After much hard work and planning, the Wayne State University’s MPH Program unveiled their updated MPH curriculum during fall 2021. The updated curriculum increased the number of MPH foundation classes from 5 to 7. In addition to coursework in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Health Care Organization, our foundation courses now include a course in Public Health Policy and Research Methods for Public Health Professionals. There are also two new MPH foundation courses:  Social Justice in Public Health and Foundations of Public Health, where students delve into many pressing public health topics. 

Our two MPH concentrations have also been revised. The MPH in Population Health Analytics (MPH-PHA) is designed to provide students with the analytical and research proficiencies necessary to address many population health challenges. Through the use of statistical programming, such as, SAS and R, students will manage and evaluate data to design appropriate population health interventions.

The MPH in Public Health Practice (MPH-PHP) curriculum prepares graduates to conduct culturally relevant public health research and develop population-based prevention programs. A new course, Health Promotion Messaging and Advocacy, has been added to the MPH-PHP plan of work. Students design health promotion messaging interventions to enhance awareness for community-health outcome improvements.

MPH Program Director Rachel Mahas, PhD, MS, MPH comments, “These curricular changes make the MPH program stronger and more aligned with the current training needs of the public health workforce. This program update comes at a time when there is a demand for public health practitioners who are equipped with skills that can tackle health inequities within our communities, like Detroit.”

An MPH is a professional degree that welcomes those from a wide array of educational backgrounds. Medical, health and social science graduates, as well as, anyone interested in eliminating health disparities and improving the health of populations may be interested in earning an MPH degree. For more information, contact mphprogram@med.wayne.edu or visit our website at go.wayne.edu/mph.  .