MPH Core Curriculum
The information listed below is for students starting Academic Year (AY) 2025-2026 or later. Information for students who are following the Graduate Catalog for Academic Year (AY) 2024-2025 or earlier can be found on the Archived MPH Curriculum page.
Information for Current Students
The ECU MPH program is grounded in practice-based teaching, competency-based learning, and evidence-based principles. One of our key focus areas is to serve rural communities by training the public health workforce. The ECU MPH program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
The 42-semester hour (SH) MPH program is fully online. Key components of the MPH curriculum are described.
- The core curriculum is 18 semester hours, 8 courses, completed by all students.
- Concentration-specific courses and credit hours vary by concentration.
- Applicants select a concentration during the application process.
- Community Health and Health Behavior (CHHB) requires 18 SH and 6 SH capstone.
- Epidemiology (EPI) requires 20 SH and 4 SH capstone.
- Health Policy, Administration, and Leadership (HPAL) requires 18 SH and 6 SH capstone.
- Capstone courses include the field placement and professional paper, both completed by all students.
- The Applied Practice Experience (APE) courses vary by concentration. The number of hours to produce two professional deliverables is at least 90 but less than 240 hours, depending on concentration.
- The Integrated Learning Experience (ILE), or professional paper, courses vary by concentration.
MPH Program Core Courses
| Core Course Number | Semester Hours (SH) | Course Name |
|---|---|---|
| MPH 6034 | 1 | Foundations of Rural Health |
| MPH 6041 | 2 | Principles of Epidemiology |
| MPH 6042 | 3 | Public Health Organization and Administration |
| MPH 6043 | 3 | Public Health Planning and Evaluation |
| MPH 6044 | 2 | Principles of Health Policy |
| MPH 6045 | 2 | Strategies for Public Health Communication |
| MPH 6046 | 2 | Environmental Public Health Principles |
| BIOS 7021 | 3 | Biostatistics for Health Professionals 1 |
Total Semester Hours: 18
To learn more about our competency-based learning model, the foundational and concentration-specific competencies, the courses in which they are assessed, and their interpretations, please review the current version of our MPH Competency Course Maps and Interpretations.
For more information on the MPH program, please contact the MPH Program Director, Dr. Bianca Hall, PhD, MCHES at hallmarl14@ecu.edu or MPH@ecu.edu.