Online Master of Public Health Degree at the University of West Florida
The University of West Florida appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Cheapest MPH Degrees Online.
The online Master of Public Health (MPH) degree offered by the University of West Florida provides students with an interdisciplinary, competency-based, high-quality understanding of public health. The program’s curriculum teaches effective practices in tackling a variety of public health issues at the global, national, regional, and local levels. Students must complete 42 credit hours in order to earn their degree.
The MPH degree is available fully online and offers students a multidisciplinary perspective on the field of public health, preparing them to be successful professionals. Students can choose to pursue either a generalist MPH degree or an MPH degree in health promotion education, and behavior. The elective and required courses provide students with the opportunity to tailor their degree to best meet their interests and career goals. The program is also allied with several certificate programs and academic centers that broaden students’ educational opportunities.
The generalist MPH program consists of 42 credit hours that includes elective, required, and core courses. The program’s competencies are based on guidelines set by the Association of Schools of Public Health and include core courses covering topics such as environmental health, social and behavioral sciences in public health, public health policy, epidemiology for public health professionals, and biostatistics for public health. Electives may include courses in epidemiology, environmental toxicology, bioterrorism, disease surveillance and monitoring, global health, legal fundamentals of healthcare, and strategies for the prevention of infectious diseases.
The MPH in Health Education, Promotion, and Behavior prepares students to become professional health educators based on a curriculum that concentrates on the competencies and responsibilities developed by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC). Students develop the skills to conduct needs assessments as well as evaluate, manage and implement health education and promotion programs. Required courses cover topics such as social marketing in health education, health education and interactive technology, program planning and evaluation, philosophical foundations of health education, principles of public health, and epidemiological study design and statistical methods. Electives may include courses in health delivery systems, health guidance and cultural competency, critical analysis of health, and global health.
Students who pursue an online master’s degree in public health from UWF must complete a six-credit-hour, two-semester internship in the field of public health under the guidance of the MPH Faculty Internship Advisor and qualified mentor. The internship allows students to participate in activities that improve public health and interact with public health professionals. The goal of the internship is to broaden students’ public health perspectives and offer experience in applying the content and theory learned in the classroom into public health practice. Throughout the internship, students must work independently on project-related tasks, communicate professionally and effectively, adhere to the site’s regulations and policies, adhere to the MPH Honor Code, and maintain an appropriate work ethic.
In order to graduate, students must also complete and pass the closed-book, proctored MPH exam. The exam is designed to assess each student’s level of mastery in the five core competency areas learned in the five core course areas: social and behavioral sciences in public health, healthcare policy and administration, epidemiology, environmental health, and biostatistics.
About the University of West Florida
Also known as UWF or West Florida, the University of West Florida is a public university located in Pensacola, Florida. In 1963, UWF was established as a member of the State University System of Florida, and the school is a designated space-grant institution as well as a comprehensive research university without faculties of medicine or law. It is the third-largest campus in the State University System, and its 1600-acre main campus sits on a natural preserve that is bordered by Escambia Bay as well as two rivers. UWF enrolls more than 13,000 graduate and undergraduate students and has conferred more than 85,500 doctoral, specialist, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees.
University of West Florida Accreditation Details
The University of West Florida has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS COC) to award doctoral, master’s, baccalaureate, and specialist degrees. In addition, the master’s degree in public health offered by the UWF Department of Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Accreditation assures students and the public that UWF has undergone a rigorous peer-review process to evaluate its academic programs, faculty, and student learning outcomes. Specialized program accreditation indicates that the particular degree meets the accrediting agency’s standards for high-quality programs in that particular field.
University of West Florida Application Requirements
Graduate applicants must complete a graduate application and pay a processing fee, submit official college transcripts, and send official graduate admission test scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). In addition to meeting the general graduate requirements of the University of West Florida, those seeking a master’s degree in public health must also meet additional requirements. Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited university and must have earned an undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Students must also submit three letters of recommendation, one personal writing sample, and one 500- to 1,000-word statement of career goals that discusses why the applicant is pursuing graduate study in public health and how admission into the program will help his or her professional aspirations.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students pursuing the online Master of Public Health degree may benefit from waivers that cover a portion of the out-of-state tuition portion of the program’s tuition. In-state Florida residents will pay $384.60 per credit hour, and out-of-state graduate students will pay $1,044.24 per credit hour. When 90 percent of the out-of-state tuition is waived, students can expect to pay $478.83 per credit hour. In addition, Alabama residents may be eligible for Alabama Differential Tuition, which is a reduced out-of-state tuition rate. Forms of financial aid available for online graduate students include loans, grants, and scholarships. Interested students should first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility. All Armed Forces active-duty members may have all of their out-of-state tuition fees waived by the University of West Florida and may take advantage of other military benefits offered by the school.
