Revised Master’s degree program aimed at relieving burden of retiring public health care practitioners

Taking aim at an alarming shortage of trained public health professionals, the Arnold School has rewritten a master’s degree program to meet the needs of students and practitioners already on the job.

“Less than five percent of the people practicing public health in South Carolina have an educational background in public health,” said Dr. Greg Hand, associate dean for academic affairs.

Moreover, Hand said the situation could only worsen with “a large number of the very senior people in public health expected to retire in the next five years.”

In response, the Arnold School is offering a strengthened version of its master of public health in general public health degree.

“This is a broad multidisciplinary degree that targets people who are already public health professionals or students who are looking for leadership positions in public health,” said Hand, who also is an associate professor in the Department of Exercise Science.

Hand said the incoming class of students would be covered by the new degree requirements, approved by the graduate school and university administration last December.

The school is expecting the degree program to be available by distance education in the next year, and be available for residents, nurses, and physicians at the Greenville Hospital System (GHS). GHS is part of a research, education and public health partnership that includes USC, the Medical University of South Carolina and Palmetto Health.

The general MPH degree is currently a required part of the curriculum for preventive medicine residents at Palmetto Richland hospital. Dr. Hand hopes that it will be as successful when implemented at GHS.

The revised degree requires 42 credit hours of study and is practice-oriented. MPH students complete a supervised internship (practicum) in lieu of a thesis.

Students in the program are expected to:

• understand core functions and philosophies of public health, including concepts and methods of biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services policy and management, and health promotion, education, and behavior
• develop a broad perspective of issues in public health
• provide expertise in applying concepts and methods of area of interest.