Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, M.P.H.

The M.P.H. is designed for individuals with aspirations to be practitioners in health department, community, school or worksite settings. The program requires 45 hours of course work, including public health and health promotion, education, and behavior core courses and a 5-hour applied practice experience. The public health core is designed to develop competencies in using epidemiology and biostatistics to understand distributions and causes of diseases in populations; using qualitative research methods to understand attitudes and behaviors; and managing and administering health organizations. The health promotion, education, and behavior core is designed to develop competencies in planning implementing, and evaluating programs which promote informed decision-making and health behavior change in individuals, and communities. Candidates must successfully complete a comprehensive examination at or near the conclusion of program requirements.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will demonstrate the ability to apply social and behavioral theories and models to the development, implementation, and evaluation of public health programs.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to utilize multi-level approaches in understanding the importance of context in addressing public health issues.
• Students will articulate how multi-sectoral, collaborative engagement advances health equity and improves health outcomes.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to develop sound and feasible methods to evaluate public health programs, interpret results, and communicate those results effectively.
• Students will demonstrate understanding of how to make informed study design decisions and be able to articulate the strengths and weaknesses of a research study.

See the department website for details: http://www.sph.sc.edu/futurestudents/index.htm. Admission requirements follow those of The Graduate School and include:

• a completed application
• official transcripts from all post-secondary schools and colleges previously attended, including non-degree courses taken
• evidence of academic performance at a B or better level on academic transcripts
• satisfactory GRE scores. While there is no minimum guideline for the master's programs, the average GRE (combined verbal and quantitative) for incoming students is approximately 300.
• three letters of recommendation from academic and/or professional sources
• a letter of intent which describes professional goals and objectives, and how the applicant became interested in the field of health promotion, education, and behavior.
• satisfactory score on the TOEFL or the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam for applicants whose native language is not English. The minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL is 80 (Internet-based) or 570 (paper-based). The minimum acceptable overall band score on the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam is 6.5.                   
• current resume or curriculum vitae.

Admissions process information and links can be found at the Arnold School of Public Health webpage: http://www.sph.sc.edu/futurestudents/index.htm.

Applications for the MPH program are made through the new Schools of Public Health Application System (SOPHAS). Please go to http://www.sophas.org for further details. Applications for the Professional Online MPH program in HPEB and the combined MSW/MPH programs are made through the Graduate School. Please go to: https://www.applyweb.com/ uscgrad/index.ftl. 

Only single program applications are accepted, so you may only apply to one program at a time (unless you are applying to the MSW/MPH program or certificate program). Once received, your application and credentials are sent for review by the HPEB faculty. After reviewing your credentials, the department makes a recommendation to The Graduate School which officially grants admission. We will inform you of the department's recommendation regarding admission, but official notice of admission comes from the USC Graduate School.

You are encouraged to review carefully the information provided on the above websites before beginning the application process. If you have further questions, you may contact:

Ken Watkins
HPEB Graduate Director
phone: 803-777-7603
e-mail: [email protected]

Casey Goldston Giraudy
HPEB Academic Programs Coordinator
phone: 803-777-2966
e-mail: [email protected]

Office of Student and Alumni Services
phone: 803-777-5031
e-mail: [email protected]

Applicants whose native language is not English must: 

1. Submit a satisfactory score on an English proficiency test. 

2. Take a diagnostic test in English when they arrive at the university.