Last updated: May 24, 2023 @ 08:51AM
Public Health
Master of Public Health
Dean
Peter Tiidus
Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies
Deborah O'Leary
Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
Graduate Program Director
Brent E. Faught
Core Faculty
Professors Emeriti
John Hay, Martin Tammemagi
Professor
Brent E. Faught
Associate Professors
Madelyn Law, Adam MacNeil, Miya Narushima, William Pickett
Assistant Professors
Samantha Hajna, Asif Khowaja, Valerie Michaelson, Michelle Vine
Adjunct Faculty
Sinead McElhone (Niagara Region Public Health), Antony Chum (York University)
Participating Faculty
Adekunle Ajiboye (Aajimatics), Melissa K. Blair (Spitfire), Divya Joshi (McMaster University), Claudia Madampage (University of Saskatchewan), Ashleigh Miatello (SickKids), Cassandra Ogunniyi (Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services), Mostafa Shokoohi (EVERSANA), Sandra Vamos (Western Michigan University)
Graduate Program Coordinator
Izabella Ludwa
mph@brocku.ca
Program Description
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health (MPH) program is designed to meet the needs of public health professionals, health practitioners and recent post-graduate students with the goal of enhancing theoretical and applied knowledge through course work and a practicum experience. The MPH courses complement the core competencies outlined by the Public Health Agency of Canada, leading to a professional degree in public health.
Delivered in an exclusively online format, a combination of synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning techniques will be used to guide instruction and evaluate learning. The curriculum focuses on identifying the interdisciplinary elements required to design, implement and effectively manage public health systems. Research methods and analytical training essential to public health will provide a foundation in the conduct of research that will enhance evidence-based decision making. The program addresses the growing need to anticipate, manage and mitigate public health crises.
Graduates of the MPH will be prepared to compete for positions in a variety of public health organizations as well as leadership roles in the health sector.
Master of Public Health (MPH) & Accelerated Master of Business Administration (MBA) Consecutive Degrees Pathway
The Department of Health Sciences and the Goodman School of Business offer a consecutive degrees pathway leading to both Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees in five full time terms. This pathway is designed for private and public health professionals, health practitioners and recent post-graduate students who intend to pursue a professional career in public health management and administration.
The MPH program complements the core competencies outlined by the Public Health Agency of Canada, leading to a professional degree in public health. The MBA program is designed to provide individuals the opportunity to obtain an advanced professional business education. This program offers students a progressive management education including advanced knowledge relating to professional business designations. Taken consecutively, the MPH and MBA degrees address the growing need to anticipate, manage, and mitigate health crises. The curriculum focuses on identifying the interdisciplinary elements required to design, implement and effectively manage health systems, while incorporating evidence-based decision-making practices in public health and healthcare. Graduates who have undertaken both the MPH and accelerated MBA will be prepared for positions in a variety of private and public health and business organizations as well as leadership roles in the health sector.
Admission Requirements
Master of Public Health
Successful completion of a four-year Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, from an accredited university in Public Health, Health Sciences, Medical Sciences, Pure Sciences, Social Sciences or a relevant health field, with an average of no less than 80% (A-) in the last two years of study. Students with a Bachelor's degree in related fields of business, mathematics and pure sciences may also be eligible, although additional course work may be required. Applicants must have undergraduate preparation and a knowledge-based proficiency in Epidemiology and Biostatistics and have relevant work and/or volunteer experiences in a Public Health organization. Additional introductory courses in biostatistics (MPHA 6P01) and population epidemiology (MPHA 6P02) may be required as part of a conditional offer of admission for applicants with insufficient proficiency of these public health core sciences.
The Graduate Admissions Committee will review all applications and recommend admission for a limited number of candidates. Successful applicants to the MPH program will complete the degree exclusively online. This program is offered on a full-time (12 months), as well as part-time (maximum 4 years) basis. Students who have completed courses equivalent to those in the MPH as part of a graduate Canadian or U.S. degree (within the last seven years) may be granted advanced standing, up to a maximum of four half-credit courses, subject to performance. Advanced standing can be assessed during the application review process.
Students interested in pursuing the accelerated MBA pathway after completion of their MPH should consult the MBA Admission requirements page at brocku.ca/webcal/2023/graduate/busi#sec25 for details on courses required for advanced standing consideration.
Degree Requirements
Master of Public Health
Basic degree requirements include the successful completion of twelve (12) half-credit courses, which include two half-credit 16-week mandatory public health practicum courses. Requirements include: MPHA 5P01, MPHA 5P02, MPHA 5P03, MPHA 5P04, MPHA 5P05, MPHA 5P06*, MPHA 5P11* and MPHA 5P21*. Students must complete four (4) half-credit electives selected from the following courses: MPHA 5P07, MPHA 5P08, MPHA 5P09, MPHA 5P10, MPHA 5P12, MPHA 5P13, MPHA 5P14, MPHA 5P15, MPHA 5P16, MPHA 5P17, MPHA 5P18, and/or MPHA 5P99.
* Full and part-time students must register for MPHA 5P06 in their final year of study, as a capstone course. Students must complete two public health practicum courses (MPHA 5P11, MPHA 5P21) in conjunction with or preceding MPHA 5P06 to synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired during course work of MPHA 5P06 with the learning experiences gained through MPHA 5P11 and 5P21.
Students interested in pursuing the accelerated MBA pathway after completion of their MPH should consult the MBA degree requirements page at brocku.ca/webcal/2023/graduate/busi for details on the required and available courses and options.
Program Notes:
1. Failure to succeed in the practicum courses MPHA 5P11 and MPHA 5P21 may result in dismissal from the program.
2. Students must successfully complete MPHA 5P11 prior to completing MPHA 5P21.
3. Students may require current Standard First Aid and CPR (BCLS or Level C) certification that is in accordance with and approved by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) when completing their practicum. The certification must be valid during the duration of study.
4. Proof of immunizations may be required prior to commencement of the practicum course. Immunization screening required for: Measles, Mumps, Rubella; Hepatitis B; Tuberculosis; Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis; COVID-19.
5. Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC) may be required by practicum agencies. It is the student's responsibility to ensure the process is complete - at their own expense. In some cases, students may not be allowed to attend practicum if these requirements are not met.
6. All program costs associated with required documentation or equipment are the sole responsibility of the student. It is the student's responsibility to ensure the process is complete prior to commencement of the program.
7. Students planning to pursue the MPH to accelerated MBA pathway must take MPHA 5P10, MPHA 5P13 and MPHA 5P14 and one 0.5 credit elective from MPHA 5P07, 5P08, 5P09, 5P12, 5P15, 5P16, 5P17, 5P18, 5P99 in order to be considered for full advanced standing recognition in applying to the MBA.
Course Descriptions
Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable timetable for details. Students must ensure that prerequisites are met.
Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.
PUBLIC HEALTH COURSES
MPHA 5P01
Quality Health Systems through Collaboration and Partnership
Critical evaluation of factors that contribute to high performing public health systems through the lens of collaboration and partnerships.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P02
Qualitative Research: Interviewing and Beyond
Philosophical, epistemological foundations, and practical knowledge and skills of the range of approaches and methods of qualitative inquiry useful for needs assessment, program evaluation, knowledge translation, and advocacy in public health practice.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P03
Epidemiology
Fundamental principles of epidemiology, including correct posing of study questions, study designs, measurements issues, study implementation, data collection and analyses, and concepts of validity, bias, confounding and correct interpretation of analyses and study results.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P04
Foundations of Public Health
Foundations of public health, including history, core principles, philosophy, and the social and political forces that influence population health.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P05
Biostatistics in Public Health
Statistical principles and their applications in public health with emphasis on advanced understanding of multivariate analysis and practical skills in statistical programming.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P06
Policy and Practice: Critical Evaluation and Synthesis in Program Planning
Examination of the interface between theory, policy, and practice in public health. Students will identify an area within public health central to their interests, establish an understanding of the evidence driving both policy and practice, and demonstrate an awareness of the gaps in the interface. This is a self-directed course, based on adult-learning principles.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
Note: This course is the capstone course and is completed as the final course in the MPH program.
MPHA 5P07
Infection Control
Current practices in infection control and prevention of infectious disease, including strategies and emerging issues in vaccination, antimicrobial resistance, and healthcare associated infections.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P08
Public Health Emergency Preparedness
Role of the public health system before, during, and after public health emergencies and disasters. The course is built upon and reinforces the public health competencies required and explores the phases of emergency management including: preparedness; response; recovery; prevention/mitigation of both man-made and natural emergencies from domestic to around the world using a health literacy lens.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P09
Measuring Health Equity
Examination of the definition of health equity and a critical discussion of the differences between equity, inequality and social determinants of health. The identification and appraisal of indicators/metrics to monitor and measure inequity from a local, national, and global perspective.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P10
Social Marketing and Health Communication
Strategic marketing principles and communication techniques used to influence behavior change to solve social problems within a public health context. Students will be introduced to social marketing theory and practice by: exploring theories of behaviour change; applying techniques such as segmentation, branding and marketing mix; and assessing the planning tools required to develop and implement a social marketing strategy including digital and social marketing.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P11
Public Health Practicum I
Public health practicum search, personal vocation development, practicum approval, and planning of a health research or professional development project in collaboration with a provincial, national, or international health sector organization.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
Note: Must be taken in conjunction with or preceding MPHA 5P06.
MPHA 5P12
Environmental and Occupational Health
Workplace and ecological stressors and processes that increase public health risk, and how these mechanisms influence occupational and environmental health.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P13
Economic Evaluation in Public Health
Health economics theory, methods, and application of economic modeling for analyzing decisions made by individuals, health professionals and local/global governments with respect to public health and the allocation of resources for health promotion, prevention, and maintenance.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P14
Leading Change in Public Health
Foundational theories and concepts from management science with an emphasis on leadership and change management as it applies to the public health sector.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P15
eHealth Innovations and Trends
Critical issues related to eHealth, including drivers of innovation, developing trends, notable successes and failures. Review and discussion of potential improvements to eHealth as a positive force for change in public health.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P16
Colonization, Reconciliation, and Indigenous Health
Examination of the severity and complexity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis health issues in Canada. Historical and present impacts of colonization, the resiliency of Indigenous communities and the importance of Traditional Knowledge as a resource for health and well-being.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P17
Artificial Intelligence: Theory and Managerial Application
Fundamental concepts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Systems and their applications in Public Health and Enterprise-Level decision-making functions. Studies of applied industrial-scale AI and ML tools and models in specific Public Health and Enterprise settings. Use of R and Python programming platforms along with related statistical precepts for data manipulation and management for key machine learning tasks and applications involving classification, prediction and learning.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors
MPHA 5P18
Foundations of Program Evaluation in Public Health
Approaches to intervention evaluation in public health, including the practical skills and knowledge of principles and methods of program evaluation utilized in public health practice, including theory of change, core competencies of evaluation in Canada, and knowledge translation.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
MPHA 5P21
Public Health Practicum II
Public health practicum planning, mind mapping, reflective evaluation, and compilation of a health research or professional development project in collaboration with a provincial, national, or international health sector organization.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.
Prerequisite(s): MPHA 5P11
Note: Must be taken in conjunction with or preceding MPHA 5P06.
MPHA 6P01
Introduction to Biostatistics
Introduction of statistical principles and techniques. Issues concerning the construction, administration and evaluation of data collection as well as the processing and analysis of data.
Restriction: Only open to MPH applicants with conditional offer of admission or permission from the MPH program committee.
MPHA 6P02
Introduction to Population Epidemiology
Overview of descriptive and analytical epidemiology. Main elements of study design, execution, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiological research are introduced.
Restriction: Only open to MPH applicants with conditional offer of admission or permission from the MPH program committee.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING COURSE
MPHA 5P99
Public Health Independent Project
Independent project (which may include an academic- or community-based experiential learning and/or research project) designed and collaborated in consultation with a MPH faculty supervisor.
Restriction: Only open to MPH majors.