Master of Arts in Public Health Biology

The Master of Arts in Public Health Biology (MAPHB) is a fully online, part-time degree focused on biological tenets and research methods relevant to current issues in science and public health. It is interdepartmental, with required coursework provided through Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Environmental Health and Engineering, and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.

The program includes Public Health Biology, the Biological Basis of Public Health, and an MA Public Health Biology Thesis course (with credit range). Students also complete Foundational Principles of Public Health and multiple short courses covering quantitative and qualitative methods, causes and trends in morbidity and mortality, prevention in population health, evidence in advancing public health knowledge, and Essentials of Environmental Health.

Modules

• Introduction to Online Learning
• Public Health Biology (or PH.550.631)
• Biological Basis of Public Health (or PH.550.630)
• MA Public Health Biology Thesis
• Foundational Principles of Public Health
• The Role of Quantitative Methods in Public Health
• The Role of Qualitative Methods and Science in Describing and Assessing a Population's Health
• Causes and Trends in Morbidity and Mortality
• The Science of Primary Secondary and Tertiary Prevention in Population Health
• The Critical Importance of Evidence in Advancing Public Health Knowledge
• Essentials of Environmental Health
• Psychological and Behavioral Factors That Affect A Population's Health

In core courses, master’s students must receive a C or higher. A student who earns a grade below that threshold in a course listed as a core requirement must, at the next opportunity, make a second attempt to complete the core course by repeating the same course. A grade below the threshold on the second attempt may be grounds for dismissal and must be reported to the School’s Committee on Academic Standards. To remain in good academic standing, master's students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.75. If a student’s GPA falls below the requirement, the student will be placed on academic probation. School policy states that a master’s student cannot graduate with a GPA lower than 2.75.