Program Length

2.2.a. Definition of a credit with regard to classroom/contact hours.

A typical three credit hour semester course has contact time of three fifty minute periods each week for approximately sixteen weeks. Courses that meet fewer than three times per week or deviate from the 16 week schedule are scheduled to provide the same total number of contact hours. The policy on Determining the Amount and Level of Academic Credit, policy 4.2.3.R, is located at

http://policies.eku.edu/sites/policies.eku.edu/files/policies/academic/academic_credit/4.2.3_acad emic_credit.pdf.

The classroom contact: credit hour ratio at EKU, therefore, is 800 minutes: 1 credit hour. This calculation is based on sixteen 50-contact minute sessions. A 6:1:--ratio is used for assigned credit. Therefore, for every 1 credit hour awarded for the practicum experience course, students spend 4800 contact minutes in the field. For 3 credit hours, this equals 14,400 minutes (or 240 hours).

2.2.b. Information about the minimum degree requirements for all professional public health master’s degree curricula is shown in the instructional matrix. If the program or university uses a unit of academic credit or an academic term different from the standard semester or quarter, this difference should be explained and an equivalency presented in a table or narrative.

Tables 2.2.b.1 and 2.2.b.2 provide a detailed summary of the minimum degree requirements for the MPH professional degree, with options in Community Health Education and Environmental Health Science effective fall 2012 semester.

The degree requires 21 credit hours of core courses and 22 credit hours of required, elective, research, practicum, and capstone courses. The MPH degree Program conforms to accepted standards regarding program length and objectives of the credentials.

Table 2.2.b.1. Master of Public Health Program Curriculum, Community Health Education (CHE) Option (43 credit hours)

MPH Core (21 hours)

EHS 850 - Introduction to Environmental Health Science (3) HEA 810 - Human Behavior Change (3)

HEA 816 - Public Health Organization & Administration (3) HEA 830 - Biostatistics (3)

HEA 855 - Principles of Epidemiology (3)

HEA 840 - Research Methods in Community Health (3) or EHS 800 Environmental Health Research Process (3)

EHS 825 - Environmental Health Planning Community Health

Education Required Courses

(12 hours)

HEA 820 - Global Health (3)

HEA 825 - Planning & Evaluation of Health Programs (3) HEA 875 - Seminar in Contemporary Health Problems (3) HEA 898 - Health Care Delivery (3)

Electives (3 hours) – Students choose 3 hours from the following

HEA 791 - Women’s Health (3) HEA 792 - Human Sexuality (3) HEA 793 - Death and Grief (3)

HEA 795 - Alcohol Abuse and Dependency (3) HEA 804 - Drug Abuse and Dependency (3) HEA 856 - Applied Epidemiology (3)

EHS 880 - Food /Waterborne Disease (3) POL 877 - Public Finance Administration (3) Research (3 hours) HEA 880 – Scholarship in Community Health (3)

Practicum (3 hours) HEA 890 - Practicum in Community Health Education (3) Capstone (1 hour) MPH 895 - Public Health Capstone Course (1)

Exit Requirement (0 Credits)*

GRD 888A - MPH Oral Comprehensive Exam (0)

*Effective July 2010, the EKU Graduate School implemented a new recording format for comprehensive exams. All graduate students at EKU are required to register for a non-credit GRD section which allows for the grade on the oral comprehensive exam to be submitted electronically.

Table 2.2.b.2. Master of Public Health Program Curriculum, Environmental Health Science (EHS) Option (43 credit hours)

MPH Core (21 hours)

EHS 850 - Introduction to Environmental Health Science (3) HEA 810 - Human Behavior Change (3)

HEA 816 - Public Health Organization & Administration (3) HEA 830 - Biostatistics (3)

HEA 855 - Principles of Epidemiology (3)

EHS 800 - Research Methods (3) or HEA 840-Research Methods in Community Health (3)

EHS 825 - Environmental Health Planning (3) Environmental

Health Required Courses

(9 hours)

EHS 855 - Emergency Sanitation/Shelter/Environments (3) EHS 865 - Environmental Toxicology (3)

EHS 880 - Food/Waterborne Disease (3)

Research (3 hours) EHS 890 - Graduate Project in Environmental Health (3)

Practicum (3 hours) EHS 863 - Field Experience in Environmental Health (3) or EHS 839 Applied Learning in Environmental Health (3)

Capstone (1 hour) MPH 895 - Public Health Capstone Course (1) Exit Requirement (0

credits)

GRD 888A - MPH Oral Comprehensive Exam (0)*

*Electives for the EHS option

(students choose 6 hours from the following)

EHS 710 - Radiological Health (3)

EHS 840 - Industrial Hygiene Principles (3) EHS 841 - Essentials of Industrial Hygiene (3)

EHS 845 - Environmental Health Standards & Compliance (3) EHS 860 - Air Quality and Health (3)

EHS 875 - Principles of Ventilation (3)

EHS 885 - Crisis Management, Risk Communication/Assessment (3)

SSE 815 - Safety, Security, and Emergency Administration. (3) SSE 822 - Workers Compensation/Labor Law. (3)

*Effective July 2010, the EKU Graduate School implemented a new recording format for comprehensive exams. All graduate students at EKU are required to register for a non-credit GRD section which allows for the grade on the oral comprehensive exam to be submitted electronically.

2.2.c. Information about the number of professional public health master’s degrees awarded for fewer than 42 semester credit units, or equivalent, over each of the last three years. A summary of the reasons should be included.

Currently the MPH program requires 43 credit hours in both options. However, it must be noted that originally the MPH degree with a Community Health option was previously 36 credit hours prior to 2005. The change to 43 credit hours was a direct result of addressing identified needs in the previous self-study.

A total of four MPH degrees have been awarded with less than 42 hours. The academic year in which the degrees were awarded is provided in Table 2.2.c. MPH faculty made

Table 2.2.c. Number of MPH Degrees Awarded by Option for less than 42 Semester Hours for the Academic Years 2009-2012

Program

Option 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total for 3 years

CHE 2 1 1 4

MPH total 4

2.2.d. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.

This criterion is met.

Strengths

- The program length for both options in the MPH program is 43 credit hours. The program has an instructional matrix that details the minimum degree requirements. The MPH degree Program conforms to the accepted standards regarding program length. Prior to attaining the original CEPH accreditation, the MPH program in Community Health was 36 hours in length. Four students in the original 36-hour MPH program have graduated during this self-study cycle. There are no more students remaining in the 36-hour degree program.

Weaknesses/Plans

- This criteria is fully met, and plans are to continue to conform to the accepted criterion regarding program length.

2.3 Public Health Core Knowledge. All graduate professional public health degree