MASTER’S DEGREE IN MCH

Overview:  The online master’s degree in Maternal and Child Health provides access to graduate education for working professionals whose career goals are firmly focused on improving the health of women, children, and families in domestic and international settings.  Developed with support from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Maternal and Child Health, the online MPH and MSPH degree programs provide the flexibility of distance delivery to students seeking a part-time course of graduate study in MCH. All MCH online courses are taught by MCH faculty of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. 

Curriculum:  The curriculum for online MPH and MSPH degree students parallels the residential master’s degree programs in MCH, but as part-time students, distance education students are expected to complete their degrees at a slower pace.  Online master’s degree students form a new cohort each January at which point they enroll in two of the required MCH core courses - MHCH 701: Foundations of MCH – and the leadership seminar, MHCH 790: Fundamentals of Leadership in MCH.  MPH and MSPH degree seeking students will also take SPH core courses, MCH methods courses and electives.  Additional requirements for a degree in MCH are the field practicum, comprehensive exam, and master’s paper.  All course work can be completed online with the exception of one five-day session held on the UNC campus in early January. 

CERTIFICATE IN MCH LEADERSHIP

Overview:  The Certificate in MCH Leadership is a three-course, 10-credit-hour program of study designed to provide practitioners with core knowledge, skills and competencies for promoting the health of the MCH population in domestic and global settings.  Major emphasis is placed on critically evaluating population-based solutions to complex health problems in MCH, with maternal and child health being defined in the broadest sense to include physical, political, economic, cultural, and psychosocial factors.  The Certificate is intended to build field leadership in addressing health disparities in MCH and in defining a population-based vision for improving health and well-being of women, children, youth and families.

Curriculum:  Two of the Certificate courses focus on critical thinking about the determinants of well-being of the MCH population.  The third course focuses on Public Health and MCH Leadership.  While specifically designed for distance education students and delivery via the Internet, Certificate courses are equivalent to those available to residential master's degree students in the Department of MCH. Students will be able to register, access course materials, interact with faculty, and successfully complete this program with only one four-day visit to the campus.  With successful completion of the MCH Certificate and upon admittance to the online master’s degree program, the 10 credits obtained in the Certificate can be approved for transfer toward an MPH or MSPH in MCH. 

For more information:

www.sph.unc.edu/mch/mch_leadership_certificate_overview_12092_9866.html 

or contact Marcia Roth, MPH, Director of Training Initiatives in MCH

marcia_roth@unc.edu