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Programs of Study, 1997-1999
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
COMMUNITY HEALTH
Head of the Department: Lee A. Crandall
Correspondence and Information: Coordinator of Graduate Studies, Department of Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 121 Huff Hall, 1206 South Fourth Street, Champaign, IL 61820; (217) 333-6877.
URL: http://www.als.uiuc.edu/chlth/grad-prog/grad-std.htm
GRADUATE FACULTY
Professors: R. W. Armstrong, M. K. Buetow, L. A. Crandall, P. B. Imrey, P. Leung, R. G. Mortimer, L. B. O'Reilly, T. W. O'Rourke, R. F. Rich, C. Schiro-Geist, R. L. Sprague
Associate Professors: R. Alston, M. J. Armstrong, R. J. Buchanan, U. D. Kitron, J. S. Reis, L. Rubinson, S. Trupin, R. M. Weigel, C. R. Young
Assistant Professors: R. E. Austin, B. J. Chakravorty, D. L. Gottheil, L. L. Hungerford, J. Kennedy, D. M. Main, K.A. Rosenblatt
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
The Department of Community Health offers programs of study leading to the master of science (M.S.) in community health, master of science (M.S.) in rehabilitation, master of science in public health (M.S.P.H.) in community health, and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in community health degrees. The M.S. degree in community health has specializations in epidemiology, health behavior, and health policy and administration. The M.S. in rehabilitation offers options in rehabilitation counseling (accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education), rehabilitation administration, general rehabilitation, and supported employment. The M.S.P.H. degree specializes in community health education and is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The Ph.D. program is designed to prepare graduates for positions of leadership in teaching, research, and service in universities, industries, and private and government agencies in the United States and in other countries. Opportunities are available for graduate students who desire to concentrate in other public health areas through an intercampus program with the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
ADMISSION
Admission is for the fall semester only. The Graduate College admission requirements apply for all applicants. Applicants whose native language is not English, or who have not obtained a university degree from an institution in a country where the native language is English, must obtain a minimum score of 600 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In addition, if applicants whose native language is not English are seeking an assistantship they must also complete the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and obtain a score of at least 50.
Candidates for admission to master's degree programs must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester hours of their undergraduate degree work (excluding fieldwork, student teaching, and physical activity courses). In addition, satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination are required. Applicants should have a bachelor's degree in a health or disability related discipline and/or a strong background in social and biological sciences and quantitative methods. A statement of education and career goals and three letters of recommendation are required.
Admission requirements for the Ph.D. program include the following: a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 hours of undergraduate degree work (excluding fieldwork, student teaching, and physical activity courses), an average of 3.6 for master's degree work with thesis, and acceptable scores on the Miller Analogies Test and the Graduate Record Examination. Candidates are required to have a personal interview with the coordinator of graduate studies or other representative of the department. Preference is given to students who have had at least two years of professional experience. A statement of education and career goals and three letters of recommendation are required.
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMMUNITY HEALTH
The specializations in epidemiology and health behavior require a minimum of eight units of graduate credit. Three units must be at the 400 level, with two of these units in community health courses. The program includes completion of three units of core courses, which are intended to provide overall knowledge of the public health field and the tools necessary for successful functioning as a health specialist. A thesis (one to two units) is required. Students entering the program will be expected to have completed undergraduate course work in data collection and processing, including issues of measurement and questionnaire design, computerization, descriptive health measures, and statistical analysis through regression. Courses must have been completed with grades of B or better. Deficiencies in these areas will require additional course work, as necessary, for successful completion of the master of science degree.
The specialization in health policy and administration generally takes two years, depending upon prior education and experience. A minimum of 12 units of graduate credit is required; six units must be at the 400 level, with three of these units in community health courses. The program includes eight units of required courses, which are intended to provide an overall knowledge of the public health field and the tools necessary for successful functioning as a health policy and administration specialist, and a thesis or research project (one unit). Students entering the program are expected to have completed undergraduate course work in economics, social sciences, and data collection and processing, which includes issues of measurement, questionnaire design, computerization, descriptive health measures, and statistical analysis through regression. Courses must have been completed with grades of B or better. Deficiencies in these areas will require additional course work, as necessary, for successful completion of the degree.
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN REHABILITATION
Candidates for the M.S. degree in rehabilitation must complete at least 10 units of graduate work. At least three units must be at the 400 level, and two of these must be in community health. A thesis is not required but may be written for two units of credit. Students entering the program will be expected to have completed an undergraduate degree in a rehabilitation-related discipline and/or a strong background in the social and biological sciences, and a course in introductory statistics. A full-time student can complete the program in three or four semesters.
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH IN COMMUNITY HEALTH
The program for the M.S.P.H. degree, which is in community health education, is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The program generally takes two years, depending upon prior education and experience. A minimum of 12 units of graduate credit is required. Three units must be at the 400 level, with two of these units in community health courses. The program includes 6.5 units of required courses that are intended to provide an overall knowledge of the public health field and the tools necessary for successful functioning as a community health education specialist; one unit of fieldwork experience in the summer; and a thesis (one to two units). Students entering the program are expected to have completed undergraduate course work in data collection and processing, including issues of measurement and questionnaire design, computerization, descriptive health measures, and statistical analysis through regression. Courses must have been completed with grades of B or better. Deficiencies in these areas will require additional course work, as necessary, for successful completion of the degree.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN COMMUNITY HEALTH
A master's degree with a thesis or equivalent is required for applicants to the Ph.D. program. Graduate course experience in public health and statistics with grades of B or better is expected prior to admission. Before admission to the Ph.D. program, students may be required to take up to three units of additional course work to remedy deficiencies. Candidates for the degree must complete a minimum of 16 units of credit beyond the master's degree, including the following: two community health 400-level courses in the area of specialization; one community health 490 research seminar; one 400-level course in advanced quantitative methods; one minor for a minimum of four units, or two minors for a minimum of two units each (in both cases outside the major field); and completion of an acceptable dissertation (eight units). In addition, candidates must demonstrate the ability to speak and read two foreign languages, complete four units of research skill courses, or demonstrate the ability to speak and read one foreign language and complete two units of research skill courses. The candidate is required to pass written preliminary examinations covering community health, application of social science, epidemiology, research and quantitative methods, the major area of specialization, and the minor field; to pass an oral preliminary examination on the area of specialization and dissertation proposal; and to pass an oral defense of dissertation research.
FACULTY RESEARCH INTERESTS
Faculty research interests cover a wide range including, aging studies, health education, community health development, health behavior, health policy, health planning and management, epidemiology, biostatistical and epidemiologic research methodology, evaluation research, and rehabilitation and disability studies.
MEDICAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM
This program allows the student interested in medicine and community health to earn both the M.D. and Ph.D. (community health) degrees while gaining multidisciplinary research experience. Individually tailored programs can be developed within the requirements of both programs. Degree work will be arranged to accommodate the schedules of both programs. However, the course of study in community health will be equivalent to that of all other doctoral candidates. Write to the program director of the Medical Scholars Program, College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign, 190 Medical Sciences Building, 506 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, for further information regarding the program.
RESOURCES
Housed in the department is the Health Services Research Laboratory for student and faculty research, instruction, and service, the Rehabilitation Research and Evaluation Center, and the university's Office of Gerontology and Aging Studies.
FINANCIAL AID
Financial aid is available on a competitive basis to qualified students in the form of teaching and research assistantships and tuition and service fee waivers.
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