Five-year Plan Offers BS and MPH
MPH students engage in problem solving
The College of Applied Health Sciences now offers undergraduate students in Kinesiology, Community Health, and Interdisciplinary Health the opportunity to obtain their baccalaureate degrees as well as a Master of Public Health in just five years. The BS-MPH program combines coursework from a student's senior year with a fifth year of graduate study. Most MPH degree programs require two full years of study, including the University of Illinois' regular MPH program. The accelerated program reduces that commitment by a year, but it is no less rigorous or comprehensive. The MPH program at Illinois requires students to complete 48 credit hours, with at least one course from each of five core areas in public health: epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health and social behavior, and health policy.
"The MPH is the flagship degree in public health and opens many more doors professionally than a bachelor's degree alone," said Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, head of the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, which houses the MPH program. "Students who complete both degrees in five years can jumpstart their careers in health with stronger credentials and skills."
Students may apply for the five-year program from the beginning of the first semester of their junior year through the end of the first semester of their senior year. Upon completion of the program, which offers a strong academic and applied background in public health, students will be prepared to assume leadership roles in the field.