The School of Health Sciences is proposing a Master of Public Health Program to be available in the Fall 2013 semester.

In order for the proposal to be passed, it has to go through a number of university governance. The program has yet to be approved by the Senate, the Board of Trustees and the President’s Council.

The proposal was first submitted Sept. 1, 2012 and has since gone through the Health Sciences program, the School of Health Sciences Committee on Instruction, the School of Health Sciences Faculty Assembly, School of Health Sciences dean Kenneth Hightower and the Graduate Council for approval.

Patricia Wren, associate professor and program director for the School of Health Sciences, will direct the Master of Public Health Program if it is approved.

“Our hope is to have a really strong program that’s going to train practitioners to go do the work of public health in the community,” Wren said.

Hightower declined to comment on the MPH program due to it currently being in the governance process.

Tamara Jhashi, acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said a substantial number of elective classes for the proposed new master’s program would come from the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Earlier in the academic year, the chairs of the departments in the College affected by the program were consulted and asked to provide feedback on whether a potential increase in enrollment could be handled,” Jhasi said. “The chairs were supportive and at the recent Senate meeting when the proposal was given first reading, I gave support to the program on behalf of the College of Arts and Sciences.”

What is public health

The majority of public health is delivered through nongovernmental or quasi-governmental organizations, and is considered to be the terminal professional degree for persons who work in the field of public health which can be found in lots of settings, according to Wren.

She said she hopes the MPH program has a real emphasis on community-based participatory public health.

“A real grounding in the community is what will really set this thing apart and keep our feet on the ground,” Wren said. “Communit- based participatory public health really means we have to be in partnership with vulnerable populations.”

Wren said working with youth to prevent the spread of HIV and STDs, as well as working with economically vulnerable or the homeless to meet their needs is all a part of public health.

“There are a number of ways we can come to solve health problems, but we have to give students those exposures and those tools so we can attack them from a variety of settings,” Wren said.

Who can apply

To get into the program, students must have good ground in the liberal arts and sciences, according to Wren.

“It is not typically a grad program that has a lot of specific prerequisites, so I think the nice thing about the MPH program is it’s available to a diverse range of students,” Wren said. “We really hope to attract students from a varying range of disciplines from journalists and English majors to social science and even those who’ve studied arts and humanities, so that the issue of public health can be approached from different vantage points.”

Students will complete a total of 44 credits to complete the program. The program can be completed in two years.

“We’re hoping to deliver programs as well as evaluate them. Especially in epidemiology, which is the study of disease, health problems and populations,” Wren said.

She said she is sure students will walk away with at least the knowledge learned in courses but hopefully more in biostatistics, addressing how to analyze data to solve community issues.

How can the degree be used

Students always have an interest in the many ways they can apply their degree, according to Wren.

“Typically, we see people go off and work in hospital settings, city and county and state departments like Oakland County Community Health, Macomb County and the Michigan Department of Community Health,” Wren said.

Wren said any of the cancer institutes and small nonprofits that serve particular populations such as Affirmations, where they serve the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, is a suitable job for those wishing to pursue a career in public health.

“Organizations that do HIV and AIDS work are typical public health jobs,” she said said.

The next step

One of the many standing committees that the Senate has is the Senate Budget, according to Wren.

“The Senate is still deliberating about the budget and resources required for the MPH,” Wren said.

She said the next meeting is Feb. 11 and another meeting will follow Feb. 14. If approved, the major will then be discussed at the Board of Trustees level and then by the President’s Council.