BARBARA K. RIMER, DrPH, Dean
Peggy Leatt, PhD, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Felicia Mebane, PhD, Assistant Dean for Students
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health was ranked the best public school of public health (tied for #2 overall) by U.S. News & World Report in 2003. It is the second largest of the nation's thirty-two schools accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. With more than 200 full-time faculty members and more than 1,600 students, the School offers undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate training, certificate, and leadership programs.
The focus of the School's public health researchers, teachers, leaders, and practitioners of public health is to improve the health of all people, especially those who are underserved by the health care system and who are from diverse backgrounds. The School's duty and mission is to reach out to all students who seek to improve the health of people in their communities and around the world, and to embrace all those who have the energy, enthusiasm and talent to pursue public health careers or enhance careers they already have begun to develop.
Carolina's School of Public Health was organized in 1936 as a division within the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Separate status as a school of public health was granted in 1939, and the first graduate degrees were awarded in 1940. The UNC-Chapel Hill School of Public Health was the first school of public health established within a state university. Today, along with the schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Pharmacy, the School of Public Health is a unit of the Division of Health Affairs.
Departments and curricula in the School of Public Health are:
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 Public Health are the master of science (MS) and the doctor of philosophy (PhD), and the graduate professional degrees are the master of science in public health (MSPH), the master of science in environmental engineering (MSEE), the master of public health (MPH), the master of health care administration (MHA), and the doctor of public health (DrPH). All requirements for these degrees are administered by the faculty of the School of Public Health with the approval of the Administrative Board of The Graduate School.
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 Public Health to a DrPH or PhD program for further study.
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 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 MSPH degree are offered by the following departments: Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Epidemiology, Health Behavior and Health Education, Health Policy and Administration, and Maternal and Child Health.
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.
The master of science degree is offered in the departments of Biostatistics, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Nutrition, and in the Public Health Leadership program.
The curriculum leading to the MSEE 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.
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 DrPH degree are offered by the following departments: Biostatistics, Health Policy and Administration (distance learning format), Maternal and Child Health, and Nutrition.
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 PhD degree is typically (although not exclusively) an MSPH degree, if the research is oriented to public health, or an MS degree.
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, 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.
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 MPH 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 (DrPH) 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.