Public Health, M.P.H.

Master of Public Health Program

The Master of Public Health Degree Program is offered by Louisiana State University Shreveport (LSUS) and the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) and includes 48 credit hours. The curriculum is specifically designed to prepare public health graduate students for careers in a public health setting. All students complete a five course core (15 credit hours) that addresses the five areas of core knowledge identified by the Council of Education for Public Health (CEPH) as essential for all MPH students to demonstrate. An additional 21 credit hours in public health related courses are also completed. The last phase of the program consists of a practicum (3 credit hours) which students are required to complete 200 hours of practicum experience and produce a structured report that describes, analyzes; and critiques the experience. Students have the option of completing a MPH Capstone project (3 credit hours) or Master’s thesis (6 credit hours). Students who choose  the MPH Capstone project will complete an additional six credits of electives. Students who choose to complete a thesis may waive one elective. In both the practicum and culminating experiences, students are under the supervision and guidance of faculty and field based practitioners.

Admission Procedures

Students initially apply to LSUS for admission to the program. In addition to the general university requirements for admission to graduate studies, as outlined in the university catalog, an applicant for admission to the Master of Public Health Degree program must meet the following requirements for unconditional admission:

• Have earned a Baccalaureate Degree from an accredited university or college and provide-official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions
• Provide a GRE or MCAT test score taken within last five years (applicants with M.D. or Ph.D. in a health related discipline in the U.S. do not have to take the GRE).
• Students must have a GRE score of at least 153+ for Verbal Reasoning and 144+ for Quantitative Reasoning for the combined verbal and quantitative portions
• Scores of 550 or better on the written version, or 213 or better on the computer-based version, of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for international applicants. International students whose native language is English or who have attended a college or university in the United States for at least one year are not required to submit TOEFL scores, but must have acceptable scores on the General Test section of the GRE. International students who do not have suitable scores on the TOEFL and the verbal section of the GRE must write a brief essay. If the essay does not evidence the skills necessary for graduate-level work, the essay will serve as a placement tool into a scholarly writing course that will not be counted toward a graduate degree. Students must pass this course to continue in the program.
• Submit three letters of recommendation using the standardized MPH reference form.
• Submit a typewritten, personal narrative (2-3 pages) that is a professional statement consistent with the mission of the program.
• A personal interview is required.

Applicants who do not fulfill the requirements for unconditional admission into the MPH program may be considered for provisional admission.

Transfer of Credit

Students are only allowed to transfer 6 hours (two classes) towards their mph degree. Student must make a written request to the program director for the specific course transfer along with information from the university where the course/grade was awarded to include: student’s official school transcript, university accreditation status, along with specific course description, goals, objectives and competencies addressed in the course.

Curriculum

• Master of Public Health Curriculum