Institute of Public Health at a Glance

About the Institute

The Institute of Public Health (IPH) at Georgia State University is a research and degree-granting program dedicated to advancing the health of the public through academic endeavors, training, and community service. IPH is a multidisciplinary unit, which offers a 62 credit-hour Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health (PhD), a 42 credit-hour Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program and a 15 credit-hour Graduate Certificate in Public Health (GCPH).

The efforts of the faculty and staff are focused on finding solutions to pressing urban health issues. Much of this applied research is directed at understanding and eliminating disparities in health. The Institute’s training and community service programs focus on building the science that underlies public health practice as well as developing interventions that make a real and sustained difference in urban settings.

The goals of our academic public health training program are to:

• Prepare students to use multi-disciplinary skills to address contemporary public health problems.
• Prepare students for positions of senior responsibility in public health practice, research, and training.
• Advance public health sciences and our understanding of the causes and prevention of disease.
• Incorporate the needs, perspectives and expertise of the public health practice community in the design and conduct of the curriculum and field experiences. 

Core Competencies

Upon completion of the MPH degree, all students will have a mastery of appropriate theory, knowledge and skills in applied public health and public health research as evidenced by the graduate’s ability to:

1. Articulate and utilize an understanding of core public health concepts in the areas of biostatistics, epidemiology, social and behavioral sciences, health services administration, and environmental health. 
2. Demonstrate an ability to apply theory and knowledge in applied and field-based settings, as identified by the CDC - National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) ten (10) essential public health services. 
3. Identify and assess the public health conditions, both assets and deficiencies, of populations. 
4. Demonstrate the ability to plan, implement and evaluate programs and services designed to address public health conditions, both assets and deficiencies, of populations. 
5. Employ an “ecological approach” to public health, with emphasis on the linkages and relationships among the multiple determinants of health, to assure conditions that protect and promote the health of populations. 
6. Identify and analyze health disparities and design appropriate, culturally competent prevention and intervention strategies. 
7. Apply critical thinking skills within the context of public health practice and research. 
8. Demonstrate skills in public health research and communication.

Student body

Total enrollment: 170
Minority:  43%
International: 20% originally from countries outside of the U.S.
Gender: 79% female
Residency:  84% Georgia residents                   

2011 Entering Class Profile

Total: 54 (including 10 PhD candidates in the inaugural class)
Fulbright scholars: 8 newly enrolled for Fall 2011

Admissions:  Master of Public Health and certificate students accepted for admission both fall and spring semesters.  Ph.D. students are accepted once a year to enroll in the fall.

Since 2006, the Institute has welcomed Fulbright scholars from countries around the world.  The Fulbright program is sponsored by the United State government and selects top researchers and clinicians to study in graduate programs across the U.S. In Fall 2011, the Institute welcomed eight new Fulbright Scholars from the following countries:  Afghanistan, Cambodia, Cote d’Ivoire, Iraq, Malawi, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Tanzania.  Seventeen Fulbright Scholars have completed the M.P.H. program.

For more information on the Institute and its degree programs, visit the Institute of Public Health.