Return to: Programs of Study

Online - Los Angeles

Program Overview

The Chicago School’s 21st Century curriculum embraces the evolving U.S. healthcare landscape, which has seen dramatic change following the implementation of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act while developing a global mindset to respond to the challenges of a highly interconnected world. The rigorous curriculum integrates theory, scientific research, professional practice and innovation - all framed by career-focused community engagement, offering the knowledge and skills drawn from a variety of disciplines.

The Chicago School’s Master of Public Health (MPH) consists of 42-credit hours including 27 credits of core courses, 9 credits in a chosen concentration, and 6 credits of fieldwork culminating in a capstone project. All students participate in a 10-day international study abroad experience allowing them to examine the unique and common health challenges of a diverse, yet interconnected world. Most concentrations include 4-day, on-site residencies with thought leaders.

The online program can be completed in as little as 27 months with 8-week courses offered consecutively. The on-ground program in Los Angeles, California offers a flexible hybrid class schedule perfect for working adults.  The on-ground program can be completed in as little as 30 months with students taking two 15-week courses simultaneously in the Fall and Spring terms and one online 8-week course in the Summer term.   Whether online or on-ground, our class size is small, providing opportunity for sharing, community-building and personalized attention.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program students will be able to:

Efficacious and Original Research: Design and conduct efficacious and original research to ethically and positively impact and advance the body of knowledge in the MPH program.

1.  Promote community capacity, health, and well-being using results from analyses of health problems, issues, strengths and the needs of diverse populations.

2.  Impact the health outcomes of communities through the use of data gained from the appraisal of their essential services, systems, and public policies.

Cultural Sensitivity and Competence: Demonstrate reasoned decision-making skills, recognizing the local and far reaching implications of complex decisions within equally complex multicultural regional, national, environmental, social, political, behavioral, legal and global factors within the realm of Public Health.  

1.  Create solutions for public health concerns found in diverse communities by assessing their major environmental, social, behavioral, cultural, political, legal, and regulatory factors.

2.  Design public health access and quality strategies/policies for diverse populations.

Ethical and Professional Behavior: Evaluate individual values, strengths and weaknesses in order to further develop professional leadership styles and improve leadership effectiveness within the dynamic and complex field of Public Health.

1.  Convey prevention and intervention strategies across diverse communities and populations with the goal of improving health outcomes using culturally appropriate communication and technology

2.  Demonstrate professional and ethical leadership inclusive of strategic planning and decision making skills.

Assessment and Evaluation: Effectively evaluate collaborative health promotion and disease prevention based on biostatistics, epidemiological principals and evidence-based research and persuasively articulate findings, challenges for appropriate planning and implementation strategies in the realm of Public Health.

1.  Evaluate collaborative health promotion and disease prevention programs/interventions using biostatistics, epidemiological principles and other evidence-based research as a source for appropriate planning and implementation strategies.

2.  Conduct evidence-based research to improve the health and well-being of the public and to advance the public health profession.

Admission Requirements

Application to the MPH Program is open to any person who has earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and who meets other entrance requirements.

 Factors that are considered in admission to the MPH Program are:

• Generally, an undergraduate GPA of a 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required for admission. Applicants must submit official transcripts from all schools where a degree was earned.
• Application fee: $50
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Two-page personal statement/essay answering the following questions:

1.  How will your personal and professional accomplishments, academic background, and experience contribute to your success in the MPH Program?

2.  How will the successful completion of the MPH Program  support your professional career goals

TOEFL or IELTS, International Credentials, and International Students

TOEFL or IELTS: If English is not your primary language, you must submit official TOEFL or IELTS scores with your application (TOEFL School Code: 7161). International students who received a bachelor’s degree from an accredited United States institution are exempt from this requirement. The minimum scores are: TOEFL - 550 paper based, 79 internet based; IELTS - 6.5.

ELS Educational Services, Inc.: The Chicago School is a cooperative member of ELS Educational Services, Inc. which provides intensive English language programs. Students who have successfully completed ELS course 112 may be considered for admission in lieu of the TOEFL or IELTS.

International credentials: Applicants with international credentials must obtain and submit an official “course-by-course” evaluation through an evaluation agency such as World Education Services (www.wes.org) or Educational Credential Evaluators Inc. (www.ece.org). In addition to the agency evaluation, all official graduate and undergraduate transcripts must be submitted.

International students: International students must submit a completed application by the general consideration deadline. In addition, once accepted, international students must submit the International Student Information form, a copy of their passport, and financial documentation showing sufficient funding for at least one year of study and all living expenses. This documentation must be submitted at least two months prior to the start of the semester in order to allow sufficient time for the school to issue an I-20 for the student to obtain an F-1 visa, if needed. An I-20 visa will not be issued without this documentation.

Applicant Notification

The Chicago School reviews applications on a rolling basis. Once review begins, complete applications will be considered by the Admission Committee and applicants will be notified regarding the admission decision. The Chicago School does not share information or provide any feedback regarding admission decisions.

If a student is offered admission, in order to secure a place in the incoming class, a non-refundable tuition deposit of $500 will be required by the deposit deadline indicated in the offer of admission. The non-refundable deposit will be applied in full toward the student’s tuition upon enrollment.

Articulation Agreements

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology has established agreements between The Master of Public Health and the B.A. Psychology program to allow qualified students to enter early into the master’s program.  This agreement allows qualified students to begin their master’s study while completing their bachelor’s degree.  Click on this link  for details.

Policies

The following policies are located under Academic Policies and Procedures:  Transfer Credit/Course Waiver, Satisfactory Academic Progress, Grading Scale, Grade Change Requests, Degree Completion, Degree Conferral, Minimum and Maximum Timeframe requirements, and Credit Hours per semester for Financial Aid.  Information on the Academic Success Program is located under Student Life .

Academic Development Plans

An Academic Development Plan (ADP) is initiated and created by the program in which the student is enrolled. When a student demonstrates deficiencies in competencies that interfere with academic performance, training competence, and/or professional behavior, the ADP is initiated. The completion of an ADP does not constitute disciplinary action, but failure to complete the plan may lead to disciplinary action.

Student Learning Assessment

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) is committed to offering the highest quality undergraduate program and graduate programs in applied professional disciplines. To meet TCSPP’s standard for academic quality, program learning outcomes are aligned with course learning outcomes and guide assessment.   Data collected from the results of student assessment and the aggregation of these data will inform how students are progressing towards achieving program outcomes.  

All academic programs report annual assessments of student learning and other indicators of program effectiveness as part of the Academic Program Review process.

Fieldwork Requirements

MPH students complete a minimum of 100 hours of fieldwork over a 15-week semester. Through their supervised field experience, students apply MPH principles to real-world settings.