MSU ONLINE MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM
A PATH OF PURPOSE Within many of us is a passion to help better the lives of those living in our community. Careers in public health provide an endless, unique opportunity to do just that. The Master of Public Health program is a pathway for forward-thinkers like you to establish a lifelong commitment to something bigger. To create meaningful interactions that make a lasting impact on the lives of the people you serve, in your community and beyond. As the world continues to evolve around us, so does the need for public health professionals aiming to mobilize change.
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A PLATFORM FOR POTENTIAL If you have an interest in population health, working side-by-side with community partners and health care providers, look no further. The need for public health professionals is on the rise and well-trained college graduates are needed to continue the work of communityidentified and community-participatory focused public health. There is ample evidence that health inequities are preventable. These needs create a variety of opportunities that await students in pursuit of long and productive careers in public health. Addressing Issues that Affect Us All Public health professionals are at the forefront of creating solutions to many of the world’s immediate health-related issues. Here are a few of the common issues or concerns public health professionals are focused on addressing today. •
Health equity
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Gun violence
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Social determinants of health
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Substance abuse
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Community health
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Nutrition
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Mental health
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Communicable disease
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Maternal and child health
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Infectious disease
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Reproductive and sexual health
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Chronic disease
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Health policy and management
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Global health
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Health communication and promotion
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Climate change on human health
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Lead contamination
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SUCCESS MADE SIMPLE Time and accessibility are common issues that prevent passionate public servants from reaching their career goals. To help in your pursuit of “juggling it all,” we’ve created a path to success that better fits your work and life demands. Michigan State’s Master of Public Health curriculum and advising is completed 100% online.
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WHY PUBLIC HEALTH MATTERS Public health has been a critical factor in increased life expectancy. Since 1900, the average life span in the United States has increased by more than 30 years. Public health programs have helped 300,000 people quit smoking, saving 50,000 lives during quit-smoking campaigns.
IN MICHIGAN, PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE LIVES. Leading causes of death in Michigan, 2017 (CDC)
Many immediate health concerns need the attention of public health professionals. The U.S. spends more on health care than any country, but we have poorer health than our peers in other high-income nations. Researchers predict two out of every five U.S. adults will develop type 2 diabetes, which accounts for $176 billion in medical costs every year. American deaths related to high blood pressure have also increased by 23%, with costs totaling $46 billion. The U.S. is experiencing higher infant mortality rates than 25 other countries. And 87% of premature deaths due to noncommunicable diseases occur in low- and middle-income countries, forcing millions of people into poverty. With so many health-related concerns, a career in public health has limitless possibilities.
1. HEART DISEASE
2. CANCER
3. CHRONIC LOWER RESPIRATORY DISEASE
4. ACCIDENTS
5. STROKE 4
CAREER PATHWAYS: EXPLORE WHAT MEANS MORE TO YOU The potential may be endless, but determining what you’re passionate about will guide you toward a career with purpose. We encourage you to explore a variety of health care careers to ensure that you are pursuing a profession that is a good fit for your current interests and long-term goals. To the right, you will find detailed data on some of the career pathways of public health-related occupations.
Public Health Occupations* Staticians and Mathematicians Emergency Management Directors Epidemiologists Environmental Scientists and Specialists Occupational Health and Safety Specialists and Technicians Health and Safety Engineers Dietitians and Nutritionists Health Educators
*Public health occupations are not limited to the career paths listed to the right
** All statistical and pay information is derived from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website. Additional information can be found at www.bls.gov
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Social and Community Service Managers
% Growth by 2028
Avg. Salary $88,190
30%
$74,420
5%
$74,120
5%
$72,050
8% 6%
$69,370
5%
$65,320
11%
$60,370 $55,260
11% 13%
$35,320 $0
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
$80,000
$100,000 6
YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS HERE We believe an education at MSU will empower your dream and transform your passion into a career that promotes and protects the health of people and communities. Our online curriculum prepares a public health workforce that is prepared to mobilize change in a meaningful way, where you live in your home community or across the globe. Stop wondering “What if.” And instead, earn your master’s degree in public health. Get started today by visiting mph.msu.edu.
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THE SPARTAN ADVANTAGE Our program places students in the driver’s seat of their destiny by providing flexibility, value and increased opportunity to engage in experience-based education. This program has been crafted with students in mind to ensure you’re on a path to immediate success within the public health-adjacent industry that you are most passionate about pursuing. Here are a few advantages you’ll receive at Michigan State University. Flexible, Online Programming All required courses are delivered entirely online and provide students with information that encompasses the root values of the program: leadership, health equity and practical application. Courses cover the breadth of practical methodology utilized by public health practitioners, including systematic review, program evaluation and study design.
Community-Engaged Practice Experience As a pioneer land-grant institution, MSU works side-by-side with communities to identify relevant health issues. These experiences help create public health practitioners armed with skills to address the social determinants of health and improve community health. Dual Enrollment Students already admitted to an MSU graduate or professional degree program can dual enroll, allowing you to share up to nine approved credits between two-degree programs. In-State Tuition for All Students Earn your Master of Public Health degree for less than $30,000 with competitive tuition rates for both in-state and out-of-state students.
Emphasis on Competency and Applied Knowledge Spartans in public health are leaders who enact change and promote health and well-being. They translate and disseminate public health knowledge into evidence-based practice, policymaking and advocacy.
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SPARTANS MAKE HEALTH HAPPEN Today, more than 650 Spartans in public health are working hard to protect the health of people and communities. These individuals enhance the quality of care available on a global scale by lending their passion for public health and educational experience to those in need. Will you join them in shaping a healthier tomorrow?
Pictured to the right is Mona HannaAttisha, MD, MPH, FAAP, director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative public health program in Flint, Michigan. Hanna-Attisha’s research and activism brought national attention to the Flint water crisis and the pathway to recovery.
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HEAR FROM SPARTANS WORKING IN PUBLIC HEALTH
LIFELONG SCHOLAR AND AGENT OF CHANGE Academic scholarship. Mentoring. Community leadership. Teaching. Research. It seems that Bryan O. Buckley, Spartan in public health, has accomplished it all. But he’s really just getting started. For Buckley, public health is his vehicle to make the world better. Buckley, a lifelong scholar and an agent
“Stay hungry. Public health is not an easy
of change, is a first-generation American
field to be in. You’re up against a lot of big
citizen. Buckley credits his Antiguan
systems. And even if you fail, remember
family’s work ethic and academic
that only through failure can we ever truly
accomplishments with his drive to
innovate. And I think in public health we
constantly pursue further knowledge.
constantly have to do that.
After receiving his B.S. from MSU in
“Stay curious. As new technologies
microbiology, Buckley considered a
are coming about — telemental health,
career in medical technology until one
social media — how can public health be
of his professors suggested going into
integrated into this? We should be curious
public health might be a better fit for his
not just about the field of public health but
outgoing personality. Heeding her advice,
other fields that intersect public health.
he enrolled in an epidemiology course
We need to be curious about how we can
and entered MSU’s MPH program the year
integrate these in a more seamless way.
after. Buckley has a three-pronged tenet he shares with others:
“And of course, be humble. We are only
1. Stay Hungry.
a small piece in this world, and when it
2. Stay Curious.
comes to large-scale change, we need
3. Stay Humble.
others. This field requires a team, a community of people you have to be part of; it’s not about you.”
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PUBLIC HEALTH SHAPES THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE Terence Gipson works as a research coordinator for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Gipson was able to continue his work in Central and South America, all while completing his Master of Public Health degree at MSU. “Everything that we do as human beings is somehow related to public health, which, as a profession, focuses on the conditions that shape the human experience. Every part of our lives impacts our health in some way, whether it’s the career we choose, the schools we attend, the neighborhood we live in or simply the amount of time we watch television. I decided to become a public health professional to understand better how the intersections between our behaviors, environments and policies affect our health outcomes. It is incredibly important to me that this knowledge is translated into effective community-based interventions designed to improve conditions within our most vulnerable communities. “Nothing can compare to the convenience of having an online curriculum while also receiving a high-quality public health education.”
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THE PLACES YOU CAN GO WITH AN ONLINE MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH Leah Maschino is strengthening Flint families and helping prevent substance use disorders. From Charleston, South Carolina, to Davison,
that public health is so inclusive of many
Michigan, Leah Maschino, Spartan in public
topics yet all working toward similar goals.
health ’17, has always been interested in helping people. She works for the MSU
“I started the MSU Master of Public Health
College of Human Medicine Flint campus in
program when I was living in Charleston,
the Division of Public Health.
South Carolina, so I liked that the program was 100% online. I knew I would be moving
Maschino is the project administrator for
back home to Michigan at some point during
the nationally funded Flint Center for Health
my time in the program, so the fact that it was
Equity Solutions (FCHES), Strengthening
solely online helped guide my decision to go
Flint Families intervention designed to reduce
through MSU. I am also a fan of the Michigan
behavioral health disparities and improve
State Spartans and think MSU is a wonderful
family resilience in the Flint community.
institution. I’m proud to be a Spartan alumna, Go Green!
“I have always been interested in helping people. I found the concept of public health
“I have the opportunity to apply what I’ve
— achieving optimal health and wellness
learned into real-world settings in need
for all populations — to be fascinating
of positive change. The Flint Center for
and I knew I wanted to be a part of this
Health Equity Solutions is embedded in the
work in some way. I am also interested in
Flint community and is working to make a
health promotion, nutrition, maternal and
difference in Flint. I am proud to be a part
child health, mental and physical health,
of this work and be able to use the skills and
and substance misuse prevention — all of
knowledge I learned in the MPH program to
which are related to public health. I love
make a difference in people’s lives.”
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THE WORLD NEEDS CHANGE. THE WORLD NEEDS YOU. The world could use someone like you. The online Master of Public Health degree, conferred through the College of Human Medicine at MSU, is for anyone with a passion for improving health on a large scale. Our program is rigorous with faculty that bring experience with real-world problems and solutions to promote healthy communities. If your passion lies with changing the world around you for the better, look no further. Your path begins at mph.msu.edu.
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I’M PROUD TO BE A SPARTAN.
OUR COMMITMENT IS TO SOMETHING BIGGER. SPARTANS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
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For more information, visit mph.msu.edu or call (810) 600-5601. #MSUPublicHealth #SpartansInPublicHealth
Michigan State University is an applicant for accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health. For additional information go to: https://ceph.org/
