Academics - Wingate University Academics Request Information At-a-glance Curriculum The MPH program is 42 credit-hours offered fully online , with a focus on health education and promotion. You'll be able to complete the degree in as little as two years. We offer extended plans of study of up to 5 years. Applied practice experience and integrative learning experiences are a key part of the curriculum. You’ll engage with Wingate University community partners including health departments, public schools, nonprofit organizations, healthcare institutions and more. Inter-professional experiences will help prepare you to work in settings and sectors such as child welfare, education, healthcare and law enforcement. You will also be eligible to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam upon successful graduation. The MPH program offers two entry terms (Fall and Spring) All classes are taught via Canvas and delivered both asynchronously and synchronously. In addition, video conferencing via Zoom is used. Because of the fully online format, students will be required to have a working computer and internet or WiFi connectivity in order to download both platforms to their computer, mobile device or tablet. Apply now Are you a WU undergraduate student or alumnus? If so, apply via the WU Fast App. Fast App PH601 - The Public Health Revolution PH602 - Determinants of Health PH610 - Principles of Public Health Practice PH620 - Principles of Public Health Methods PH621 - Applied Public Health Methods PH611 - Applied Public Health Practice BUS612 - Organizational Management PH630 - Principles of Health Promotion and Education BUS670 - Health Care Systems Management PH670 - Applied Practice / Integrative Learning Experience I The Applied Practice Experience (APE) and integrative learning experience (ILE) I PH603 Advocate for Health PH671 - Applied Practice/Integrative Learning Experience II PH604 - Principles in Public Health Leadership PH640 - Special Topics in Public Health 2 credit hours This course explains the history of the rise of the modern public health system. Students will consider how the growth of scientific knowledge and the acceptance of disease control as a public responsibility has shaped the practice of public health today. Foundations of public health will be discussed in relationship to other related systems, including international systems. Finally, students will explore the sudden and urgent attention to public health due to the COVID pandemic and the impact on the future of the public health system. 3 credit hours Only about 20% of a person's health is attributable to interactions with the health care delivery system. This course will unpack the complex factors that impact health, including the environment, economy, biology, genetics, ecologic interdependencies, globalization, policies, social interactions, and behavioral and psychological factors. The evidence base for these so-called "determinants of health" will be compared and the impact of disparities between communities will be discussed. Students will consider whether public collaborations with the health care sector can improve determinants of health, or if systemic inequities are so entrenched that a more accurate term would be "determinants of morality." 3 credit hours This course introduces students to the core functions of practice of public health. In a variety of contexts, public health professionals follow a prescribed process to advance health goals. They start with a needs assessment, followed by design and implementation of an evidence-based intervention. The results of the intervention are evaluated to inform action, which may include modifying the intervention in pursuit of more impact or leveraging the results to advocate for policy change. Every step of this process requires public health practitioners to apply evidence-based approaches and best practices. This course will equip students to develop a public health program, from conceptualization to implementation to recommendations for future action. A key focus of this course is public policy setting. 3 credit hours Valid evidence is the cornerstone to advancing public health. This course is focused on the core scientific disciplines - biostatistics and epidemiology - used to produce evidence for public health policies and programs. Specifically, this course uses studies with different research designs to illustrate principles such as data source integrity, descriptive and inferential statistics, data visualization, bias, and causal inference. At the completion of this course, students will be able to recommend an appropriate study design for a given research question and articulate the generalizability of the results. 3 credit hours In this course, students will use datasets and software to design and conduct an analysis in the public health context. Given a research question, students will propose a study design, data source, and analytic plan. Given sample data from a health promotion educational intervention, students will analyze both qualitative and quantitative data to produce results, including appropriate statistical tests. Students will write a clear summary of their work, as well as propose application of the results through public health policy, program, or additional research. 3 credit hours This course challenges students to develop and evaluate public health programs. Students will conduct a needs assessment for a specific population, identify a public health challenge, and design a health promotion educational intervention. Students' adaptability will be tested when their proposal is challenged by an unexpected cultural characteristic of the population is revealed. Next, students will evaluate a public health policy and recommend modifications. Students' leadership skills will be tested when their recommendations are met with an unexpected structural challenge. This course will include an oral presentation, simulating a mock defense of the student's proposal to a board of decision-makers. 3 credit hours In this course students will analyze, through cases and experiential situations, the behavioral dimensions of business organizations. Topics include: Motivation, communication, performance, stress, culture, group dynamics, organizational structure, leadership, and change. 3 credit hours Health promotion and education are foundational to the pursuit of meeting the challenges identified by Public Health 3.0. This course explores the theoretical underpinnings for how health behaviors can be changed at the individual, community and environmental level. Students will use case studies to explore behavioral models and how individual, social groups and environmental relationships influence change. Students will use principles of effective communication to analyze various types of public health communications, ranging from social media to major health campaigns. With an interdisciplinary focus, this course will ultimately equip students with the skills to ensure that proposed public health programs are designed in a way that can positively affect health behavioral change. 3 credit hours This course will provide a breadth of advanced coverage across the U.S. health care system and the interrelationships across the different system components. Topics include: Organization of the U.S. health care system, the structure of the health care delivery system and the continuum of care, the financing of health care services, public and private third party payment structures, managed care and principles of capitation, organization and management of the health services workforce, principles of quality of care and outcome measurement, future changes in the U.S. health care system. 3 credit hours This course is the first part of a yearlong engagement that is customized to a student's specific public health interests. The experience is individualized and supervised with the support of a faculty advisor. Students work with interprofessional community partners that may be at a local, state, national, or global level, to identify a health need and develop a sustainable solution. The first half of the APE/ILE focuses on 250 hours at a public health or community-based site, where students will engage in applied public health projects and provide 2 deliverables to the site, as well as a poster presentation as part of the course. (250 hours) Credit: 3 hours 2 credit hours Advocacy can take many forms, ranging from individuals contacting legislators, professional lobbyists, public media campaigns, and public demonstrations. Public health advocacy can be defined as activities that attempt to contribute to health by promoting systemic change and influencing policy processes. This course will consider the most common and effective forms of public health advocacy, specifically in the context of how health policies are influenced. Students will conclude this course by actively advocating for a political, social or economic policy of their choice. 3 credit hours The Applied Practice Experience (APE) and integrative learning experience (ILE) II is the second part of a yearlong engagement that is customized to a student's specific public health interests. The experience is individualized and supervised with the support of a faculty advisor. Students work with interprofessional community partners that may be at a local, state, national, or global level, to identify a health need and develop a sustainable solution. The second half of the ILE focuses on developing a scholarly product. Students work to construct a written capstone product culminating in an oral presentation to peers and faculty. 2 credit hours Research shows that only 15% of job success is attributed to technical skills. The remainder comes from communication, work ethic, teamwork, empathy and other competencies collectively referred to as soft skills. This course will cover soft skills essential to public health practice through various case studies of public health leaders. Specific areas of focus include leadership, ethics and collaboration. 3 credit hours Special topics in Public Health. The BSPH and MPH (4+1 included), and PharmD/MPH Programs require community- based internship or practicum placements at third-party facilities in partial fulfillment of the graduation requirements.  Although the Department of Public Health at Wingate University uses its best efforts to place all students in these settings, Wingate University cannot guarantee that the third-party facility or agency will permit students without U.S. citizenship or permanent residency to complete their training with the identified organization.  It is the responsibility of each prospective BSPH and MPH student to consult the requirements of the external facility or agency in the U.S. state in which they plan to pursue a placement to determine the qualifications and their eligibility to work with them. The Wingate University Department of Public Health is an applicant for accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health. The accreditation review will address the Master of Public Health Program. Other degrees and areas of study offered by this institution will not be included in the unit of accreditation review. Questions? Dr. Shanta R. Dube, PhD, MPH Director of Master of Public Health Program s.dube@wingate.edu