The online Master of Public Health in Health Promotion program prepares students for careers in a variety of public health areas. The MPH program includes required coursework as outlined in the 2 year course plan presented here, and can be completed in as little as 2 years, or stretched out and completed at a part-time pace. 

Students progress through 9 core MPH courses, 3 concentration-specific courses, and 4 elective courses. Students also participate in a 6-credit applied practice experience at a public health agency in their area. Within this internship experience, students also complete a graduate public health project and present this project to their classmates and stakeholders. 

MPH core courses include topics in biostatistics, epidemiology, social and structural determinants of health, behavior change counseling, environmental health, health policy and management, and research methods and program evaluation.

Students also complete coursework in the health promotion concentration with topics in chronic disease epidemiology and prevention, innovations in healthcare and public health, and intervention mapping.

Students plan their coursework to meet personal learning objectives and career goals by completing four online electives from disciplines such as Anthropology, Fitness/Wellness, Nutrition, Psychology, Educational Psychology, Sociology, and Applied Indigenous Studies.

Courses include innovative uses of service learning activities, simulation, and case studies, so that students don’t just learn about public health, they learn how to apply these concepts into real world settings.

Mission

To train a highly qualified public health workforce through teaching, community service and scholarship to improve public health through practices, policy changes, leadership and management work, and creative interventions in Arizona with a focus on rural, tribal, and border communities.

Vision

To improve health, well-being and quality of life in Arizona with a focus on rural, tribal, and border communities.

Goals

1) Teaching Goal: Provide students with hands-on learning experiences, mentoring, and opportunities for leadership development to promote health equity, the needs of marginalized communities, tribal communities and/or rural communities.

2) Community Service Goal: Work with community partners to identify and address public health needs and provide students with opportunities to gain hands-on experience in community-based projects; Support partnerships that engage students, staff and faculty in community service and provide expertise to support community organizations in meeting the needs of regional populations.

3) Research Goal: Engage faculty, staff and students in scholarship partnerships with public health agencies and community partners to address regional public health needs; Conduct research and provide students with opportunities to work on research related to health equity.

4) Student-focused Goal: Train students to become culturally immersed, aware, knowledgeable, and skillful public health practitioners.

A Master of Public Health degree provides graduates with the opportunity to improve the health and well-being of their community and beyond. Public health professionals explore public health challenges and propose solutions that are specific to the population affected. They conduct community needs assessments, develop and implement public health programs to address those needs, and evaluate the programs to determine effectiveness.

A graduate degree in public health strengthens depth of knowledge and builds competence in the skills necessary to be effective in the public health field. More experience and graduate degrees lead to higher salaries within the public health field. Employees with MPH degrees often manage public health programs, staff, and budgets.

Public health careers typically fall into one of the following six categories:

• Food, nutrition, and health (visit our MPH Nutrition program site, for more information)
• Health leadership and management
• Epidemiologic and biostatistical methods for research
• Global environment sustainability and health
• Health systems and policy
• Aging and public health

Check out this list of 100 career ideas in public health.

For more information about careers and public health and salaries, visit https://www.bestcolleges.com/careers/public-health-majors/

Baccalaureate degree. Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from a four-year college or university, or its international equivalent with a 3.0 GPA or better in any subject. The baccalaureate degree can be in any subject.

Prior to applying please complete the following pre-requisite course: 1 semester of an intro or basic statistics course.

Students who have not completed the pre-requisite course prior to submitting their application will still be considered for the program as long as the applicant can demonstrate proof of enrollment in the course. (Upload a screenshot demonstrating course enrollment to the application.)

Students with an outstanding pre-requisite course must demonstrate that they completed the course with a C or better prior to the start of the program. Students will be dropped from the program if the pre-requisite course is not complete, or if a C or better was not earned, prior to the start of the program.

A pre-requisite course completed more than 10 years prior to the application deadline may need to be retaken.

The online MPH Health Promotion program can be completed full-time in 2 years, or spread out over a longer period of time at a part-time status.

To apply visit the NAU Graduate College website. The application opens on August 1st. The priority application deadline is January 15th. Applications that are submitted between January 16th and April 1st may be considered to fill any remaining openings. Required application components include:

• Application fee. The Graduate College requires a $65 application processing fee (non-refundable), which is paid online when you submit your application.
• Resume or Vita
• Personal Statement. Please write a one to two page letter of personal introduction and professional intent. Include the following information in your personal statement:
  • The concentration to which you are applying
  • Your academic focus or interest areas in health and wellness
  • Your professional goals and how the MPH Health Promotion program at NAU aligns with these goals
  • Evidence/examples of initiative and self-discipline needed to be successful in online programs
  • Identification as someone from a diverse or historically underrepresented group* (if applicable)
  • Experience working with others from a diverse or historically underrepresented group* (if applicable)
• Transcripts. Submit transcripts from all colleges and universities attended that contributed to the baccalaureate degree as well as transcripts documenting completion of the pre-requisite course (statistics). If you are enrolled in a pre-requisite course the same semester you apply, please include evidence of enrollment in the pre-requisite course.
• Graduate Record Examination. The Graduate Record Examination is NOT required and is NOT used to evaluate applicants.
• Letters of Recommendation. Applicants need three professional references who will submit recommendation forms on the NAU graduate application portal on their behalf. At least one reference should be a faculty member. At least one reference should be a supervisor or manager. The third reference can be either a supervisor/manager or a faculty member. (Applicants are encouraged to request letters of recommendation from faculty and supervisors at least 3-4 weeks prior to the application deadline.)
• International applicants: Applications submitted after January 15 will not be evaluated for admission, please apply to the next available admission term.
• International Students. If English is not your native language, you must provide proof of English proficiency from one of the following testing agencies:
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Scores are sent directly to NAU from ETS NAU’s Institutional Code is 4006.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Scores are sent directly to NAU from IELTS. The address to send IELTS scores is:

Center for International Education- NAU Attention: Meaghan Gruber 523 S Knoles Drive PO Box 5598 Flagstaff, AZ 86011

The minimum English proficiency scores for most programs are: 80 (TOEFL iBT) or 6.5 (IELTS). Scores must be sent directly to the Center for International Education from the Testing Institution.

• If you are a native speaker of English. Native speakers are considered applicants who are from and have completed a high school or university education at an institution in an English-speaking country. List of English speaking countries can be found at https://nau.edu/cie/education-abroad/programs/english-speaking-countries/
• If you have earned a bachelor’s degree (or higher) from a U.S. university or college.

*Definitions of “diverse or historically underrepresented groups” can be found here, as noted in the NAU Diversity Strategic Plan.

The complexity of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences and intersections of culture and circumstance. Such differences and intersections include race, sex, ethnicity, age, religion, language, ability/disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic, veteran or other status, or geographic region.

Historically underrepresented groups (HUG)

Those diverse groups, identities, and communities that historically are underrepresented, underserved, or marginalized at institutions of higher education.

Program Cost

Tuition

Up-to-date tuition, fees, and estimated living expenses for all NAU graduate programs can be found here: https://nau.edu/admissions/tuition-and-cost/tuition-expenses/.

Financial Aid

The NAU Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid can help students apply for Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Visit https://nau.edu/office-of-scholarships-and-financial-aid/ for more information.

Scholarships, fellowships and awards may also be available. Visit the Graduate College website and hover over Resources in the navigation bar for more information.

Graduate assistantships are typically not available for online graduate students.

College level assistantships may be available. Visit https://nau.edu/graduate-college/graduate-assistantships-tuition-waivers/ for more information about current assistantship openings.

Students will be placed in a single public health site or agency for their 6-credit course that will include an Applied Practice Experience (internship) and an Integrated Learning Experience project designed to benefit the agency. Students are eligible to complete the HS 609 course once they have completed a minimum of 75% of their MPH core courses.

Students are required to complete extensive paperwork requesting permission to enroll in HS 609 at least 1 semester prior to the semester they wish to enroll in the course. The documents the student is required to fill out prior to the Applied Practice Experience and Integrated Learning Experience invite the student to carefully think through the type of experience that will best align with their career goals, preparing them for work in the public health field.

Students will be able to select an agency they wish to work with or ask for assistance from the Academic Program Coordinator, Intermediate to find an agency that aligns with their career goals and interests. The Academic Program Coordinator, Intermediate contacts an agency representative to ask if they are willing to take an intern.

Once a site has been identified and permission has been granted from the agency overseeing the Applied Practice Experience and Integrated Learning Experience, the student works with their agency preceptor to select at least three CEPH core competencies and two additional MPH-Health Promotion competencies they wish to achieve for their Applied Practice Experience while working with the agency. Students also select at least 3 CEPH competencies to work on integrating in their Integrated Learning Experience.

During the semester that the student completes the 6-unit Applied Practice Experience and Integrated Learning Experience, students complete pre-planned tasks and deliverable products to demonstrate attainment of and integration of their selected CEPH competencies.

You can work with public health agencies in your geographic region, such as your local health department, or if you live in Northern Arizona consider the following agencies:

• NAU Health Promotion
• Coconino County Public Health Department
• Flagstaff YMCA
• Pinnacle Prevention
• Native Americans for Community Action
• North Country Healthcare

Q: Is this program offered online?

A: Yes, this is an online program.

Q: Do I need to have an undergraduate degree in public health to be eligible for this program?

A: No, your bachelor’s degree can be in anything. The only requirement is that you have a bachelor’s degree and that you have taken an intro/basic undergraduate-level statistics course (or passed the AP Statistics Exam).

Q: How many hours of public health experience is required to apply?

A: None. While gaining experience in public health prior to applying will certainly help you determine your fit within the profession, public health experience is not a requirement to apply. We do consider your readiness to serve underserved communities when reviewing your application, so we encourage you to describe experiences or attributes that make you equipped for this work.

Q: How do you evaluate applicants? What do you look for in applicants?

A: Applicants are evaluated based on their GPA; writing ability (as demonstrated in the personal statement); general fit for the program based on career goals and interests; previous experience managing multiple commitments along with evidence of initiative and self-discipline necessary for online programs; interest, experience and readiness to serve underserved communities; and letters of recommendation.

Q: Can I count previous courses taken from other institutions towards my degree?

A: Up to 9 credits may be transferred from another master’s degree, however, these requests must go through several levels of approval and stipulations apply. The university policy regarding graduate course transfers can be accessed here: https://www9.nau.edu/policies/Client/Details/550

Q: Are there assistantship opportunities or other opportunities for funding?

A: No, typically online graduate students are not eligible for graduate assistantships within the department.

To learn more about our MPH faculty & staff, click here.