if the research is oriented to public health, or an M.S. degree.

Dual Degree Programs

A number of dual degree programs are offered in select departments of the School of Public Health. Under the dual degree arrangement, a student may earn two professional degrees in a period of time less than the total required by the two degrees separately. Medical students may pursue a dual degree through the departments of Epidemiology, Health Policy and Administration, Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition or Public Health Leadership. Dentistry, business, law, city and regional planning, and information and library science students may enroll in dual degree programs through the Department of Health Policy and Administration. A dual degree is also offered through the Department of Maternal and Child Health in conjunction with the School of Social Work and between the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education and the Department of City and Regional Planning.

Distance Education

Executive Master's Program: The Department of Health Policy and Administration provides graduate-level education to employed health professionals and health administrators through its Executive Master's program. This national program provides master's degree study to full-time health professionals throughout the United States and beyond. This program is comprised of intensive summer institutes on the Chapel Hill campus, faculty-guided distance learning and credit transfer from approved programs at other universities.

The Leadership M.P.H. is offered through the Public Health Leadership Program. This degree is designed for individuals who already have a professional identity and who have three to five years health-related experience but who desire to broaden their knowledge and skills in public health philosophy and sciences. Applicants come from a variety of professional disciplines and have a range of experiences.

The Doctoral Program in Health Leadership (Dr.P.H.) is available through the Department of Health Policy and Administration. This is the only program of its kind in the country that prepares working healthcare professionals to become top leaders. This highly competitive, distance learning program uses the latest Internet technology to connect distinguished faculty and students in an unparalleled educational environment.