Students interested in working as public health educators and in similar fields should consider all the top Master’s in Public Health programs in South Dakota. MPH programs take a detailed and involved look at related subjects like the ways in which diseases spread from one group to the next and what the public can do to stay healthy and safe. Students can also develop the skills necessary to work as a policy advocacy and in health promotions. Though South Dakota only has two schools that offer MPH programs, both can provide students with the skills and information they need after they graduate.
See our ranking of the Top 20 Cheapest MPH Degrees Online.
South Dakota State University
Programs & Degrees
South Dakota State University, also called SDSU, offers a general public health program that allows students to look at all areas and subjects relating to health care. Unlike other MPH programs that require students pick a concentration, students in this program can take a range of classes. The curriculum features courses on epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health services administration and social and behavioral health. Though this is an online program, online students have some of the same experiences that traditional students do. They can log in to watch lectures recorded that week on the campus and chat with their peers online.
Public Health (M.P.H.)
Like other Master’s in Public Health programs in South Dakota, the SDSU program consists of some required classes and other electives. The core of the program features nine classes that are worth a total of 27 credits, including Biostatistics for Public Health, Health Communication, and Promotion of Health and Prevention of Disability. Students also earn nine credits for a Public Health Practice class and a Public Health Project. Students can select from a wide range of different electives, including Drugs of Abuse and Addiction, Women and Children’s Health, Maternal and Child Nutrition and Advanced Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
Contact
1015 Campanile Ave.
Brookings, S.D. 57007
(605) 688-4121
University of South Dakota
School of Health Sciences
The University of South Dakota, or USD, is the main competitor to the University of South Dakota. Many students like the opportunities that this university offers for public health majors. They can attend the School of Health Sciences Research Conference to stay informed on new research in the field and attend different training sessions on the campus. Those sessions let them see what other professionals do in the field. USD also offers disaster preparedness training that students can take for credit. These training sessions go over what to do during a crisis and how public health professionals can organize and manage others.
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
USD offers an MPH program with more concentration options than any other Master’s in Public Health programs in South Dakota and other states do. Those concentrations include social and behavioral health, environmental health, epidemiology, health services administration and biostatistics. Students will take 42 credits to complete the general MPH program, but they can take as many credits as they want from within their concentrations. USD and SDSU actually share some classes and allow students to transfer credits between the two programs. Students enrolled in the USD program can take electives that count towards their degrees such as Rural Health Policy and Education, Public Policy & Addiction and Public Health and Native American Communities.
Accreditation
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS)
Contact
414 E. Clark St.
Vermillion, SD 57069
(877) 269-6837
Working in public health allows students to help patients in need. They might help change the healthcare policies currently in place, educate patients on caring for their loved ones or do research to help bring awareness to a certain disease. The top two Master’s in Public Health programs in South Dakota will help students succeed in any of those fields.
