Jan 01, 2026

2025-2026 Graduate Catalog

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2025-2026 Graduate Catalog

Public Health, M.P.H.

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College of Public Health (PH)

Major Contacts, Deadlines, and Delivery Information

Concentrations:

Applied Biostatistics
Community Nutrition
Environmental and Occupational Health
Epidemiology*
Genomics
Global Disaster Management, Humanitarian Relief and Homeland Security
Global Health Practice
Global Infectious Disease
Health Care Organizations and Management
Health Policies and Programs
Health Promotion and Behavior
Health, Safety and Environment*
Infection Control*
Maternal and Child Health
Nutrition and Dietetics
Public Health Practice Program*

*These concentrations are self-supporting programs. A cost comparison of tuition and fees may be found here: online Epidemiology; Health, Safety and Environment; Infection Control; Public Health Practice Program; Social Marketing;

Please note: With the exception of the Department of Children and Family (DCF) waivers, all other waivers (including State of Florida and USF employee) are not accepted for Self-Funded/Self-Supporting or Market Rate Tuition program courses. For additional information, visit: USF Tuition Waiver.

Also offered as:

Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathways
Concurrent Degrees

The Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) is the primary professional degree in public health. The degree provides a hands-on, practice-based learning environment that prepares graduate students for understanding and diagnosing critical issues, combatting emerging public health challenges, and beginning careers in public health practice.

All M.P.H. students complete coursework designed to prepare public health professionals to actively and effectively contribute to population-based, culturally appropriate, and innovative approaches to address current and emerging public health problems. Students select a concentration and focus their studies, allowing them to become experts in a public health focal area, while preparing them for a variety of high-demand jobs in the field. Employment opportunities are vast and include becoming an epidemiologist, biostatistician, public health nutritionist, lab or field-based researcher, research coordinator, program analyst, prevention specialist, infection control specialist, or public health advocate to name a few. Opportunities span governmental, private, and non-profit workspaces. All M.P.H. students receive practical and applied skills needed to make meaningful contributions to the prevention, control, and eradication of current and emerging public health problems and students become nationally board certified in public health (CPH) prior to graduation, ensuring they have the skills and experience to compete in a demanding job market.

Accreditation:
The College is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). For the M.P.H. in Public Health Concentration in Nutrition and Dietetics, the USF Dietetic Internship is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND); http://www.eatrightpro.org/resources/acend.

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements, as well as requirements for admission to the major as listed below. Meeting of these criteria per se shall not be the only basis for admission.

Official Transcripts (Sent ONLY to SOPHAS)
A thorough statement of purpose and objectives indicating the applicant’s interest on obtaining a degree in public health, and how they hope to contribute to the field.
Both SOPHAS and USF applications and fees are required for USF’s College of Public Health Graduate Programs.
- Complete a SOPHAS application at www.sophas.org and submit all required application materials to SOPHAS. All application materials must be submitted only to SOPHAS.
- Then complete and submit the USF graduate application and fee at https://secure.vzcollegeapp.com/usf/. Do not upload or submit any supplemental application materials directly to USF.
- Allow two to four weeks for SOPHAS to verify the application. Make sure to follow up with SOPHAS regularly to meet all of their requirements to verify your application.
- Monitor the email that you provided in SOPHAS for application decisions and other communications.
Resume or curriculum vitae
At least two formal Letters of Recommendation

Curriculum Requirements

Total Minimum Hours: 42 credit hours minimum

Core - 12 credit hours
Additional Required Courses - 6 credit hours
Concentration - 9 credit hours minimum (varies by each concentration)
Electives - number needed to meet the minimum of 42 credits for major **
Comprehensive Exam

**Students select elective graduate courses, as needed, and in consultation with their advisor, to meet the minimum hours required for the Major.

Core Courses (12 Credit Hours)

PHC 6588 History and Systems of Public Health Credit Hours: 1
PHC 6756 Population Assessment: Part 1 Credit Hours: 5
PHC 6757 Population Assessment: Part 2 Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6145 Translation to Public Health Practice Credit Hours: 3

Additional Required Courses (6 Credit Hours)

PHC 6949 Applied Practice Experiences Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6943 Integrated Learning Experience Credit Hours: 3

Concentration Requirements (9 credit hours minimum) (varies with each concentration)

Students select from one of the following concentrations:

Global Disaster Management, Humanitarian Relief and Homeland Security (15 Concentration Credit Hours)

PHC 6183 Overview of United States and International Emergency/Disaster Management Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6230 Foundations of Humanitarian Assistance Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6254 Public Health Implications and Concerns in Homeland Security Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6186 Public Health Emergencies in Large Populations (PHLEP) Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6677 Introduction to Global Disaster Management Humanitarian Health and Homeland Security Credit Hours: 3

Global Health Practice (12 Concentration Credit Hours)

PHC 6764 Global Health Principles and Contemporary Issues Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6761 Global Health Assessment Strategies Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6106 Global Health Program Development and Administration Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6442 Global Health Applications in the Field Credit Hours: 3

Global Infectious Diseases (9 Concentration Credit Hours)

PHC 6516 Tropical Diseases Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6514 Infectious Disease Control in Developing Countries Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6511 Public Health Immunology Credit Hours: 3

Health Care Organizations and Management (15 Concentration Credit Hours)

PHC 6151 Health Policy and Politics Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6180 Health Services Management Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6430 Health Economics I Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6160 Health Care Financial Management Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6181 Organizational Behavior in Health Services Credit Hours: 3

Health Policies and Programs (18 Concentration Credit Hours)

PHC 6151 Health Policy and Politics Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6430 Health Economics I Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6760 Research Methods in Public Health Programs Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6421 Public Health Law and Ethics Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6063 Public Health Data, Information and Decision Making Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6165 Economic Evaluation of Programs and Medical Care Credit Hours: 3

Health Promotion and Behavior (15 Concentration Credit Hours)

PHC 6585 Public Health Communication Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6505 Changing Health Through Program Design Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6507 Implementation and Management Skills for Health Promotion Programs Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6708 Evaluation and Research Methods in Community Health Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6626 Advocacy 101 Credit Hours: 3

Health, Safety and Environment (18 Concentration Credit Hours)

PHC 6307 Principles of Exposure Assessment & Control Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6300 Principles of Environmental Health Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6325 Environmental Laboratory Principles Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6345 HSE Management & Administration Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6326 Global Issues in Environmental Health Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6350 Occupational Health and Safety Foundations Credit Hours: 3

Infection Control (15 Concentration Credit Hours)

PHC 6251 Disease Surveillance and Monitoring Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6562 Microbiology for Healthcare Workers Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6517 Infectious Disease Prevention Strategies Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6314 Infection Control Program Design Credit Hours: 3
Pick one of the following two:
PHC 6186 Public Health Emergencies in Large Populations (PHLEP) Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6002 Infectious Disease Epidemiology Credit Hours: 3

Maternal and Child Health (15 Concentration Credit Hours)

PHC 6530 Issues and Concepts in Maternal and Child Health Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6537 Case Studies in MCH Programs, Policies and Research Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6197 Secondary Data Analysis in Maternal and Child Health Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6505 Changing Health Through Program Design Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6708 Evaluation and Research Methods in Community Health Credit Hours: 3

Nutrition and Dietetics (15 Concentration Credit Hours)

Prerequisite - Students pursuing this Concentration must possess the required documentation (Verification Statement of Completion or Declaration of Intent to Complete from an accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD); or Registered Dietitian (RD or RDN) credential and two years’ experience).

DIE 6127 Principles of Leadership and Management of Food and Nutrition Credit Hours: 2
DIE 6248 Advanced Clinical Nutrition Assessment Credit Hours: 4
PHC 6521 Public Health Nutrition Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6522 Nutrition in Health and Disease Credit Hours: 3
HUN 6804 Nutrition and Dietetics Research Credit Hours: 3

Public Health Practice (15 Concentration Credit Hours)

PHC 6063 Public Health Data, Information and Decision Making Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6421 Public Health Law and Ethics Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6104 Management of Public Health Programs Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6146 Health Services Planning and Evaluation Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6147 Managing Quality in Health Care Credit Hours: 3

Multiple Concentrations

If a student wishes to pursue two or more concentrations as part of their elective coursework, the student must complete the specific required courses for each concentration and file the Concurrent Concentration Form. Then additional graduate coursework, selected with the advisors, must be completed to total a minimum of 42 hours. In some instances, the total may exceed 42 credit hours.

Electives

Students select elective graduate courses, as needed, and in consultation with their advisor, to meet minimum hours required for the Major.

Students in the Nutrition and Dietetics Concentration with little or no professional experience (dietetic interns) must take six (6) hours of PHC 6945 Supervised Field Experience and three (3) hours of elective coursework. Students with two years of work as a registered dietitian must take a minimum of nine (9) hours of elective coursework.\

Comprehensive Exam

Passing the CPH exam is a requirement for graduation by all MPH students. Students must be enrolled for two credits the term taking the exam.

1^st attempt the college of Public Health will pay funds permitting
2^nd attempt student pays
3^rd attempt is an alternative comprehensive exam given by the College of Public Health

University of South Florida

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