Public Health Graduate Program

Subject abbreviation: PBHL School of Medicine Division of Clinical Sciences Department of Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health smpph.ucr.edu/

Deborah Deas, M.D., M.P.H., Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences; the Mark and Pam Rubin Dean, UCR School of Medicine Mark Wolfson, Ph.D., Department Chair Mario Sims, Ph.D., FAHA Faculty Director

Program Faculty (2025-2026 Course Instructors) Brandon Brown, Ph.D., M.P.H. Ann Cheney, Ph.D. Timothy Collins, Ed.D., M.H.A., FACHE, EMT Lisa R. Fortuna, MD, MPH, MDiv, DFAPA Wei Vivian Li, Ph.D. Marshare Penny, Dr.P.H., M.P.H. Michelle V. Porche, EdD Mario Sims, Ph.D. Andrew Subica, Ph.D. Mark Wolfson, Ph.D. Denise Woods, Dr.P.H. Jeffrey Zhang, Ph.D.

The UCR MPH is an interdepartmental program, drawing one or more affiliated faculty from 16 different departments across UCR schools and colleges, including the School of Medicine; School of Public Policy; College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences; and Marlan and Rose- mary Bourns College of Engineering.

The MPH program focuses on community health equity and aims to train future public health leaders with rigorous interdisciplin- ary instruction. The program aligns with the school’s mission to enhance the health of the people of Inland Southern California.

Features of the MPH curriculum include:

• Interdisciplinary courses • Practical experience in public health • Elective courses • 2-year cohort-based program • 68 total units

Admissions Requirements Applications for the MPH program, which is administratively housed within the UCR School of Medicine, are accepted for fall entry. Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree or an approved equivalent from an accredited institution. Applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit acceptable scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the Internation- al English Language Testing System (IELTS). Additionally, each applicant must submit three letters of recommendation (at least one letter of recommendation must be an academic reference; the others may reflect work or internship experience).

The MPH Program’s holistic admissions process considers the following criteria: • Academic performance as reflected in the applicant’s GPA, relevant coursework, Resume/CV, and GRE (optional)

• Commitment to serving Inland Southern California and/or other medically underserved areas and to promoting health equity as reflected in the applicant’s personal statement, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and/or resume/CV

• Insight on and/or experience in work- ing with communities as reflected in the applicant’s personal statement, letters of recommendation, and/or resume/CV

• Interest in and career goals related to public health as reflected in work, volun- teer, and life experiences described in the application, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and/or resume/CV.

The Admissions Committee carefully evaluates each applicant’s academic abilities and their potential contributions to the public health workforce, particularly in improving the health of individuals in underserved communities.

For additional information on admission requirements and important dates and deadlines, please visit: smpph.ucr.edu/master-public-health.

Program of Study The MPH program consists of a minimum of 68 units of graduate courses. The curriculum consists of required core courses, an applied public health practice experience (practicum), a required capstone research project or thesis, and elective courses.

The curriculum consists of the items below:

• 1. Public Health Core: (9 courses) PBHL 200;

PBHL 201; PBHL 202A; PBHL 203; PBHL 204; PBHL 205; PBHL 202B; PBHL 206 and PBHL 207

• 2. Statistics for Public Health (2 Courses):

STAT 233A & STAT 233B

• 3. Health Behavior & Policy Interventions

Elective (1 course)

• 4. Additional Public Health Related Elec-

tives (3 courses)

• 5. Applied Public Health Practice Experience

(Practicum) (4 units): PBHL 298i

• 6. Integrative Learning Experience (4 units):

Students may choose to complete either Plan I (Thesis) or Plan II (Capstone Project)

• Plan 1 (Thesis): Students must submit a master’s thesis in accordance with the general requirements of the university. The thesis is original research work, and it should demonstrate the student’s ability to study a research area, identify an open public health problem, analyze the problem, and make a research contribution. The thesis requires a presentation and must be approved by a committee of at least three faculty members.

• Plan 2 (Capstone Project): Students must complete a research project under the guidance of a faculty member. The project will be approved by a committee of at least two faculty members and requires a presentation and written report.

Mode option(s) The final thesis defense and capstone project presentation can be taken in one of the following modes:

• In-Person – all committee members and student physically present

• Hybrid – some committee members/ student in-person, some committee members/student remote

• Remote – all committee members and student have the option to attend remotely

The student and their advisor will discuss which mode best suits the subject matter, with the advisor making the final determination.

Professional Development Training Professional development training is offered to MPH students throughout the core curriculum. This training will include presentations, commu- nications, grant writing, and research and career training. Students will complete a Leadership and Career Readiness Plan as part of their MPH Integrative Learning Experience.