Community Health

Head of the Department: Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko
Catherine Paceley, Graduate Program Secretary
Department of Community Health
127 Huff Hall
1206 South Fourth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-6877
chlth-gp@als-nts.als.uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Community Health offers programs of study leading to the Master of Science in Community Health, Master of Science in Rehabilitation, Master of Science in Public Health (M.S.P.H.) in Community Health, and Doctor of Philosophy in Community Health degrees. The M.S. 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. in Community Health degree specializes in community health education. 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 paper-based (250 on the computer-based) 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 (A = 4.0) 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 (GRE) 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, one example of professional writing with the date of its completion, 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 (A = 4.0) for the last 60 hours of undergraduate degree work (excluding fieldwork, student teaching, and physical activity courses), a GPA of 3.6 for master’s degree work with thesis, and acceptable scores on 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.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in this program.

Master of Science in Community Health

The specializations in epidemiology and health behavior require a minimum of 32 hous of graduate credit. 12 hours must be at the 500 level, with 8 of these hours in community health courses. The program includes completion of 12 hours 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 (4 hours) is required. Students entering the program will be expected to have completed undergraduate coursework 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 coursework, 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 48 hours of graduate credit is required; 24 hours must be at the 500 level, with 12 of these hours in community health courses. The program includes 32 hours 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 (4 hours). Students entering the program are expected to have completed undergraduate coursework 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 coursework, as necessary, for successful completion of the degree.

Master of Science in Rehabilitation

Candidates for the M.S. in Rehabilitation must complete at least 40 hours of graduate work. At least 12 hours must be at the 500 level and 8 of these must be in community health. A thesis is not required but may be written for 8 hours of credit. Students entering the program will be expected to have completed an undergraduate degree in a rehabilitation-related discipline and/or have 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. As with all programs, the Graduate College allows students to petition to transfer up to three units of coursework completed prior to admittance to the department. Any approved graduate courses taken on campus, in the summer immediately prior to admission count toward the degree and do not have to be transferred.

Master of Science in Public Health in Community Health

The program generally takes two years, depending upon prior education and experience. A minimum of 48 hours of graduate credit is required. 12 hours must be at the 500 level, with 8 of these hours in community health courses. The program includes 26 hours 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; 4 hours of fieldwork experience in the summer; and a thesis (4 hours). Students entering the program are expected to have completed undergraduate coursework 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 coursework, 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 coursework to remedy deficiencies. Candidates for the degree must complete a minimum of 64 hours of credit beyond the master’s degree, including the following: two community health 500-level courses in the area of specialization; one community health 591 research seminar; one 500-level course in advanced quantitative methods; one minor for a minimum of 16 hours, or two minors for a minimum of 8 hours each (in both cases outside the major field); and completion of an acceptable dissertation (32 hours). 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 8 hours of research skill courses. The candidate is required to pass written preliminary examinations covering community health and epidemiology, research methods and tools, the major area of specialization, the dissertation topic, 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.

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.

Faculty Research Interests

Faculty research interests cover a wide range of subjects, including aging studies, health education, community health development, health behavior, health policy, health planning and management, epidemiology, biostatistical and epidemiologic research methodology, health economics, evaluation research, and rehabilitation and disability studies.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available on a competitive basis to qualified students in the form of teaching and research assistantships, as well as tuition and service fee waivers.