| Graduate Programs
Admissions requirements vary slightly according to degree program. (See School of Public Health Bulletin for further details.) Prospective students are required to supplement the application and transcripts required by the Graduate Division with the School of Public Health application and three letters of recommendation. Foreign applicants must demonstrate adequate English language proficiency and are required to submit a current, official TOEFL score of 500 or better. All materials should be sent directly to the School of Public Health.
Master's Degree
The master's degree provides students with general and specific knowledge and skills for promoting and maintaining the physical, social, and mental health of the public. The MPH program further prepares students for a broad spectrum of public health careers at local, state, national, and international levels. The MS program provides students with a research-oriented education in a specific area of emphasis. Prospective students are expected to have acquired related work experience prior to admission. Students are admitted in fall and spring semesters.
General Requirements
MPH students follow a Plan B (non-thesis) program. MS students follow a Plan A (thesis) degree program. Plan A and Plan B students generally require 16 months of full-time enrollment to complete their master's degree programs.
Plan A (Thesis) Requirements
- Minimum of 30 credit hours, 18 or more in courses numbered 600-798
- One graduate seminar
- Foundation courses
- 6 credit hours of thesis research (PH 700)
- Other courses as designated by the student's thesis committee
- Final oral examination conducted by the thesis committee
Most students will exceed the 30-credit-hour minimum to meet their educational objectives.
Plan B (Non-thesis) Requirements
- Minimum of 30 credit hours, 18 or more in courses numbered 600-798
- One graduate seminar
- Foundation courses
- Other courses as designated by the student's program committee
- Field training experience (PH 791) of approximately three-months duration
- Final competency assessment
Most students will exceed the 30-credit-hour minimum to meet their educational objectives.
Concurrent Degrees
Concurrent degree programs are available with public health and other academic programs at the University. The Graduate Division recognizes two concurrent degree programs with public health: the master of science in nursing and the master of business administration. Students may be admitted to candidacy in both programs simultaneously. Students wishing to pursue degrees in public health and a field other than nursing or business must satisfactorily complete a year of course work in one degree prior to being admitted into the second field.
Programs with the College of Business Administration and the School of Nursing are most common; however, students have also combined study in public health with degree programs in social work, political science, geography, medicine, psychology, anthropology, and law, as well as with the certificate programs in urban and regional planning and in population studies.
U.S. Peace Corps Cooperative Agreement
The school and the U.S. Peace Corps signed an Agreement of Cooperation initiating a Master's International Program at the School of Public Health. This program allows simultaneous application to the U.S. Peace Corps and the University of Hawai'i at Manoa School of Public Health. Successful applicants would begin their master of public health studies at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.
After the first year, the student continues on to a Peace Corps assignment and may concurrently complete the School of Public Health field training requirement. Upon completion of the two-year Peace Corps assignment the student returns to the school for any remaining course work and the required final orals presentation.
Doctoral Degree
DrPH Degree
The DrPH program is designed to emphasize the multidisciplinary application of public health sciences and methodologies to the understanding and solution of health problems. The program is managed as a school-wide effort and offers an opportunity to focus on a broad range of issues central to health services development and personal and community health promotion. The program provides a broad conceptual and research foundation for all students with adequate opportunity for each student to undertake advanced study and research in a significant area of public health concern. The approach to program development emphasizes issue and problem-oriented themes rather than the conventional subdisciplinary categories of the master's program.
In addition to the general requirements described elsewhere in this catalog, admission requirements include:
1. Completion of a master's degree from an accredited graduate public health program or equivalent (Students admitted without MPH degrees will be required to satisfy specified course requirements during the qualifying period. These courses do not count towards the course work required for the DrPH degree);
2. Evidence of a high quality of academic achievement with a GPA of 3.5 or better in post-baccalaureate's study;
3. At least three years of experience in professional public health practice, normally following the master's degree, sufficient to demonstrate a high level of competence and potential for leadership in teaching, research, or service or its equivalent;
4. Submission of GRE General Test scores by the application deadline;
5. Three letters of recommendation; and
6. Evidence that the candidate has clear goals for his or her academic program and has the capacity to complete an acceptable doctoral dissertation within a reasonable period of time. Additional factors to be considered in the admission process are availability of school resources and faculty expertise in the applicants area of interest.
Applicants may be asked to participate in interviews either with School of Public Health faculty members or with designated individuals if applicants are not able to appear in Hawai'i.
Degree Requirements
The DrPH degree requires academic and fieldwork sufficient to meet the educational objectives of each student. A minimal program generally includes the equivalent of four semesters of advanced academic work exclusive of dissertation research. The scope and sequence of each program is determined on an individual basis by the responsible faculty committees. This academic work provides each student with a balanced course of study that includes (1) analytic methods and research design; (2) advanced public health theory and practice; (3) participation in a doctoral seminar, and (4) course work in departments outside the school relevant to the student's area of interest and inquiry. All graduate faculty of the school are part of the DrPH faculty.
Significant milestones in the DrPH program include (1) the qualifying examination, normally at the completion of the first academic year of study, which assesses the student's progress to date and readiness to proceed with the selection of a doctoral committee; (2) the comprehensive examination (written and oral), to assess the student's mastery of his or her major focus; (3) preparation of a dissertation presenting original and independent research findings; and (4) completion of an oral final examination in defense of the dissertation and related subjects. Full-time students with appropriate entrance requirements can complete the pre-dissertation phase of the degree within two academic years and the dissertation in a third year.
Completion of the DrPH degree program will prepare individuals to assume leadership positions in the field of professional public health practice, teaching, and research. |
