MCH 2017 2018 U Maternal And Child Health MPH

User Manual: MCH-U

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Maternal and Child Health
MPH Degree Program
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health
2017-2018
STUDENT GUIDEBOOK
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Welcome to the University of Minnesota School of Public Health!
All students are responsible for knowing the rules and policies that govern their academic program. To this end, we are providing
you with this guidebook which covers your specific academic program requirements. Please refer to it often.
Many Graduate School processes are in transition. Please stay in touch with your Program Coordinator as some paper processes
will convert to electronic processes.
In addition, you are responsible for knowing University of Minnesota and School of Public Health policies and procedures that
pertain to all students. Links to these policies and procedures can be found by clicking on the “Current Students” link at
http://www.sph.umn.edu/current/resources/.
The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and
employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance
status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
This publication can be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities. Direct requests to the Student Services
Center, School of Public Health, MMC 819 Mayo, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-626-3500 or 800-774-
8636.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................. 3
University of Minnesota Calendar 2017-2018 ................................................................... 6
FALL SEMESTER 2017 ................................................................................................. 6
SPRING SEMESTER 2018 .............................................................................................. 6
1. The School of Public Health ............................................................................ 7
1.1 About the School ............................................................................................... 7
Notable Accomplishments ........................................................................................... 7
Academic Health Center (AHC) ..................................................................................... 7
1.2 School of Public Health Student Services Center ........................................................ 7
School of Public Health Student Services Center ................................................................ 7
School of Public Health Student Services Center Staff .......................................................... 8
Career Services ........................................................................................................ 8
1.3 Mentor Program ................................................................................................. 9
1.4 SPH Student SPHere ........................................................................................... 9
1.5 Complaints and Grievances .................................................................................. 10
1.6 Field Experience Learning Agreement .................................................................... 10
1.7 Minors and Interdisciplinary Concentration Areas ...................................................... 10
Minors ................................................................................................................. 10
Interdisciplinary Concentration Areas ........................................................................... 10
1.8 Community Engagement Agreement ...................................................................... 10
1.9 Online Learning and E-Learning Resources ................................................................ 11
1.10 Course Evaluations and Yearly Student Survey ........................................................ 11
Course Evaluations .................................................................................................. 11
SPH Student Engagement Survey ................................................................................. 11
Career Survey ........................................................................................................ 11
1.11 The Roles of Your Advising team ......................................................................... 11
Defining Advising .................................................................................................... 11
Advising Expectations for Students ............................................................................... 12
1.12 Expectations for Class Participation ....................................................................... 12
1.13 Commencement Eligibility ................................................................................. 12
2. The University of Minnesota ......................................................................... 13
2.1 Mission ........................................................................................................... 13
2.2 U of M Basics .................................................................................................... 13
2.3 Campus Services ................................................................................................ 14
2.4 Health and Well Being .......................................................................................... 15
2.5 Diversity .......................................................................................................... 17
Diversity and Inclusiveness ........................................................................................ 17
2.6 Academic Resources ........................................................................................... 19
2.7 Campus Safety ................................................................................................... 20
2.8 Additional Resources ........................................................................................... 20
3. Registration .............................................................................................. 21
3.1 Full-Time Status ............................................................................................... 21
3.2 Registration Process .......................................................................................... 21
Step One .............................................................................................................. 21
Step Two ............................................................................................................. 21
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Step Three ........................................................................................................... 21
3.3 Grade Option Changes, Course Additions, Withdrawal and Evaluations ........................... 22
Change of Grade Option ........................................................................................... 22
Adding a Course ..................................................................................................... 22
Registration Exception Form ...................................................................................... 22
Course Cancellation and Withdrawal ............................................................................ 22
Repeat and Bracket Course Policy ................................................................................ 22
Other Transcript Symbols .......................................................................................... 22
Course Prerequisites ................................................................................................ 23
Grade Submission ................................................................................................... 23
Course Evaluations .................................................................................................. 23
3.4 Transfer Credit ................................................................................................. 24
Course Credit Transfer Policy ..................................................................................... 24
3.5 Equivalency Exams ............................................................................................ 24
4. Tuition, Fees, Billing, and Finances ................................................................ 25
4.1 My Finances tab on MyU ..................................................................................... 25
4.2 Tuition and Fees ............................................................................................... 25
4.3 Billing ............................................................................................................ 26
4.4 Financial Aid and Scholarships .............................................................................. 26
4.5 Graduate Assistantships ...................................................................................... 27
5. University Guidelines and Policies .................................................................. 27
5.1 Student Responsibility and Conduct ....................................................................... 27
5.2 University of Minnesota Policies ............................................................................ 28
5.3 Privacy ........................................................................................................... 30
5.4 Criminal Background Checks ................................................................................ 30
5.5 Use of Human Subjects in Research ....................................................................... 30
5.6 International Student Requirements ...................................................................... 31
6. Groups, Associations and Societies ................................................................... 32
6.1 Student Groups ................................................................................................ 32
6.2 Public Health Related Associations and Agencies ....................................................... 33
6.3 Alumni Societies ............................................................................................... 33
7. Maternal and Child Health MPH Degree Program ................................................ 34
7.1 Fall 2017 Standard and Advanced Standing (formerly Online) Program Curriculum .............. 34
7.2 Fall 2017 MCH Epidemiology Emphasis Program Curriculum ........................................... 37
Scientific Basis (6 credits) ......................................................................................... 37
Methodological and Analytical Skills (13 credits) .............................................................. 38
Management, Policy and Advocacy Skills (5-7 credits) ........................................................ 38
Culminating and Field Experience (4 credits) .................................................................. 39
Electives (to total 48 credits) ..................................................................................... 39
7.3 Other MPH Degree Requirements .......................................................................... 39
Changing Tracks: .................................................................................................... 39
Registration Requirement ......................................................................................... 39
Course Numbers and Graduate Credit ........................................................................... 39
MPH Study Plan ...................................................................................................... 39
Time Frame .......................................................................................................... 39
Course Transfer Credits ............................................................................................ 39
Course Substitutions and Waivers ................................................................................ 40
Application for Degree ............................................................................................. 40
7.4 Planning Your Schedule ...................................................................................... 40
7.5 Field Experience ............................................................................................... 41
Goals .................................................................................................................. 41
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How to Meet the Field Experience Requirement ............................................................... 41
How to Register and Complete the Field Experience ......................................................... 41
Relationship of Field Experience To Culminating Experience ................................................ 42
7.6 Culminating Experience ...................................................................................... 42
Purpose ............................................................................................................... 42
Project Options ...................................................................................................... 42
Culminating Experience Advisor .................................................................................. 48
Culminating Experience Committee for Options #2, 3, 4, and 5 ............................................ 48
Approval Process and Registration ............................................................................... 49
Human Subjects Information ...................................................................................... 49
Project Completion ................................................................................................. 49
Costs Associated with the Culminating Experience ............................................................ 50
Dissemination and Authorship (for Options #2, 3, 4, and 5) ................................................. 50
7.7 Oral Presentation and Examination for Options #2, 3, 4, and 5 ..................................... 50
Material Covered .................................................................................................... 51
Before the Examination ............................................................................................ 51
During the Exam ..................................................................................................... 51
After the Exam ...................................................................................................... 51
7.8 Career Survey .................................................................................................. 52
7.9 Program Faculty List .......................................................................................... 52
Primary Faculty ..................................................................................................... 52
Adjunct Faculty ..................................................................................................... 53
Health of college students; Urban Health ....................................................................... 53
7.10 Graduation Checklist .......................................................................................... 53
General steps for all MPH majors ................................................................................. 53
8. Division of Epidemiology and Community Health .................................................. 55
8.1 Welcome ........................................................................................................ 55
8.2 The West Bank Office Building (WBOB) ................................................................... 55
8.3 Division Communication with Students ................................................................... 56
8.4 Seminars ......................................................................................................... 56
8.5 Academic Credit for Independent or Directed Coursework ........................................... 56
8.6 Division Resources and Policies ............................................................................ 57
Incomplete Grades .................................................................................................. 57
Six Credit Minimum Exemption ................................................................................... 57
Sitting in on a Class ................................................................................................. 58
Support for Student Travel (effective 5/2017) ................................................................. 58
Payment for TA English Program ................................................................................. 58
SAS Access ............................................................................................................ 58
J.B. Hawley Student Research Award ............................................................................ 59
Martinson-Luepker Student Travel Award ....................................................................... 60
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health Student Support Policies ................................ 61
Requesting Letters of Support – 10 Tips for Students ......................................................... 61
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health Websites .................................................. 62
8.7 Division Advising Information ............................................................................... 62
Guidelines for Faculty/Student Interactions .................................................................... 63
Confidentiality ....................................................................................................... 63
Guidelines for Changing Advisors ................................................................................. 63
Student Guide to Mission, Definitions and Expectations of Advising ........................................ 64
Faculty Guide to Mission, Definitions and Expectations of Advising ........................................ 64
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UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CALENDAR 2017-2018
The official University Calendar can be found at http://onestop.umn.edu/.
FALL SEMESTER 2017
August
23,24,25
Equivalency Exams
30
SPH New Student Orientation
September
1
New PhD Student Reception
4
Labor Day holiday – University closed
5
Classes begin
November
14
Registration for Spring Semester 2017 begins
23-24
Thanksgiving holiday – University closed
December
13
Last day of instruction
15-16,18-21
Final examinations
21
End of Fall semester
25-26
University Closed
28
Grades due
SPRING SEMESTER 2018
January
TBA
Equivalency Exams
15
Martin Luther King holiday – University closed
16
Classes begin
March
12-16
Spring break – no classes
April
10
Registration for Summer term 2018 begins
May
4
Last day of instruction
7-12
Final examinations
12
End of Spring Semester
15
Grades due
21
May Intersession begins
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1. THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
1.1 ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The mission of the School of Public Health is to preserve and enhance the health of the public through education, research, and
service programs designed to discover and transmit new knowledge aimed at the prevention of disease and disability, the
improvement of health, and the planning, analysis, management, evaluation, and improvement of systems for the delivery of health
services.
Our school was founded in 1944, although public health courses have been offered at the University of Minnesota since its
inception. We consistently rank among the top schools of public health in the country.
Through our education, research, and community outreach, we focus on improving the health of populations. We emphasize
prevention of illness and injury, and we look at health through a multi-faceted prism that includes physiology, the environment,
communities, economics, and public policy.
This interdisciplinary approach allows us to collaborate with many other schools throughout the University, including the College of
Veterinary Medicine, the School of Dentistry, the College of Pharmacy, the Medical School, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs,
the Carlson School of Management, College of Biological Sciences, School of Social Work, School of Statistics, School of Nursing,
and Law School. By combining our expertise, we can explore innovative, far-reaching ways of maintaining and improving the health
of the people in Minnesota and throughout the country and world.
Notable Accomplishments
§ Invented K Rations.
§ Improved the recovery of World War II survivors through the Minnesota Starvation Study (1944).
§ Established the connection between diet and heart disease in the Seven Countries Study (1967).
§ Established the first U.S. Ph.D. program in epidemiology (1958).
§ Conducts one of the largest HIV/AIDS studies in the world, involving 120 countries.
§ Trains the majority of the public health workforce in the Upper Midwest.
§ Was the first school of public health in the country to require a course in ethics.
Academic Health Center (AHC)
The School of Public Health is one of the six schools and colleges that make up the Academic Health Center at the University of
Minnesota. The others include the disciplines of medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. Strong
interdisciplinary centers and programs in bioethics, cancer, genomics, infectious disease, drug design, food safety, and spirituality
and healing augment the broad range of professional health education and research efforts.
1.2 SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH STUDENT SERVICES CENTER
Office Hours
Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Location
Mayo Memorial Building, Room A395
Telephone
612.626.3500 or 800.774.8636
Fax
612.624.4498
Email
sph-ask@umn.edu
Mailing Address
Student Services Center
School of Public Health
MMC 819, Rm A395 Mayo Bldg
420 Delaware Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0381
School of Public Health Student Services Center
The Student Services Center is a school-wide office that assists students with all phases of their academic journey. The SSC staff
works closely with the program coordinators to create a set of school-wide and program-specific services. You will be interacting
with us directly or indirectly throughout your education here.
The Student Services Center is dedicated to serving a diverse community of future and current SPH students by enhancing the
student experience, supporting the achievement of educational and career goals, and empowering future public health leaders.
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We coordinate many functions including:
§ Career Counseling
§ Applications
§ Orientation
§ Class Scheduling
§ Student Tracking
§ SPH Scholarships
§ Registration
§ Graduation Clearance
§ Commencement
School of Public Health Student Services Center Staff
TITLE
NAME
EMAIL
PHONE
Associate Dean for Learning Systems and
Student Affairs
Dr. Kristin Anderson
ander116@umn.edu
STUDENT SERVICES
Senior Director of Student Services
Tim Kamenar
kamen001@umn.edu
(612) 626-5005
Registrar and Director of Academic and Student
Affairs
Carol Francis
franc004@umn.edu
(612) 624-6952
Assistant to the Registrar
Mercedes Taneja
estra021@umn.edu
Student Services Office Manager
(612) 624-7660
CAREER SERVICES
Director of Career and Professional Development
Center
Vic Massaglia
victorm@umn.edu
(612) 626-5443
Associate Director of Career and Professional
Development Center
Darren Kaltved
dkaltved@umn.edu
(612) 626-4448
Assistant Director of Career & Professional
Development Center
Megan Lafontaine Gallert
meganlaf@umn.edu
(612) 301-9502
RECRUITMENT, ENGAGEMENT, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Recruitment and Enrollment Manager
Jenna Egan
egan0056@umn.edu
(612) 624-0601
Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Lauren Eldridge
leldridg@umn.edu
(612) 624-9970
Coordinator for Student Recruitment and
Engagement
Crystal Esparza
espa0018@umn.edu
(612) 624-6915
Coordinator for Applications and Admissions
Jennifer Arntzen
arntz007@umn.edu
(612) 624-1991
Career Services
The Career and Professional Development Center offers a variety of services and resources to assist you in your efforts to locate
and apply for professional positions – from field experiences (internships) and residencies to fellowships and full-time
positions. Our Center believes that every individual has unique potential and should have the opportunity to pursue a meaningful
and fulfilling career. Our goal is to facilitate the career and professional development process with you to ensure you have the
confidence in conducting a competitive job search and help you maximize you career potential. We do so, by offering one-on-one
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career coaching, programming, field experience advising and directly working with employers. As a student and later as an
alumnus/alumna, you are able to take advantage of the following resources to help you achieve your career goals.
Career and Professional Development Website
The Career and Professional Development website at http://www.sph.umn.edu/careers/ has many links to help you start your new
career, including:
§ One-on-one Career Coaching: You may schedule individual appointments with one of our award-winning, evidence-based
career coaches (Vic Massaglia and Darren Kaltved) to discuss any career or professional development topics, from creating
a top-notch resume to ideas for field experiences, interviewing, and presentation skills. Appointments are also available via
Video or Phone. To schedule an appointment, please
visit http://sphcareers.appointments.umn.edu or email sphcareers@umn.edu.
§ Jobs / Internships: Our online job posting system includes listings for internships/field experiences, graduate assistantships
and fellowships, volunteer, part-time and full-time career opportunities (http://www.ahc.umn.edu/sphjobs/).
§ Field Experiences: Apply your public health coursework, knowledge and skills in a real-world setting through your field
experience. All Master’s in Public Health (MPH) students must complete a field experience as part of degree program
requirements. Field experiences can be paid or unpaid. For more information on resources, past opportunities and
requirements please visit: http://www.sph.umn.edu/careers/fe/. In addition, individual appointments for field experience
questions can be scheduled with the Field Experience Coordinator at: http://sphfield.appointments.umn.edu/.
§ Career Resources: General career-related links, guides and tip sheets on a variety of job-search related topics
(www.sph.umn.edu/careers/students/)
§ Career Connect 2018: Through personal interaction with a variety of organizations, School of Public Health
(SPH) students will network with organizational representatives and will have the opportunity to effectively communicate their
unique experiences, interests, strengths and skills. Students will also learn more about the many career options in public
health. Regardless of where you are at in your program, this is a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with public health
organizations. In turn, organizations will meet talented students and potential candidates for employment opportunities, and
have the opportunity to further develop collaborations across SPH
1.3 MENTOR PROGRAM
Our mentor program connects public health students to public health professionals to help with career and professional
development. Mentoring relationships can benefit both mentors and mentees. For mentees, the program can have a key impact on
future career choices. For mentors, helping the next generation of public health leaders can be rewarding and impactful.
The School of Public Health boasts the largest mentor program of any school of public health, serving approximately 500 students
and mentors with special events and helpful resources for mentor pairs. We work to provide students with diverse professional
experiences and recognize the role that mentors have in training future public health leaders. These relationships have proven to
be enriching and longstanding.
For more information, visit http://sph.umn.edu/current/mentor/.
1.4 SPH STUDENT SPHERE
Make use of the SPH Student SPHere (Commons) to relax or study with your student colleagues. All students actively registered in
an SPH degree program have access to the SPH Student SPHere (Mayo A150) via their U-Card. The Student Commons has the
following amenities:
§ Locker room – Free lockers are assigned in the Student Services Center (Mayo A395). Students need to renew their locker
each year and provide their own lock.
§ Kitchen area with tables, chairs, microwaves, refrigerators, sink, and a telephone for free local calls.
§ Lounge area with couches, chairs, and wireless internet.
§ Study room with tables, chairs, computers (with internet connectivity, Microsoft Office, SAS and STATA software) and a
printer.
Please work together to ensure that the SPHere is a comfortable and safe place.
§ Keep all areas of the SPHere clean in consideration of others.
§ Please protect the security of access. Do not allow anyone to enter behind you that you do not know to be a SPH student.
Never prop the door open for any reason. The student commons is for SPH students only.
§ If you are aware of a breach of security or if you see something in the commons that needs repair, please report it to the
SSC (A395 Mayo) as soon as possible.
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§ Avoid being alone in the commons during the evening or early morning.
§ If you believe you are in danger or see improper activity in progress, call 9-1-1.
Printing in the SPHere
The School of Public Health (SPH) provides $100 worth of printing (1,000 pages) for each Fall and Spring semesters on your U
Card. This value can ONLY to be used in the SPHere computer lab (Mayo A-151) and is not valid in any other campus
computer lab, including libraries.
When you swipe your card at a print release station, UniPrint will show a balance on the screen. This balance is a combination of
the print value given to you by SPH and your Gopher GOLD balance. In order to determine how much print value you have left, you
need to subtract your Gopher GOLD balance from the balance shown on screen. Once the $100 SPH Print Value is exhausted,
printing costs will be deducted from your Gopher GOLD account. To view your current balance and transaction history or to add
value to your Gopher GOLD account online, please visit http://www.gophergold.umn.edu/. If you experience any printing issues or
need to request a refund, please contact the lab attendant or call the SPH Student Services Center at (612) 626-3500.
1.5 COMPLAINTS AND GRIEVANCES
The SPH seeks to be aware of and responsive to student issues and complaints. There are numerous ways for you to channel
your academic and student life concerns:
§ Provide comments on the yearly student survey (in March).
§ Meet with your advisor and/or program coordinator.
§ Raise the issue with your program director or director of graduate studies, either individually or in a meeting set up for this
kind of feedback.
The SPH takes all student concerns seriously and we welcome your input in any of these ways. If the matter is not handled
satisfactorily by any of these methods, or if the issue is particularly widespread or serious, please make an appointment with Dr.
Kristin Anderson, Associate Dean for Learning Systems and Student Affairs, at ander116@umn.edu.
The University provides resources as well. Report incidents of bias, discrimination, or harassment to the University Office of Equal
Opportunity and Affirmative Action at www.eoaffact.umn.edu. For student issues that are not resolved through SPH channels or for
which you seek external support, the Student Conflict Resolution Center will assist in resolving campus-based problems or
concerns www.sos.umn.edu.
1.6 FIELD EXPERIENCE LEARNING AGREEMENT
All students pursuing a required field experience or summer residency must complete an online learning agreement prior to
beginning the experience. The online form provides a streamlined process that is comprehensive for you, your preceptors, your
faculty advisor and your program coordinator. Please refer to the current student website for this and other resources related to the
field experience http://www.sph.umn.edu/careers/fe/. Students exploring international field experience opportunities need to begin
the process six to eight weeks before departure, and need to be aware of requirements specific to international travel.
More detailed information about the field experience can be found in the program portion of the guidebook.
1.7 MINORS AND INTERDISCIPLINARY CONCENTRATION AREAS
Minors
SPH students pursuing an MHA, MPH, MS, PhD are eligible to declare a minor in other areas. For a listing of graduate level
minors click on https://onestop2.umn.edu/pcas/viewCatalogSearchForm.do. Contact your coordinator for how to add a minor.
Interdisciplinary Concentration Areas
SPH Master of Public Health students have the option to add an interdisciplinary concentration area, Public Health Policy (PHPIC),
to their program of study. For more information and link to the required forms go to www.sph.umn.edu/academics/ic/.
1.8 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENT
Many students in the School of Public Health volunteer in the community. Liability insurance is available through the University
provided that the student registers for PUBH 0020 (a zero credit class), and has the approval of their academic faculty advisor.
Registration for PubH 0020 will be officially documented on the student’s transcript; however, the zero credit course has no tuition,
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no fees, no credits, and no grades. It is important to understand that a zero credit registration for a community engagement activity
is not a substitute for a required course or field experience.
Prior to registration, students are required to provide information about the experience by completing the Community Engagement
Agreement available at www.ahc.umn.edu/sphcommunity. The agreement is complete once it has been approved by the student’s
advisor and the Registrar and Director of Academic and Student Affairs.
To complete the Student Engagement Agreement a student must provide the following information:
§ Name of the organization
§ Address
§ Organization phone number
§ Supervisor within the organization
§ Description of the activity
§ Description of how this activity relates to their development as a public health professional
§ Semester and date of experience
§ Electronic signature of academic advisor
When the agreement is approved, the student will be contacted by email and provided with a registration permission number.
1.9 ONLINE LEARNING AND E-LEARNING RESOURCES
Students can access their online courses, as well as support sites for hybrid and face-to-face courses at https://myu.umn.edu. All
students taking SPH courses are welcome to enroll in the SPH E-Learning Resources course site at
https://z.umn.edu/sphelearningresources. You will have access to a variety of resources to support you in navigating University
resources, such as the Libraries and Writing Center, and be able to refresh the skills you need to succeed in SPH courses. You
must have a university ID in order to access Moodle or Canvas (the two learning management systems in use at the University).
Students in online courses will receive a welcome email approximately a week before the semester begins, which will detail when
you can access the course sites. If you have questions, please contact decsph@umn.edu.
1.10 COURSE EVALUATIONS AND YEARLY STUDENT SURVEY
Course Evaluations
Students provide very important input into the continued development of the School of Public Health’s teaching program. Students
will be asked to complete evaluations for all SPH courses. Evaluations are done online at the end of each term.
SPH Student Engagement Survey
Students also are strongly encouraged to evaluate and comment on the school and its programs through our annual SPH Student
Engagement Survey. The survey covers many aspects of student experiences including field placements, career services,
financing, and overall School service.
Career Survey
Recent graduates are encouraged to complete the Career Survey. The survey captures important employment information,
compensation norms and contact information.
1.11 THE ROLES OF YOUR ADVISING TEAM
The School of Public Health provides advising that promotes collaboration among students, staff and faculty to enhance students’
academic and professional development in the field of public health. The School’s goal is to provide educational and experiential
excellence that prepares students for successful careers improving the health of populations.
Defining Advising
The School of Public Health is committed to creating and sustaining high quality advising in the following four areas:
1. Administrative Advising: advising on course planning and scheduling, policies, procedures and benchmarks of the degree
program/major, SPH, and the University. Your program coordinator is your first point of contact for these questions.
2. Academic Advising: general guidance on topics related to program/major including, but not limited to, program focus (may
include identifying appropriate course work options), project selection and career planning. Students find their faculty advisors,
coordinators and career services staff helpful in answering these questions.
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3. Field Experience/Internship/Practicum Advising: specific and targeted advising for field experience/internship/practicum
development, placement and completion. Your faculty advisor can assist you as you select the type of field experience that
would best match your goals. Career Services staff can help you to learn how to network with other students and alums to
explore possible field experiences sites.
4. Masters Project/Thesis/Plan A&B/Dissertation Advising: specific and targeted direction on a master’s project or a PhD
dissertation including, but not limited to development, completion and in some cases publication. Your faculty advisor will
assist you in developing a direction for your project or dissertation.
Advising Expectations for Students
SPH students are expected to:
Regularly read and respond to University email (ideally once per day); email is the official mode of communication at the University
of Minnesota.
§ Review program objectives and educational documents at least once per semester, (i.e. Student Guidebook, etc.), or
when directed by program coordinator or program director/DGS; students are responsible for knowing the requirements of
the degree program.
§ Actively contribute to a welcoming and supportive SPH climate.
§ Initiate meetings with advisor(s) at least once per semester; regularly communicate with faculty advisor(s) and/or program
coordinator about program progress.
§ Respond to inquiries from faculty or staff in a timely manner (ideally within 5 – 7 business days).
§ Behave in a professional and courteous manner; fulfill educational and advising commitments, such as appointments,
project deadlines, etc.
1.12 EXPECTATIONS FOR CLASS PARTICIPATION
“Good discussion involves people trying to build on, and synthesize comments from others, and on showing appreciation for others’
contributions. It also involves inviting others to say more about what they are thinking.”
- Dr. Stephen Brookfield of St. Thomas University, Minneapolis, MN
Employers expect their employees to work effectively on teams and this has led to a competency required for an MPH degree:
“Perform effectively on interprofessional teams.” Thus, a portion of your grade in class may be based on quality participation in
group-based activities. We are providing the following examples* to let you know what we expect for all communications in the
class. These apply to in-person or online discussions and to interactions between students and between students and members of
the teaching team.
§ Imagine your interactions are with colleagues in a workplace.
§ Show you are interested in what another person wrote or said.
§ Encourage another person to elaborate on something they have already said.
§ Provide a resource (a reading, web link, video) not covered in the syllabus that adds new information/perspectives to our
learning.
§ Summarize conversations so far and/or suggest new directions and questions to be explored in future.
§ Summarize several people's contributions and reflects a recurring theme in the discussion.
§ Comment that you found another person's ideas interesting or useful; be specific as to why.
§ Paraphrase, at least partly, a point someone has already made.
§ Seek assistance from others in understanding course content.
§ Offer your explanations or solutions to others seeking help in understanding course content.
§ Be succinct; avoid extraneous information.
§ Address the point of the discussion; stay on topic.
§ Provide constructive criticism where feedback or a critique is required.
§ Avoid sarcasm, particularly in an online environment where it can create confusion.
§ Avoid vitriol, this can create a hostile environment and does not add information.
§ Keep your communication professional and refrain from using rude or offensive language.
*We thank Dr. Brookfield of St. Thomas University, Minneapolis, for some of these tips.
1.13 COMMENCEMENT ELIGIBILITY
Students enrolled in MPH, MHA or MS programs are eligible to participate in the May Commencement ceremony if they are on-
track to complete course credit requirements and the culminating experience by the end of the spring or summer semester, or
have completed the necessary course credit requirements and culminating experience the previous summer or fall semester.
Exceptions may be granted on an individual basis per review by the program coordinator and program director. To seek an
exception, contact your program coordinator.
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2. THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
2.1 MISSION
The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement
of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the
application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world. The University's mission, carried out on
multiple campuses and throughout the state, is threefold:
1. Research and Discovery
Generate and preserve knowledge, understanding, and creativity by conducting high-quality research, scholarship, and
artistic activity that benefit students, scholars, and communities across the state, the nation, and the world.
2. Teaching and Learning
Share that knowledge, understanding, and creativity by providing a broad range of educational programs in a strong and
diverse community of learners and teachers, and prepare graduate, professional, and undergraduate students, as well as
non-degree-seeking students interested in continuing education and lifelong learning, for active roles in a multiracial and
multicultural world.
3. Outreach and Public Service
Extend, apply, and exchange knowledge between the University and society by applying scholarly expertise to community
problems, by helping organizations and individuals respond to their changing environments, and by making the knowledge
and resources created and preserved at the University accessible to the citizens of the state, the nation, and the world.
In all of its activities, the University strives to sustain an open exchange of ideas in an environment that embodies the values of
academic freedom, responsibility, integrity, and cooperation; that provides an atmosphere of mutual respect, free from racism,
sexism, and other forms of prejudice and intolerance; that assists individuals, institutions, and communities in responding to a
continuously changing world; that is conscious of and responsive to the needs of the many communities it is committed to serving;
that creates and supports partnerships within the University, with other educational systems and institutions, and with communities
to achieve common goals; and that inspires, sets high expectations for, and empowers individuals within its community.
2.2 U OF M BASICS
University Identification Numbers and Accounts http://umn.edu/initiate
All students and employees at the University of Minnesota are issued two unique identifiers. One is a seven digit student ID
number which is sent to students in their acceptance letter. The other is an Internet ID (sometimes referred to as your “X.500”).
Your U of M internet ID is the key to online services such as your University email account, Google apps, registration, library
access, tuition, billing statements, and more.
Your ID number and Internet ID stay the same on all coordinate campuses and through any role changes (student to staff, staff to
student, faculty to staff, etc) and they will never be reassigned to another person. Each student attending the University of
Minnesota must set-up a student internet/email account by going to www.umn.edu/initiate or by calling the Technology Help Line at
612.301.4357 (1-HELP).
Email https://mail.umn.edu
The University provides students with an email account upon the student's matriculation to the institution. Your University email
address is: [your Internet ID]@umn.edu. This account is free of charge and currently is active as long as the student remains
active. The Office of Information Technology posts information on their website about “end of life” account policies. Please see
http://it.umn.edu/google-account-end-life-policies for details about access after graduation or other times you may be an inactive
student.
A University assigned student email account is the University's official means of communication with all students.
Students are responsible for all information sent to them via their University assigned email account. Course lists, immunizations,
billing statements, financial aid updates, and other important information will be sent via the U of M student email address.
The School of Public Health relies heavily on email notices to students, staff, and faculty. To keep current on upcoming events, job
announcements, new course announcements, scholarships, internships, the SPH newsletter, or good opportunities, etc., students
should check their email regularly.
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If a student chooses to forward the provided University email account, the student is responsible for all information, including
attachments, sent to any other email account. Because of this, it is strongly recommended that students use their U of M email
account and do not transfer it to a personal email account.
One Stop http://onestop.umn.edu/
One Stop Student Services is your go-to resource for how things work at the central University. One Stop refers to both a website
and the campus unit that manages it. It falls under the umbrella of Academic Support Resources (ASR), which supports many
functions for the University of Minnesota system campuses and Twin Cities Graduate School and Professional Schools. ASR also
includes the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Student Finance, Office of Classroom Management, ASR- IT, and Continuity and
Compliance.
The One Stop website is your source for general information about registration, financial aid, tuition and billing, grades and
transcripts, dates and deadlines, financial wellness, veteran’s benefits and many other University resources.
One Stop counselors are available to help you in-person at any of their three service centers: on the East Bank in Bruininks Hall,
in the West Bank Skyway, or on the St. Paul campus in Coffey Hall. They provide walk-in service to students, no appointments
necessary! You can also get your questions answered by calling or e-mailing One Stop. One Stop Counselors are also certified
financial managers and are available for confidential, one-on-one financial wellness appointments that cover a range of topics from
budgeting, spending plans, credit and much more - call or email One Stop to learn more about this FREE service.
MyU http://myu.umn.edu
While you will contact One Stop or visit the One Stop website seek out information, you will use the MyU website to complete your
University business. MyU is the official University of Minnesota web portal, personalized for you. It’s where you’ll register for
classes, manage financial aid and billing, maintain your personal info and much more.
U Card http://www.umn.edu/ucard/
Your U Card is your official University of Minnesota ID. Your U Card can give you access to campus buildings and different
accounts based on your role/status at the University. Your first U Card is free and can be obtained at the U Card Office. Bring your
driver’s license, state ID, or passport and be prepared to have your picture taken.
Accounts on the U Card
• Meal Plan
• Student Account
• Gopher GOLD Account
• FlexDine Account
• Library Account
• TCF U Card Checking Account (Optional Account)
Additional services with your U Card
• Parking and Transportation Services (Bus & Metro Pass) - Purchase pass after you get your U Card
• Discounts
• Department/College Printing
• Attendance verification card
Building Access with U Card
• Residential Halls
• Recreation and Wellness Center
• Secured Buildings
2.3 CAMPUS SERVICES
Parking and Transportation http://www1.umn.edu/pts/
The University’s Parking and Transportation website has a wealth of information concerning getting to and around campus. Parking
is extremely limited on campus and we encourage students to bus, bike, or walk if possible.
§ Campus Shuttle Buses
Campus shuttle buses run at no charge between the East and West Bank and St. Paul campuses with varying routes
and times. Current schedule information is posted on the above listed website as well as various locations throughout the
Twin Cities campus.
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§ Metro Transit and the U Pass
Take advantage of the deeply discounted Metro Transit bus pass. U-Pass is the ultimate transit pass that provides
unlimited rides 24 hours a day. It is valid on all regular bus and light-rail train routes, as well as express, local, limited-
stop, or Downtown Zone routes. It may not, however, be used on some special event services. Information can be found
at http://www.pts.umn.edu/bus/upass.
§ Parking
Contract parking for students is sold through a lottery system each semester. Locations may vary but include spaces on
the East Bank, West Bank, and St. Paul campuses. Hourly parking is available in several University public facilities.
Parking rates vary depending on proximity to campus and the facility type. Visit the Parking and Transportation website,
http://www1.umn.edu/pts/, or call 612.626.PARK (7275) for more information.
The Motorist Assistance Program offers free services (unlocking vehicles, jump-starts, changing flat tires, and referral to
a service station) to all customers parked in U parking facilities. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to
midnight, Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Service is not available on weekends or official University holidays). Call
612.626.PARK for motorist assistance or any other questions.
Disability parking is available in many parking facilities and metered areas. Use of these designated spaces requires a
state-issued permit or license plate. For additional information, call the State of Minnesota at 651.296.6911 or Disability
Services at 612.624.4037.
Housing https://housing.umn.edu/
The University’s Office of Housing & Residential Life is the best resource for finding housing on or near campus.
Maps http://campusmaps.umn.edu/tc/
Find the way to any University building.
Digital Signage
The School of Public Health had three different digital signs that provide information specific to the public health students. These
can be found on the 3rd floor of the Mayo building – right near the Dean’s office Mayo A302, the student SPHere Mayo A150, and
the 3rd floor (Lobby level) of the WBOB building.
Dining http://www.dining.umn.edu/
University Dining Services offers a wide variety of dining experiences throughout the Twin Cities campus.
2.4 HEALTH AND WELL BEING
University-sponsored Student Health Benefit Plan https://shb.umn.edu/
The University requires all students to have health care coverage to ensure they have access to medical care and can maintain
good health, which is essential for academic success. This requirement is University-wide and not specific to the School of Public
Health.
The Office of Student Health Benefits (OSHB), a unit of the Office for Student Affairs, administers health, dental and other benefits
and enrollment for all eligible University students, residents, fellows, and interns.
All students who are 1) admitted to a degree program*, and 2) registered for six or more credits per semester (or three or more
credits during summer term) that count towards the automatic assessment of the Student Services Fee, are required by the
University of Minnesota to have health plan coverage. Students who meet both of these criteria are automatically enrolled in
the University-sponsored Student Health Benefit Plan. The Student Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) is a cost-effective,
comprehensive health plan designed to meet the unique needs of students. Students may choose to waive the University-
sponsored Student Health Benefit Plan by providing proof of enrollment in an alternative Eligible Health Plan.
*Non-degree seeking, certificate-seeking, and distance learning students are not eligible to enroll in the University-sponsored
Student Health Benefit Plan. Please contact the Office of Student Health Benefits to determine exact eligibility status.
The University also requires all international students and their dependents to purchase the University-sponsored Student Health
Benefit Plan unless they are eligible for a waiver. International scholars visiting the University for more than 31 days are also
required to enroll in the University-sponsored Student Health Benefit Plan. Scholars who will be at the University for 31 days or less
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may choose not to enroll in the University-sponsored Student Health Benefit Plan, but are required to carry their own health plan
coverage for the duration of their visit to the University (must meet J-1 U.S. Federal regulation requirements).
Long Term Care Disability Insurance Fee https://shb.umn.edu/students-and-scholars/ahc-disability
Academic Health Center students (which includes the School of Public Health), enrolled in a qualifying AHC program, will be
automatically covered under a group Long Term Disability plan while a student. This coverage is not optional. They will see a
charge of $43.50—an average cost of $7.25 per month—for this coverage on their student account once at the beginning of each
fall and spring semester. Payment of this fee for two consecutive semesters provides year around coverage until graduation from
their program.
Questions and More Information
Office of Student Health Benefits
University of Minnesota
410 Church Street S.E., N323
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-624-0627 or 1-800-232-9017
Fax: 612-626-5183 or 1-800-624-9881
E-mail: umshbo@umn.edu
shb.umn.edu
Immunizations http://www.bhs.umn.edu/immunization-requirements.htm
According to OSHA regulations, CDC guidelines, and University of Minnesota policy, Academic Health Center (AHC) students are
required to have a health clearance as a condition of enrollment.
More details and the downloadable Student Immunization Record form are available from Boynton Health Service at
http://www.bhs.umn.edu/ and click on immunizations.
Boynton Health Services http://www.bhs.umn.edu
Located on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, Boynton Health is a primary health care clinic serving the U
community—students, staff, and faculty. We accept clients from most health insurance plans.
Boynton provides quality, comprehensive health care services, counseling, and education, beyond the scope of most primary
health care clinics:
§ Primary and urgent care;
§ Mental health services;
§ Dental and eye clinics;
§ Pharmacy needs;
§ Women's health;
§ Physical and massage therapy; and
§ Health promotions such as flu shots and nutrition services.
Student Mental Health Resources http://www.mentalhealth.umn.edu
The Provost's Committee on Student Mental Health developed a website to provide mental health information and resources
related to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus, for students, their parents, faculty, and staff.
The website helps connect students to crisis help, counseling services, support groups, and offers tips on helping others who are
experiencing stressful events and/or mental health challenges.
If you (or someone you know) is having a mental health crisis and/or is in immediate danger, please call 911.
If the mental health crisis you are experiencing is not dangerous, but you wish to talk to someone immediately for
assistance about what to do next, call this 24-hour help line:
Crisis Connection
612-301-4673
U of M Textline
Text "UMN" to 61222
Smoke-free University
The University of Minnesota, Crookston, Duluth, Rochester, and Twin Cities are smoke- and tobacco-free campuses. All students,
staff, faculty, and visitors are prohibited from smoking and using, selling, free distributing, and advertising tobacco products and
electronic cigarettes in all facilities and on all University property.
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The success of this policy will depend upon the thoughtfulness, consideration, and cooperation of everyone on campus, including
tobacco-users and non-users. All members of the University community are responsible for enforcing this policy. Students, faculty,
staff, and visitors who violate this policy should be reminded of the policy and asked to comply. Repeated violation of this policy
may be cause for disciplinary action in accordance with applicable student or employee codes of conduct. Visitors who refuse to
comply with this policy may be asked to vacate campus property.
The Aurora Center http://www.umn.edu/aurora
The Aurora Center for Advocacy and Education provides crisis intervention and advocacy services to victim/survivors of sexual and
relationship violence, harassment and stalking. The staff and volunteers are also available to provide prevention training and
education on a variety of issues.
Lactation Spaces http://lacspaces.umn.edu/
Spaces are available on campus offering private and comfortable rooms that are designed specifically for nursing mothers to be
able pump and store breast milk. If you have questions and concerns about lactation spaces or resources, please contact Susan
Warfield (warfi002@umn.edu).
Recreation & Wellness Center http://www.recwell.umn.edu/
The University Recreation and Wellness Center opened its doors in 1993, and is commonly referred to by students as the Rec
Center. An expansion to the original building opened in 2013. Located on the University of Minnesota’s East Bank Campus, the
facility serves between 3,000 and 5,000 patrons on an average weekday during the academic year. The Department of
Recreational Sports also offers opportunities for the following:
§ Aquatics
§ Fitness
§ Golf
§ Intramurals
§ Outdoor Recreation
§ Sport Clubs
§ Wellness
§ Youth Programs
2.5 DIVERSITY
Diversity and Inclusiveness
The University of Minnesota (University) is committed to achieving excellence through equity and diversity. We believe that a
diverse student body enhances the academic and social environment for all students and prepares students to thrive in an
increasingly diverse workforce and society. Equitable access to education is critical to preparing students for the responsibilities of
citizenship and civic leadership in a heterogeneous society. The University strives to provide equitable access and opportunity in its
programs, facilities, and employment. The University will also establish and nurture an environment for faculty, staff, students, and
visitors that actively acknowledges and values difference and is free from racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, and other forms of
prejudice, intolerance, or harassment.
The global, population-based nature of public health demands that the School of Public Health (SPH) seek and train students of all
racial, ethnic, economic and educational backgrounds. We believe such diversity enriches the learning experience and helps build
excellence in public health leadership. The SPH is dedicated to providing our students with a supportive and welcoming academic
experience in and out of the classroom. The student led Diversity Matters, and faculty led Health Equities Work Group
organizations are designed to address and explore issues of diversity that impact public health professionals.
We also strive to create a community that is actively engaging in the areas of diversity and inclusiveness to create an excellent
educational environment. The SPH defines inclusiveness as all-embracing of the fullness of humanity. Our goal is to recognize
differences, address disparities, and to help cultivate understanding within the SPH community. This sense of inclusiveness
recognizes that diversity is not limited to a select number of categorical elements of a person but encompasses all of person’s
attributes as well as their intersections.
The SPH Coordinator of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Lauren Eldridge, works with students, staff, faculty, and community
members to advance equity and diversity within the SPH. Her office is located in A395-3 Mayo Memorial Building or you can
contact her at leldridg@umn.edu or at 612-624-9970.
For more information please visit:
• University policy on Equity & Diversity - http://regents.umn.edu/sites/default/files/policies/Equity_Diversity_EO_AA.pdf
• Office for Equity and Diversity - https://diversity.umn.edu/eoaa/home
• SPH info and resources for Diversity & Inclusion - http://www.sph.umn.edu/about/diversity-inclusion/
In addition, the University has several offices across campus whose purpose is to support underrepresented students and promote
diversity. The following is a list of some of those offices:
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Disability Resource Center https://diversity.umn.edu/disability/
Location: 108 McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak Street SE (East Bank)
Phone: (612) 626-1333 (Voice/TTY)
Disability Resource Center promotes access and equity for students with disabilities (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric,
sensory or systemic) and assists the University in achieving its mission to provide optimal educational opportunities for all
students as well as obligations under federal and state statutes. Students are responsible for contacting Disability
Services for more information or to arrange accommodations.
Diversity in Graduate Education https://diversity.umn.edu/gradeducation/
Location: 333 Johnston Hall, 101 Pleasant Street SE (East Bank)
Phone: (612) 625-6858
The Office for Diversity in Graduate Education (ODGE) coordinates and leads the University’s initiatives in the
recruitment, funding, retention and graduation of a diverse graduate and professional student body. Additionally, ODGE
works closely with The Graduate School and other units connected to diversity and multiculturalism.
The Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life https://diversity.umn.edu/glbta/
Location: 46 Appleby Hall, 128 Pleasant Street SE (East Bank)
Phone: (612) 625-0537
The Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life is dedicated to transforming campus climate for University of
Minnesota students, staff, faculty, alum and community members by developing and supporting more inclusive
understandings of gender and sexuality through education, advocacy, outreach and support.
International Student and Scholar Services http://www.isss.umn.edu/
Location: 109 Hubert H. Humphrey School, 301 19th Avenue S (West Bank)
Phone: (612) 626-7100
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) is the office dedicated to serving the University international
community. Its primary mission is to assist international students and scholars in successfully accomplishing the goals
that brought them to the University, by using all available resources. Services include:
• Counseling and advising
• Immigration and visa regulation advising
• Newsletters
• Career services
• Academic opportunities for university students
• Tax return information
Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence https://diversity.umn.edu/multicultural/
Location: 140 Appleby Hall, 128 Pleasant Street SE (East Bank)
Phone: (612) 624-6386
The Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence (MCAE) is a campus-wide resource that promotes an inclusive
atmosphere to foster and enrich multicultural understanding among all members of the University community. MCAE's
commitment to creating such a climate is driven by a student-first culture in which students are the highest priority.
Office of Equity and Diversity https://diversity.umn.edu/
Location: 432 Morrill Hall, 100 Church Street SE (East Bank)
Phone: (612) 624-0594
The mission of the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED) is to leverage the transformative power of equity and diversity to
advance excellence in teaching, research and community engagement at the University of Minnesota. OED envisions a
University where equity and diversity are:
1. Integrated into the work and lives of every student, faculty and staff member.
2. Recognized as core institutional values, and will inform thinking, policies and practices throughout the University.
3. Inherently intertwined with academic excellence and the development of leaders for a globally inclusive society.
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Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action https://diversity.umn.edu/eoaa/
Location: 274 McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak Street SE (East Bank)
Phone: (612) 624-9547
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) was founded in 1972 to ensure that all University
community members uphold federal and state civil rights laws and regulations, as well as University equal opportunity
policies. The EOAA Office envisions a University community that is equitable-one that values the diversity of its workforce
and student body and is free from discrimination and harassment.
Student Conflict Resolution Center http://www.sos.umn.edu/
Location: 254 Appleby Hall, 128 Pleasant St. SE (East Bank)
Phone: (612) 624-7272
The Student Conflict Resolution Center (SCRC) offers informal and formal conflict resolution services to resolve students'
University-based problems and concerns. An ombudsman provides confidential, neutral and informal options. An
advocate is available to assist students in formal grievance or disciplinary proceedings.
Women’s Center http://diversity.umn.edu/women/
Location: 64 Appleby Hall, 128 Pleasant Street SE (East Bank)
Phone: (612) 625-9837
The Women’s Center advances equity for women students, staff, faculty and alumnae across identities. The Women’s
Center increases connections for women’s success, cultivates socially responsible leaders and advocates for
organizational culture change toward excellence for all.
2.6 ACADEMIC RESOURCES
University Libraries http://hsl.lib.umn.edu/biomed
The Bio-Medical Library, located in Diehl Hall, contains materials in the areas of allied health, medicine, mortuary science, nursing,
pharmacy, public health, and the basic life sciences. In addition the library provides numerous resources and services such as
library instructional classes, research workshops, reference consultations, library mediated searches, and citation clarification. The
Mathematics library (https://www.lib.umn.edu/math), located in Vincent Hall, contains materials in the area of mathematics and
statistics.
Information on other University libraries and collections can be found at http://www.lib.umn.edu/.
The Subject Librarian for the School of Public Health is Shanda Hunt. Please email her or call to set up an appointment:
hunt0081@umn.edu or (612) 301-1318.
Bookstore http://www.bookstore.umn.edu/
The University of Minnesota Bookstore, located in Coffman Union, sells texts for all Public Health courses. Course materials can
also be ordered online.
Center for Educational Innovation http://cei.umn.edu/about/about-cei
The Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) was created in 2014 by Provost Karen Hanson to strengthen instructional and
academic technology collaboration and support across the University. By combining the Center for Teaching and Learning and the
Office of eLearning, the CEI provides expertise that supports curricular and pedagogical innovation in campus classrooms and in
online courses and programs.
Center for Writing http://writing.umn.edu/
The Center for Writing provides free writing instruction for all University of Minnesota students at all stages of the writing process.
In collaborative consultations, we help students develop productive writing habits and revision strategies. This may be through
appointments or online.
The Online Writing Center offers online tutoring to students taking Writing-Intensive courses at the University of Minnesota. Online
tutoring is conducted via the Web, and consists of comments and feedback offered by our experienced writing tutors.
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Tutors are trained in fields such as composition, speech communication, scientific and technical communication, and rhetoric, and
many of them are instructors at the university. Tutors review the writing you submit by offering comments and suggestions for
improvement; however, they will comment mainly on the areas students specify.
Computing Services http://it.umn.edu/services/
The University’s Academic and Distributed Computing Services (ADCS) website provides a wealth of information and services
available to students including:
Computer Lab Locations
Computer Rental
Internet Services and Email Accounts
Computers and Software for Purchase
Training
Support and Help Services
Resources and Useful Links
Security
2.7 CAMPUS SAFETY
Police http://www.umn.edu/umpolice/
The University of Minnesota has a full service police department in the event of an emergency dial 911.
Security Monitor Program https://publicsafety.umn.edu/home/security
The Security Monitor Program offers a walking/biking escort service to and from campus locations and nearby adjacent
neighborhoods. This service is available at no charge to students, staff, faculty, and visitors to the University of Minnesota – Twin
Cities campus. To request an escort by a trained student security monitor, please call 612.624.WALK (9255) shortly before the
desired departure time and walk safe.
TXT-U Emergency Notification http://www1.umn.edu/prepared/txtu/
TXT-U is the University of Minnesota’s emergency notification text messaging system. Students, faculty, and staff can stay
informed about critical campus safety information by registering to receive TXT-U messages.
TXT-U will be used infrequently and specifically for real emergency situations.
Campus Wide Emergency Alert System
The Campus Wide Emergency Alert System includes 21 outdoor loudspeakers mounted on poles and rooftops on the West Bank
and East Bank and in St. Paul. The system will allow for an alert tone and vocal instructions in the event of a campus emergency.
2.8 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Post Office https://sua.umn.edu/locations/postal-stations/
A full-service U.S. Post Office is located on the ground floor of Coffman Union.
Copies/Fax Machines http://www.printing.umn.edu
A University Copy Center is located in Mayo D104 as well as other locations throughout the University.
Student Conflict Resolution Center http://www.sos.umn.edu
The Student Conflict Resolution Center assists students in resolving campus-based problems and concerns through coaching,
intervention and mediation by Ombudsman and Advocacy staff.
Student Legal Service http://www.umn.edu/usls/
University Student Legal Service (USLS) functions to provide legal representation and legal advice to eligible students on the Twin
Cities campus.
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3. REGISTRATION
3.1 FULL-TIME STATUS
All SPH students need to register for at least six (6) credits in fall and spring semester to be considered full-time. In summer MHA
and MPH students must be registered for 6 credits to be considered fulltime and 3 credits to be considered halftime.
Note: The Office of Financial Aid or external agencies may require students to be registered for more than three or six credits to be
considered full-time; check with these agencies to verify their requirements.
3.2 REGISTRATION PROCESS
Step One
Select courses for the term with your advisor before registering (make an appointment at the earliest convenient time). To view
available courses:
1. Log into MyU.
2. Select the My Academics tab, then the My Classes sub-tab.
3. Click on Class Search (in Enrollment Tools section).
4. Determine search criteria; you must select your campus (Institution), term, and at least two additional criteria. Students in the
School of Public Health will find the majority of their courses listed under the subject "PUBH".
Note: 5000 through 8000-level courses are considered graduate-level. 1000 and 3000-level courses are for undergraduates and
will not receive approval for graduate credit. Under some circumstances – with approval of the student’s major field – 4000 – level
courses may also be applied toward a MPH degree as long as they are taught by a member of the graduate faculty.
5. View your search results. To see only classes that are open, select Show Open Classes Only.
6. To continue searching, click New Search or Modify Search. If you hit the back button, you will lose your search results. Click the
class number to see more details. You can search for a subject by entering subject code or clicking Select Subject. For more
search options, expand Additional Search Criteria. When you are satisfied with your criteria, click Search.
Step Two
After selecting your courses, run through the checklist below before registering. Frustrating delays can be avoided by following
these hints:
§ If instructor consent is necessary for any of your selected course(s), get a permission number from the course instructor or
his/her designee before registering. This number permits registration for the course through the second week of the
semester; after the second week, it expires. Note that the number is specific to the student it is given to and the course
requiring instructor consent. Once a number is used to register, it becomes invalid and cannot be used for another course
or by another student.
§ You will not be able to register if you have any holds on your University record. Notice of any hold, including the name of the
department or office where it may be cleared, is available at http://myu.umn.edu.
§ You can find your registration queue date and time on the web at http://myu.umn.edu.
§ You will need your x.500 login and password to register. If you have forgotten your password, call 612.301.4357 to have
your password reset. You can also call this number if you have problems logging in to register.
Step Three
Register via the web at http://myu.umn.edu or go to the University’s One Stop Student Services Center in 333 Robert H. Bruininks
Hall on the East Bank Campus to register in person. Students having difficulty with self-registration should contact the registration
help-line at 612.624.1111 (M-F 8:00-4:00) or email helpingu@umn.edu. You may also contact your Program Coordinator or the
School of Public Health Student Services Center at 612.626.3500. Please note the following when registering:
§ Most courses give the option of either an A/F or S/N (pass/fail) grading option. Be sure to select the grade option desired for
the course. Note that there may be a limit to the number of credits a student can take S/N (pass/fail); see the major section
of this guidebook for more information. Stricter policies may be enforced by individual majors/programs. There is a strict
and early deadline for when grading options can be changed.
§ Some courses have variable credits. Before selecting the number of credits, students should make sure they are in
agreement with the instructor as to the number of credits appropriate for the work proposed.
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3.3 GRADE OPTION CHANGES, COURSE ADDITIONS, WITHDRAWAL AND
EVALUATIONS
Change of Grade Option
For full-semester courses, students may change their grade option, if applicable, through the second week of the semester. After
that, grading options cannot be changed. Grade option change deadlines for other terms (i.e. summer and half-semester) can be
found at http://onestop.umn.edu/. For more information about grading policies, see section 5.4 University Senate Uniform Grading
and Transcript Policy.
Adding a Course
No approval is required to add a course during the first week of classes. Instructor approval is required during week two. After the
second week of classes, instructor and college scholastic committee approval is required. Deadlines for adding a course for other
terms (i.e. summer and half-semester) can be found at http://onestop.umn.edu/.
Registration Exception Form
Students must consult with their program coordinator prior to submitting any paper or electronic forms. After this consultation,
students must complete a formal request to change their registration (e.g., add, drop, change your grade basis) after a deadline or
to register for more than 18 credits. Please ask your program coordinator for the appropriate form. Approval is not automatic.
Course Cancellation and Withdrawal
Students should refer to the Refund and Drop/Add Deadlines for the particular term at http://onestop.umn.edu/ for information and
deadlines for withdrawing from a course. As a courtesy, students should notify their instructor and, if applicable, advisor of their
intent to withdraw.
Students wishing to withdraw from a course after the noted final deadline for a particular term must contact the School of Public
Health Student Services Center at sph-SSC@umn.edu for further information.
Repeat and Bracket Course Policy
An officially admitted SPH student (MHA, MPH, MS, PhD, and Certificate Programs) may repeat a public health course only once.
MHA, MPH, and Certificate students have the option to bracket a particular course (with the same course number) one time.
Bracketing is a practice where one grade is omitted from GPA calculations, while continuing to appear on the transcript.
Only courses with the same catalog number may be bracketed.
A University of Minnesota course may not be bracketed with a course taken at another institution.
How bracketing works: When an SPH student repeats an SPH course, both grades for the course will appear on the official
transcript and will be counted towards the GPA calculation. The student is responsible for submitting a written request that a
repeated course be "bracketed" (only once per course). If a student registers for a course a third or greater number of times (either
in violation of this policy or by approved exception), all non-bracketed grades will be factored into GPA calculations. It is important
to note that student school loans may not cover the tuition cost of repeating a course.
Exceptions: Exceptions to this policy must be submitted to the student’s academic advising team and discussed with the course
instructor. Example: Requesting to repeat a course (more than two times) is at the discretion of the academic advising team and
may be approved due to extraordinary circumstances such as documented illness or hospitalization, death in family, etc..
Higher standards of achievement and stricter repeat policies may be enforced by individual majors/programs. This may include
restrictions on repeating core courses that are also core to a major, and/or requiring that students earn better than a B- in particular
courses in order to meet major/program requirements. Documentation of such policies can be found in the program portion of
student guidebooks.
Students can consult with their advising team for alternative core course options.
Other Transcript Symbols
Incomplete [I]
There shall be a temporary symbol I, incomplete, awarded to indicate that the work of the course has not been
completed. The I shall be assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the
student was prevented from completing the work of the course on time. The assignment of an I requires a written contract
between the instructor and student specifying the time and manner in which the student will complete the course
requirements. In no event may any such written agreement allow a period of longer than one year to complete the course
requirements. The Incomplete contract can be found at http://secure.ahc.umn.edu/publichealth/sphgrades/
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For graduate/professional students, an I is to remain on the transcript until changed by the instructor or department.
When an I is changed to another symbol, the I is removed from the record.
A student does not need to be registered at the University in order to complete the work necessary to convert an I to a
grade with credit in the time and manner previously agreed upon between the student and the instructor. The instructor is
expected to turn in the new grade within four weeks of the date the work was submitted by the student.
Interpretation of Policy on Incompletes for Students Called to Active Military Duty
When appropriate, instructors may prefer to arrange for the student to take an incomplete. Senate policy requires that an
incomplete be made up within one calendar year of the end of the term in which the incomplete is given. When students
are called to active military duty, and reach agreement with their instructor(s) to take an incomplete, they will have up to
one calendar year following their discharge from active duty to complete their incomplete(s). Complete policies and
procedures are available in the SPH Student Services Center.
Transfer [T]
There shall be a symbol T, transfer, posted as a prefix to the original grade, to indicate credits transferred from another
institution or from one college or campus to another within the University when reevaluation is required.
Withdrawal [W]
If a student officially withdraws from a course during the first two weeks of classes, there shall be no record of that course
registration entered on the student's transcript. There shall be a symbol W, withdrawal, entered upon a student's record
when the student officially withdraws from a course in accordance with procedures established by the student's college or
campus*. The W will be entered on the transcript irrespective of the student's academic standing in that course if the
student withdraws from the course during the third through eighth week of class (second or third weeks of summer
sessions). Withdrawal in the ninth or later week of classes (fourth or later in summer sessions) shall require approval of
the college and may not be granted solely because a student is failing the course; there must be extenuating non-
academic circumstances justifying late withdrawal.
Continuation [X]
There shall be a symbol X, indicating a student may continue in a continuation course in which a grade cannot be
determined until the full sequence of courses is completed. The instructor shall submit a grade for each X when the
student has completed the sequence.
In Progress [K]
There shall be a symbol K, assigned by an instructor to indicate the course is still in progress and that a grade cannot be
assigned at the present time.
Course Prerequisites
Any college or campus may set special scholastic or other standards for registration in a particular course, for scholastic probation,
admission, honors, continued residence, degrees, and other purposes they deem appropriate.
Grade Submission
All grades for all courses each term shall be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than 72 hours after the last final
examination for that term. Students can view their grades online at http://myu.umn.edu 24 hours after they are posted by the
course instructor.
Course Evaluations
Student feedback on course content and faculty teaching skills are an important means for improving our work. Please take the
time to complete a course evaluation for each of the courses for which you are registered. The SPH collects student course
evaluations electronically using a software system called CoursEval: http://sph.umn.edu/students/current/course-eval-grades/. The
system will send email notifications to students when they can access and complete their course evaluations. Students who
complete their course evaluations promptly will be able to access their final grade as soon as the faculty member renders the grade
in SPHGrades: http://www.sph.umn.edu/grades. All students will have access to their final grades through OneStop two weeks
after the last day of the semester regardless of whether they completed their course evaluation or not.
Note: Responses will remain anonymous and will not be released to the course instructor until after final grades have been
submitted. This is School of Public Health procedure - not a University-wide policy - and therefore applies to Public Health courses
only.
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3.4 TRANSFER CREDIT
Course Credit Transfer Policy
A student may seek transfer of no more than 40% of their total graduate or professional program credits taken at the University of
Minnesota or at another college or university prior to the SPH program matriculation. Course credits may be used to satisfy public
health core or other program requirements as jointly approved by the Program Director and the Senior Associate Dean for
Academic Affairs. No course credits older than 5 years from the date of the student’s matriculation will be accepted for transfer. A
grade of “B-” or better is required for each course requested for transfer credit.
SPH students who have completed graduate-level coursework at the University of Minnesota or another college or university may
petition to transfer those courses toward their SPH degree. To be considered for transfer, graduate level coursework must have
been taken at an accredited graduate institution.
Higher standards of achievement and stricter policies may be enforced by individual majors/programs.
Students must:
1. Meet with their academic advisor to discuss the petitioning process. If the petition is acceptable to the advisor, the student
will complete and sign the Academic Policy Petition form, and attach an official transcript on which the final grade has
been posted.
2. Submit the Academic Policy Petition form to the Program Coordinator for processing. The Academic Policy Petition form
can be found at http://www.sph.umn.edu/current/resources/. The Program Coordinator will forward the petition to the
Program Director for approval and signature and then to the Student Services Center for the Associate Dean for Learning
Systems and Student Affairs for final evaluation and/or approval.
The Academic Policy Petition forms may be used for other academic reasons. Students are encouraged to discuss petition issues
with their academic advisor or Program Coordinator to determine the appropriate process and procedure.
3.5 EQUIVALENCY EXAMS
Equivalency examinations are given at least twice each year (January and August). Students have the option of taking the
equivalency exams in any of the following core areas; however, students can only take the exam one time in each core area.
Students who pass the exam(s) are waived from taking the required course and must make up the credits per their area of study
and degree requirements. A notation on the student’s transcript will be documented if the student passes an equivalency exam.
Students who do not pass the exam(s) are required to take the appropriate core course area to satisfy the competency
requirements. Equivalency exams satisfy competency requirements for the following core courses only:
PubH 6020 Fundamentals of Social and Behavioral Science
Contact: Toben Nelson tfnelson@umn.edu
Number of questions on exam
4
Type of questions
Essay
Open or closed book
----
PubH 6751 Principles of Management in Health Services Organizations
Contact: Jim Begun begun001@umn.edu
Number of questions on exam
32
Type of questions
25 multiple choice, 3 essay, 1 case analysis with 4 questions
Open or closed book
Closed
PubH 6102 Issues in Environmental and Occupational Health
Contact: Bill Toscano tosca001@umn.edu
Number of questions on exam
200
Type of questions
Multiple choice
Open or closed book
Closed
25
PubH 6320 Fundamentals of Epidemiology
Contact: Rachel Widome widom001@umn.edu
Number of questions on exam
31
Type of questions
Multiple choice, show-your-work problems
Open or closed book
Open
PubH 6450 Biostatistics I
Contact: Sally Olander brown198@umn.edu
Number of questions on exam
60-75
Type of questions
Multiple choice, short answer, and show-your-work problems
Open or closed book
Open
PubH 6741 Ethics in Public Health: Professional Practice and Policy
Contact: Sarah Gollust sgollust@umn.edu
Number of questions on exam
10
Type of questions
Short answer
Open or closed book
Open (no internet access)
4. TUITION, FEES, BILLING, AND FINANCES
4.1 MY FINANCES TAB ON MYU
The My Finances tab in MyU.umn.edu is where you’ll find information about billing, payment and financial aid.
On the left side is where you will view account charges and billing statements. It is also where you can submit an online payment
using the preferred and free e-check method and don’t forget to sign up for Direct Deposit. . And for those of you from Wisconsin,
North Dakota, South Dakota, and Manitoba, remember to apply for reciprocity through your home state or province right way so
your bill will have the correct amounts.
On the right side you will see our 5 steps to receiving financial aid, from completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid,
the “FAFSA”, to having funds disburse to your student account. Your status will update as you progress through the steps.
4.2 TUITION AND FEES
Please go to http://onestop.umn.edu/ for complete tuition and fee information.
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4.3 BILLING
Your billing statement details your amount due (tuition, fees, housing, books, and other campus charges) and your payment due
date. You will receive a notice in your University email account when it is ready to view. If you have account charges on more than
one campus, you will receive separate billing notices for each campus.
The first fall billing statement for 2017-2018 will be published on September 3, you will receive a notice sent to your University
email address. The bill will be due on September 16. You may opt into a payment plan when the bill is available, which will divide
your payments over three billing periods throughout the semester. Make sure you always pay your bills on time to avoid late fees or
cancellation of future class registration
Your billing statement is a snapshot of the charges and credits applied to your account as of the date the statement was created.
For the most up-to-date account activity information, you can check your student account on the My Finances tab in MyU.
Third Party Billing http://onestop.umn.edu/finances/pay/third_party_billing/index.html
When an organization, not owned by you or a family member, makes a commitment to pay your educational expenses, they are
considered a third party sponsor by the University of Minnesota. When payment is due on your student account, the sponsor is
billed by the University. This payment process is termed "third party billing."
Sponsor's payments are subject to the same federal reporting requirements as other financial aid. Some sponsorships don't require
a billing invoice and are administered by the University through One Stop Student Services.
Whether you are a student or a sponsor, you will find answers in the frequently asked questions (FAQ ) about how the third party
billing processes these payments at the links on the left. In addition, you can view current tuition and fee information.
If you have more questions or need further information, please contact the third party billing office at tpbill@umn.edu or 612-625-
8559.
4.4 FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIPS
A variety of resources to assist students in financing their education can be found at http://www.sph.umn.edu/admissions/paying/.
Information specific to SPH Divisions and/or Programs may be found in the Division and/or degree program sections of this
guidebook.
Information on financial aid can be found at http://onestop.umn.edu/ or by -mailing onestop@umn.edu.
Students having questions about the status of their financial aid should refer to the appropriate contact below:
AID TYPE
CONTACT
EMAIL ADDRESS
Division/Major Specific Awards and
Traineeships, the Dean’s Scholarship
Your Program Coordinator
Medica Scholarships, and scholarships that
support specific US minority groups
SPH Student Services
sph-ask@umn.edu
Federal Loans, Financial Aid Package
Liz Holm
holmx029@umn.edu
Loan Deferment
A temporary postponement of loan payments available only under certain conditions; some loans do not accrue interest in
deferment, such as subsidized loans http://policy.umn.edu/forms/fa/fa830.pdf.
Students requesting a loan deferment can get their form signed by One Stop Student Services
http://onestop.umn.edu/contact_us/index.html.
Financial Aid Exit Counseling
Exit counseling sessions are required of all borrowers of federal and University-administered student loan programs. Exit
counseling provides you information regarding the rights and responsibilities of a borrower and a lender/servicer. You learn about
repayment, deferment, and cancellation of your loan. These sessions prepare you to be responsible and effective in repayment of
your educational loans.
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You are required to complete exit counseling when you:
§ are about to graduate.
§ leave the University (even if it is just temporary).
§ drop your registration below half-time enrollment.
§ transfer to another school.
§ leave for a National Student Exchange (NSE) experience.
Once you have been selected for the exit process, you will receive an email with instructions to complete your exit counseling
online. Make sure you respond by completing your exit counseling in a timely manner! A hold will remain on your student record
until your exit counseling is complete, delaying your diploma, preventing registration, and preventing access to your transcripts.
For more information about student loan exit counseling, contact Student Account Assistance :
http://onestop.umn.edu/contact_us/student_account_assistance.html
4.5 GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS
Many SPH students use graduate assistantships to help finance their education. These are campus working/learning positions that
take the form of research, teaching, or administrative appointments. Degree-seeking students in the SPH registered for six or more
credits, including international students, are eligible to apply for any assistantship on campus. Because many assistantships are
funded by grants, the vigorous research activity of SPH faculty makes available numerous opportunities in the school.
Graduate assistantships include an hourly wage, tuition benefits, subsidized insurance coverage, and may include resident tuition
rates for student and dependents.
For graduate assistant policies and benefits, go to http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/gae/.
The tuition benefits are particularly attractive to students. Graduate assistants who work at least 25% time from the beginning to
the end of the official semester appointment dates are eligible to receive tuition benefits (tuition remission and resident rates)
during that semester.
5. UNIVERSITY GUIDELINES AND POLICIES
5.1 STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY AND CONDUCT
Students are ultimately responsible for the level of success that they achieve in their program of study and for the time it takes to
complete that program. Students should:
§ Attend fall orientation and understand the information distributed.
§ Understand and follow University, School of Public Health, Division, and Program rules and procedures for completion of
degree requirements.
§ Read email messages frequently for announcements from the Program Coordinators, Program Directors and Director of
Graduate Studies, Student Services Center, and Career Center. These announcements may involve changes in the
University, School or Division rules and procedures for completion of degree requirements; students are responsible for
reading and understanding these announcements.
§ Check their student mailbox often for printed informational materials.
§ Contact a Program Coordinator, Program Directors or Director of Graduate Studies if they are not getting reasonable
assistance from their academic and/or master’s project/thesis advisor.
§ Initiate and maintain contact each semester with their academic advisor to review progress toward the completion of their
degree.
§ Complete the degree in a timely fashion.
The School of Public Health emphasizes three principles of student conduct in all of its degree programs:
1. Respect others
Students are expected to behave in a respectful and professional manner with other students, faculty, and staff in the
classroom and on campus.
2. Honor privacy
Every student’s course grades are private and are not to be shown to anyone else. This also applies to the grades of
students in courses for which you are a Teaching Assistant.
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3. Present your work honestly
Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another's writing or ideas as your own. For a helpful discussion of preventing
plagiarism, please consult University policies and procedures regarding academic integrity:
http://writing.umn.edu/tww/sources/definitions.html. Students should be careful to properly attribute and cite others' work
in their writing. For guidelines for correctly citing sources, go to https://www.lib.umn.edu/instruction/tutorials.
The Associate Dean for Learning Systems and Student Affairs is responsible for managing all School of Public Health
issues and investigations of academic misconduct.
5.2 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA POLICIES
As part of the larger University of Minnesota community, students in the School of Public Health are responsible for
abiding by the Board of Regents policies and other University-wide administrative policies. These policies can be found
in full at http://policy.umn.edu/.
This policy library holds policies that apply to the entire University system (all five campuses), as well as policies that apply to the
Twin Cities campus. The site also displays Board of Regents policies, which are managed through the Board office.
In an effort to avoid potential duplication, omission, or transcription errors, we direct SPH students to read the policies at the
original source. We encourage you to particularly become aware of the following:
Student Conduct Code
This policy governs the expected standards of behavior for students and applies to all students and student organizations at the
University of Minnesota, whether or not the University is in session.
The Office for Community Standards is the unit of the university that works to educate the community about the policies governing
student behavior and resolve reported violations of the Student Conduct Code. The process they follow is designed to resolve
issues in a way that is fair to all community members.
https://communitystandards.umn.edu/
Below are the Student Conduct Code’s guiding principles:
a) The University seeks an environment that promotes academic achievement and integrity, that is protective of free inquiry,
and that serves the educational mission of the University.
b) The University seeks a community that is free from violence, threats, and intimidation; that is respectful of the rights,
opportunities, and welfare of students, faculty, staff, and guests of the University; and that does not threaten the physical
or mental health or safety of members of the University community.
c) The University is dedicated to responsible stewardship of its resources and to protecting its property and resources from
theft, damage, destruction, or misuse.
d) The University supports and is guided by state and federal law while also setting its own standards of conduct for its
academic community.
e) The University is dedicated to the rational and orderly resolution of conflict.
f) Students are entitled to the rights and responsibilities of other citizens with regard to freedom of speech, peaceable
assembly, and right to petition. Students are entitled to exercise their rights to inquire and dissent, speak freely, and
peaceably assemble and protest to the extent permissible under both the First Amendment and the Student Conduct
Code.
g) Students are entitled to due process and procedural fairness protections, including the prompt notification of charges, the
opportunity to respond, the right to an advocate of choice, and the right to the resolution of a case within a reasonable
period of time.
Any student or student group found to have committed, attempted to commit, or assisted or abetted another person or group to
commit the following misconduct is subject to appropriate disciplinary action under this policy:
1. Scholastic Dishonesty.
2. Disruption of the Academic Environment.
3. Falsification.
4. Refusal to Identify and Comply.
5. Attempt to Injure or Defraud.
6. Harm to Person.
7. Bullying.
8. Sexual Misconduct.
9. Disorderly Conduct.
10. Illegal or Unauthorized Possession or Use of
Weapons.
11. Illegal or Unauthorized Possession or Use of Drugs
or Alcohol.
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12. Providing Alcohol to Minors.
13. Unauthorized Use of University Facilities or
Services.
14. Theft, Property Damage, or Vandalism.
15. Unauthorized Access.
16. Disruptive Behavior.
17. Hazing.
18. Rioting.
19. Violation of University Rules.
20. Violation of Local, State, or Federal Laws or
Ordinances.
21. Persistent Violations.
Scholastic Dishonesty and Plagiarism
Students are responsible for maintaining scholastic honesty in their work at all times. Students engaged in scholastic dishonesty
will be penalized, and offenses will be reported to the Office for Community Standards.
The University’s Student Conduct Code defines scholastic dishonesty as “plagiarism; cheating on assignments or examinations;
engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using course materials without faculty permission;
submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to
obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering, forging, misrepresenting, or misusing a
University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data analysis.”
§ Copying information word for word from a source without using quotation marks and giving proper acknowledgement by
way of footnote, endnote, or in-text citation;
§ Representing the words, ideas, or data of another person as one’s own without providing proper attribution to the author
through quotation, reference, in-text citation, or footnote;
§ Producing, without proper attribution, any form of work originated by another person such as a musical phrase, a proof, a
speech, an image, experimental data, laboratory report, graphic design, or computer code;
§ Paraphrasing, without sufficient acknowledgment, ideas taken from another person that the reader might reasonably
mistake as the author’s; and
§ Borrowing various words, ideas, phrases, or data from original sources and blending them with one’s own without
acknowledging the sources.
It is the responsibility of all students to understand the standards and methods of proper attribution and to clarify with each
instructor the standards, expectations, and reference techniques appropriate to the subject area and class requirements, including
group work and internet use. Students are encouraged to seek out information about these methods from instructors and other
resources and to apply this information in all submissions of academic work.”
Serious, intentional plagiarism will result in a grade of "F" or "N" for the entire course. For more information on this policy and for a
helpful discussion of preventing plagiarism, please consult University policies and procedures regarding academic integrity:
https://communitystandards.umn.edu/
Students are urged to be careful that they properly attribute and cite others' work in their own writing. For guidelines for correctly
citing sources, go to https://www.lib.umn.edu/instruction/tutorials and click on “Organizing and Citing Research.”
In addition, original work is expected in all coursework. It is unacceptable for students to hand in assignments for any course for
which they received credit in another course unless by prior agreement with the instructor. Building on a line of work begun in
another course or leading to a thesis, dissertation, or final project is acceptable.
All issues relating to academic misconduct in the School of Public Health are referred to the Associate Dean for Learning Systems
and Student Affairs.
Sexual Harassment
This policy governs the commitment to the prevention and awareness of and response to sexual harassment at the University of
Minnesota.
Research Involving Human Subjects
This policy governs all research involving human subjects conducted at the University of Minnesota or by University faculty, staff,
or student researchers.
Grading & Transcript Policy
This policy covers University-wide grading standards and the meaning of transcript symbols. A standard grading system
establishes a common understanding of the meaning of grades and promotes uniformity in assigning them. Defining grades and
their associated meaning (grade points and assessment of achievement) allows for comparison and for computation of the term
and cumulative grade point average.
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Leave of Absence
Graduate students who experience circumstances that prevent them from maintaining active status through continuous registration
(excluding summer term), and who, through consultation with their Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), Program Director,
advisor(s), and relevant offices determine that a leave of absence (LOA) is appropriate, must request a LOA from their college
office using this form. Graduate students must receive approval for an official Leave of Absence.
Forms must be submitted to the School of Public Health Student Services Center, A395 Mayo Memorial Building, MMC 819, 420
Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
5.3 PRIVACY
The School of Public Health is committed to protecting the privacy of students, staff, and research participants. Students have
privacy rights that assure confidentiality of their student records. Research Participants have many rights that guarantee their
safety and their privacy.
Often School of Public Health students work as Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants [that may require exposure] to
private information. Please be [aware] of privacy laws, complete required privacy trainings, and act with the highest honor towards
all private information.
For further information, go to http://privacy.ahc.umn.edu/.
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act): Student Records
FERPA grants four specific rights to a post-secondary student:
1. To see the information that the institution is keeping on the student.
2. To seek amendment to those records and in certain cases append a statement to the record.
3. To consent to disclosure of his/her records.
4. To file a complaint with the FERPA Office in Washington.
In addition:
§ U of MN Faculty and Staff have a legal responsibility, under FERPA, to protect the confidentiality of your student
educational records.
§ Student educational records are considered confidential and may not be released without written consent of the student.
§ Student information stored in electronic format must be secure and available only to those entitled to access that
information.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
HIPAA is a federal law related to the privacy of an individual’s health care information.
All students in the Academic Health Center (AHC), including School of Public Health students, must complete the University’s
online HIPAA Privacy training.
Login to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/privacy/training/home.html. Assigned courses are available for completion through ULearn. See
the Training Instructions page for step-by-step instructions.
5.4 CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS
Students should be aware that certain facilities are required by Minnesota law to submit paperwork for a criminal background check
for all personnel with direct, unsupervised client contact. Students placed in such facilities may be asked by the institution to submit
paperwork, or the institution may require that they have this check facilitated by the School of Public Health or Division. The School
is prepared to assist students with this process. Facilities that are covered by this law are hospitals, boarding care homes,
outpatient surgical centers, nursing homes, home care agencies, residential care homes, and board/lodging establishments
providing health supervision services. Client contact must be direct and unsupervised (outside the hearing or vision of a supervisor
at the facility). In the unlikely event that this situation arises, students should call the School of Public Health Student Services
Center at 612.626.3500 or go to A395 Mayo for assistance.
5.5 USE OF HUMAN SUBJECTS IN RESEARCH
Any research you conduct while a student at the University of Minnesota may be subject to review and approval by the University's
Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the protection of human research subjects. This applies to projects conducted inside or outside
the University. For research conducted outside of the University, students may still need IRB approval from the University even if
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approval has been obtained from an external agency. Any research involving human subjects must be reviewed by the IRB.
The IRB is a committee of faculty, students, and community members that follows federal regulations and ethical principles in order
to protect human research subjects.
If your proposed research project is subject to IRB review, you must submit an application to the IRB before you begin. You
cannot begin any regulated research until you have IRB approval. This includes sending out recruitment flyers or emails,
accessing private data, or doing any aspect of your research. You may not be permitted to use any data that was collected without
prior IRB approval. The IRB does not have the authority to approve a study after it has begun.
The IRB approval process may take as little as one week, but can take up to 2 months or longer. "Last minute" approvals are not
possible, so it is important to plan ahead. Applications for international research, research with children, research about illegal or
stigmatizing behavior, research with vulnerable populations, or research that incorporates deception often require more review
time.
IRB Contact Information
(612) 626-5654
irb@umn.edu
https://research.umn.edu/units/irb
Projects that are not subject to IRB review include studies that rely on existing publicly available data, such as US Census data. If
you are only doing an analysis of publicly available data (i.e., data you can download from a public website) you do not need IRB
approval to use it. Technically, such work is research but does not involve living individuals from whom you collect information. On
the other hand, an oral history study may not require IRB because it is not a systematic investigation designed to contribute to
generalizable knowledge. However, there are many grey areas, so students proposing such work are strongly encouraged to
contact the IRB to determine whether their project requires approval.
Additional guidelines for students involved in international fieldwork
If you plan to use data collected as part of your international field experience for your culminating experience project, you are
strongly encouraged to contact the IRB before your field experience begins to ensure that your project is approved in a timely
manner. You will not be allowed to take data out of the host country without IRB approval.
5.6 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT REQUIREMENTS
Note: International student requirements may change over time. For up-to-date information go to http://www.isss.umn.edu/.
Global Gopher Online Orientation
The Global Gopher Online Orientation is a tool to help new international students prepare for their arrival at the University by
learning about certain expectations and requirements. Students are required to complete the Global Gopher Online Orientation at
least one week before their Immigration Check-in (information below).
Immigration Check-In
All new international students must visit the University of Minnesota International Student & Scholar Services office (ISSS) shortly
after arrival in Minnesota. See http://www.isss.umn.edu/ for directions, office hours, and services. ISSS will review immigration
documents, register new students for the International Student Orientation Program, and provide information on how to release
registration holds. These processes are mandated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); formerly known as Immigration
and Naturalization Service (INS).
International students are allowed to enter the U.S. only within 30 days of their program start date. Regulations and SEVIS
requirements provide strict guidelines regarding this date, to coincide with the term of admission.
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
SEVIS is an electronic reporting system that provides the Department of Homeland Security with information on international
students and scholars in the United States who hold F, J, and M visas. This internet-based record-keeping system maintains
electronic data on all international students. The system tracks entries into and departures from the U.S.
In addition to the information routinely reported on I-20 and DS-2019 forms, other information is reported, including but not limited
to: academic status, employment, and residential address.
For more information on SEVIS requirements, including those listed below, go to http://www.isss.umn.edu/.
Academic Status
International students must maintain full-time status. MPH students must register for at least 6 credits each semester. Under
special conditions, students may apply for an exemption from the full-time status rule at the ISSS office. Students must apply for
the exemption before registering for less than a full course of study.
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Address Change
International students MUST update their address within 10 days of a change of address to maintain their legal immigration
status. For more information go to https://isss.umn.edu/INSGen/address.html
6. GROUPS, ASSOCIATIONS AND SOCIETIES
6.1 STUDENT GROUPS
School of Public Health Student Senate http://www.sph.umn.edu/current/senate/
The Student Senate is comprised of graduate students of the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health.
The SPH Student Senate is the representative organization for the graduate and professional student body of the School of Public
Health. The Student Senate seeks to improve all aspects of graduate and professional education by working to create a positive
environment for students to learn, work, and socialize in the School of Public Health.
The SPH Student Senate welcomes input from all students from the school and invites you to join the Senate and help us serve the
needs of the SPH students. Contact us at sphss@umn.edu.
The student senate officers for the 2017-2018 academic year are:
Office
Name
President
Sarah Moon
Vice President
Tolulope Odebunmi
Director of Finance
Mosunmoluwa Oyenuga
Secretary
Haley Miller
Director of Communications
Samantha Alch
Professional Student Government http://www.umnpsg.org/
The professional student governance on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota rests with the Professional Student
Government (PSG). All currently registered professional students at the University of Minnesota are members of PSG.
PSG represents and serves students in the Carlson School of Management, Law School, Medical School, Dental School, School of
Nursing, College of Pharmacy, School of Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Education and Human
Development, and Humphrey School of Public Affairs. PSG is a resource for its 10 member Councils, the primary contact point for
administrative units, a professional student policy-making and policy-influencing body, and as a center of inter- and intra-collegiate
interaction among professional students.
Council of Graduate Students (COGS) http://www.cogs.umn.edu
The Council of Graduate Students (COGS) is the official student governing board of the Graduate School, representing all
Graduate Students at the U of M. The U administration looks to COGS for consultation and direction on all matters pertaining to the
Graduate School experience, including Graduate Assistant issues.
Center for Health Interdisciplinary Programs (CHIP) http://www.chip.umn.edu
The Center for Health Interdisciplinary Programs or CHIP is a department of the Office of Education in the Academic Health Center
Senior Vice President’s Office. The CHIP Student Center serves AHC students in the schools of dentistry, dental hygiene, health
care administration, medical technology, medicine, mortuary science, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy,
public health, and veterinary medicine.
CHIP exists to foster interdisciplinary relationships and teamwork between Academic Health Center students. CHIP provides
educational, leadership, and service opportunities for students.
Minnesota International Student Association (MISA) https://gopherlink.umn.edu/organization/184
The Minnesota International Student Association (MISA) is a non-profit organization that aims at working in the interest of
international students at the University of Minnesota. MISA represents the international community of the University of Minnesota
Campus. There are about 3000 international students on this campus, whose length of stay varies from 3 months to several years.
MISA plays a vibrant role in students' social lives, by being the forum for international students on the U of M campus and by
organizing events throughout the year.
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Other Groups http://www.sua.umn.edu/groups/
More than 400 student groups on campus are registered with the University’s Student Unions and Activities Office, including
academic societies, cultural centers, sports clubs, political action groups and fraternities and sororities. These organizations
provide students with endless involvement opportunities and the chance to interact with others who share a similar interest.
If you are interested in forming a group within the School of Public Health, please contact Crystal Esparza, Coordinator for Student
Recruitment and Engagement at espa0018@umn.edu.
6.2 PUBLIC HEALTH RELATED ASSOCIATIONS AND AGENCIES
Minnesota Public Health Association http://www.mpha.net/
Founded in 1907, the Minnesota Public Health Association (MPHA) is a statewide professional organization actively serving
Minnesotans, our members, and the public health profession through its efforts and activities. MPHA is an affiliate of the American
Public Health Association.
American Public Health Association http://www.apha.org/
The American Public Health Association (APHA) is the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world,
representing more than 50,000 members from over 50 occupations of public health.
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health http://www.aspph.org/
The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) is the only national organization representing the deans,
faculty, and students of the accredited member schools of public health and other programs seeking accreditation as schools of
public health.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recognized as the lead federal agency for protecting the health and
safety of people - at home and abroad, providing credible information to enhance health decisions, and promoting health through
strong partnerships. CDC serves as the national focus for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental
health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.
National Institutes of Health http://www.nih.gov/
Begun as a one-room Laboratory of Hygiene in 1887, the National Institutes of Health today is one of the world's foremost medical
research centers, and the Federal focal point for medical research in the U.S.
American College of Healthcare http://www.ache.org
The American College of Healthcare Executives is an international professional society of more than 30,000 healthcare executives
who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations.
6.3 ALUMNI SOCIETIES
School of Public Health Alumni Society http://sphalumni.umn.edu
The University of Minnesota School of Public Health Alumni Community is represented around the world. Consisting of 10,000+
alumni, the SPH Alumni Community plays a key role in the School and public health community as they continue to shape public
health policy, conduct ground-breaking research, lead innovative public health solutions and contribute to the future of public
health.
Since its inception in 1982, the School of Public Health Alumni Society has worked to serve alumni and students, promote
excellence in programs and serve the needs of the School. As an extension of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, the
SPH Alumni Society currently has more than 1,400 members. Membership is open to all graduates, former students who have
completed a minimum of 12-18 credits, faculty and administrators of the school.
The SPH Alumni Society is committed to building relationships with students through various activities, including the SPH Mentor
Program, partnering with SPH Student Senate, and bringing alumni to students to bridge professional opportunities.
MHA Alumni Association mhaalumni.umn.edu
The Minnesota MHA Alumni Association was established in 1948 to facilitate ongoing support of the Healthcare Administration
program and to continue fellowship among alumni. With 2200+ active alumni, the Association supports MHA students through
scholarships and by providing learning opportunities, and strives to provides its alumni with education, engagement and
philanthropy.
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7. MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH MPH DEGREE PROGRAM
7.1 FALL 2017 STANDARD AND ADVANCED STANDING (FORMERLY ONLINE)
PROGRAM CURRICULUM
Advanced Standing = 42 Semester Credit Minimum
Standard = 48 credit Minimum
Please note that students must take the following courses A/F and receive a grade of B- or
higher: All scientific basis courses; PubH 6673/Nurs 5925 Grant Writing; PubH 6034/PubH
6852 Program Evaluation; PubH 6630/PubH 6655 Foundation MCH Course; and all SPH
Core Courses.
Scientific Basis of Maternal and Child Health
Advanced Standing = Select a total of 6 credits – at least one course must be from Group A
Standard = Select a total of 8 credits – at least two courses must be from Group A
Group A (note many courses are taught every other year)
PubH 6605
Reproductive and Perinatal Health (in-person)
Spring
2
PubH 6686
Global Reproductive Health (online)
Fall `17/`19
2
PubH 6606
Children’s Health: Issues, Program and Policies (online)
Spring
`18/`20
2
PubH 6613 OR
Nurs 6924
Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs (online)
Assessment and Interventions for Children and Youth With
Special Health Care Needs (in-person)
Fall ‘18/’20
Fall
2
2
PubH 6607
Adolescent Health: Issues, Programs and Policies (in-
person)
Spring
`18/`20
2
PubH 6675
Women’s Health (in-person)
Fall `17/`19
2
Group B
PubH 6123
Violence Prevention and Control: Theory, Research and
Application (in-person)
Spring
2
PubH 6950
Kid to Community: Personal, Social and Environmental
Influences on Youth Obesity (online)
Fall
2
PubH 6955
Using Policy to Address Child and Adolescent Obesity
Prevention (online)
Spring
1
PubH 6907
Maternal, Infant, Child, & Adolescent Nutrition (in-person) or
Maternal, Infant, Child, & Adolescent Nutrition (online)
Fall
Summer
3
3
PubH 6906
Global Nutrition (in-person)
Spring
2
PA 5451
Immigrant Health Issues (online)
Fall, Spring
3-4
IBH 6081
Human Lifespan Development and Behavioral Health (in-
person)
Spring
3
FSOS 5942
Everyday Experiences of Families (online)
Spr/Sum
2
FSOS 5937
Parent-Child Interaction (online)
Spring
3
Methodological and Analytical Skills
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PubH 6034 or
PubH 6852
Evaluation (in-person)
Program Evaluation in Health and Mental Health Settings
(online and in-person)
Spring
Fall (in-
person)/Spr
ing (online)
3
2
Advanced Standing = Select a Minimum of 3 credits from this list
Standard = Select a minimum of 3 courses from this list
PubH 6035
Applied Research Methods (in-person)
Fall
3
PubH 6325
Data Processing with PC SAS (online)
Fall/Spring
1
PubH 6342
Epidemiologic Methods II (in-person)
Spring
3
PubH 6389
Nutritional Epidemiology (in-person)[pre-req PubH 6320 or 6341]
Fall
2
PubH 6390
Topics in Epi: Clinical Epidemiology (online)
Spring
2
PubH 6420
Introduction to SAS Programming (in-person) OR
Introduction to SAS Programming (online)
Fall
Summer
1
1
PubH 6451
Biostatistics II (online and in-person - prerequisite 6450)
Fall/Spring
4
PubH 6617
Practical Methods for Secondary Data Analysis (in-person)
Fall
3
PubH 6636
Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health Practice (in-
person)
Spring
2
PubH 6638
Excel and Access Skills in Public Health Settings (in-person)
Spring
1
PubH 6765
Continuous Quality Improvement: Methods and Techniques
(in-person and online)
Fall/Spring
(online)
3
PubH 6803
Conducting a Systematic Literature Review (in-person)
Spring
3
PubH 6806
Principles of Public Health Research (online) OR
Principles of Public Health Research (in-person)
Fall
Spring
2
2
PubH 6810
Survey Research Methods (in-person)
Spring
3
PubH 6845
Using Demographic Data for Policy Analysis (in-person)
Spring
3
PubH 6864
Conducting Health Outcomes Research (in-person)
Spring
3
PubH 6880
Introduction to Public Health Informatics (in-person)
Spring
2
PubH 6914
Community Nutrition Intervention (in-person)
Spring
3
PubH 7415
PubH 7420
Introduction to Clinical Trials (online) OR
Clinical Trials: Design, Implementation and Analysis (in-
person)
Sum/Fall
Spring
3
3
Management, Communications, Policy and Advocacy Skills (6 credits)
PubH 6673 OR
Nurs 5925
Grant Writing for Public Health (in-person)
Grant Writing (online)
Spring
Spring
1
1
PubH 6630
OR
PubH 6655
Foundations of MCH Leadership (in-person – preferred
course for standard students)
Principals of MCH in the US (online)
Fall
Summer
3
2
Advanced Standing and Standard = Select one additional course from the list below:
PubH 6000
Urban Health and Social Policy (in-person)
Spring
‘18/’20
2
PubH 6045
Skills for Policy Development (in-person)
Spring
1
PubH 6049
Legislative Advocacy Skills for Public Health (pre-req 6078;
in-person)
Spring
3
PubH 6066
Building Communities, Increasing Health: Preparing for
Community Health Work (in-person)
Fall
2
36
PubH 6074
Mass Communication and Public Health (in-person)
Fall
3
PubH 6078
Public Health Policy as a Prevention Strategy (in-person)
Fall
2
PubH 6556
Health and Health Systems (in-person)
Fall
3
PubH 6571
Leading Performance Improvement in Health Care (hybrid)
Spring
2
PubH 6627
Sexuality Education: Criteria. Curricula and Controversies
(in-person)
Spring
1
PubH 6634
Children and Families: Public Health Policy and Advocacy
(in-person)
Fall
2
PubH 6700
Foundations of Public Health (online)
Spring
3
PubH 6702
Integrative Leadership Seminar (in-person)
Fall/ Spring
3
PubH 6711
Public Health Law (in-person)
Spring
2
PubH 6724
The Health Care System and Public Health (in-person)
The Health Care System and Public Health (online)
Fall
Spring
3
3
PubH 6727
Health Leadership and Effecting Change (in-person)
Spring
2
PubH 6735
Principles of Health Policy (in-person)
Principles of Health Policy (online)
Fall
Spring
3
3
PubH 6755
Planning and Budgeting for Public Health (online)
Summer
2
PubH 6805
Introduction to Project Management (in-person)
Summer
2
PubH 6807
Global Health Relief, Development and Religious and Non-
religious NGO’s (in-person)
Spring
3
PubH 7691
Applied Methods for Health Transformation in MCH
(offered online by University of North Carolina)
Fall
1-2
PubH 6955
Using Policy to Address Child and Adolescent Obesity
Prevention (online)
Spring
1
PubH 6571
Leading Performance Improvement in Health Care (hybrid)
Spring
2
PubH 7556
Health and Health Systems (online)
Spring
2
PubH 7569
Health Care Policy (online)
Summer
1
Public Health Core (14 credits)
FNote: Courses designated as part of the Public Health Core must be taken for a letter grade
(A/F)E
PubH 6020
Fundamentals of Social and Behavioral Science(in-person
and online)
Fall/Spring
/Summer
3
PubH 6101 or
PubH 6102
Environmental Health (in-person)
Issues in Environmental and Occupational Health
(in-person and online)
Fall/Spring
Fall/Spring/
Summer
2
2
PubH 6320
or
PubH 6341
Fundamentals of Epidemiology (in-person and online)
Epidemiologic Methods I (in-person)
Fall/Spring/
Summer
Fall
3
3
PubH 6414 or
PubH 6450
Biostatistical Literacy (in-person and online)
Biostatistics I (in-person and online)
Fall/Spring
Summer
Fall/Spring
3
4
PubH 6741
or
PubH 6742
Ethics in Public Health: Professional Practice and Policy
(online)
Ethics in Public Health: Research and Policy (online)
Fall/Spring/
Summer
Fall/Spring
1
1
PubH 6751
Principles of Management in Health Services Organizations
(in-person and online)
Fall/Spring/
Summer
2
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Suggested Electives (in-person unless otherwise noted):
• PubH 6055: Social Inequalities in Health. Spring. 2 credits.
• PubH 6094: Obesity & Eating Disorder Interventions. Spring. 2 credits.
• PubH 6933: Nutrition and Chronic Diseases. Spring. 2 credits.
• PubH 6906: Global Nutrition. Spring. 2 credits.
• KIN 5203: Health Media, Consumerism, and Communication. Spring. 2 credits.
• PubH 6388: Foundations of Global Health. Fall. 2 credits.
• PubH 6131: Working in Global Health. Spring. 2 credits.
• PubH 6000: Sex, Sexuality and Sexual Health. Fall. 2 credits.
Public Health Institute: 1-2 credits, 1-3 weeks in length, in-person course offerings change every year.
Students are also encouraged to explore courses in: Health Informatics (HINF), Nursing (NURS), Family Social Sciences (FSOS),
Educational Psychology (EPSY), and Public Affairs (PA).
7.2 FALL 2017 MCH EPIDEMIOLOGY EMPHASIS PROGRAM CURRICULUM
48 Semester Credit Minimum
Please note that students must take the following courses A/F and receive a grade of B- or
higher: All scientific basis courses; PubH 6673 (or Nurs 6925) Grant Writing; PubH 6630
Foundation of MCH Leadership; and all SPH Core Courses.
Course
Title
Offered
Credits
Scientific Basis (6 credits)
Select one course from the list below:
PubH 6123
Violence Prevention and Control: Theory, Research and Application
Spring
2
PubH 6605
Reproductive and Perinatal Health
Spring
2
PubH 6675
Women’s Health
Fall `17/Fall `19
2
PubH 6686
Global Reproductive Health (online course)
Fall `17/Fall `19
2
Select one course from the list below:
PubH 6381
Genetics in Public Health
Fall
2
PubH 6385
Epidemiology & Control of Infectious Disease
Spring
2
PubH 6386
Public Health Aspects of Cardiovascular Disease
Fall
2
PubH 6387
Cancer Epidemiology
Spring
2
PubH 6389
Nutritional Epidemiology
Fall
2
Select one course from the list below:
PubH 6606
Children’s Health: Issues, Program and Policies (online course)
Spring
2
PubH 6607
Adolescent Health: Issues, Programs & Policies
Spring ‘18/Spring ‘20
2
PubH 6613
Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (online course)
Fall ‘18/Fall ‘20
PubH 6906
Global Nutrition
Spring
2
PubH 6907
Maternal, Infant, Child and Adolescent Nutrition (in-person)
Fall
3
Field Experience and Culminating Experience (3-4 credits)
PubH 7696
Field Experience
Fall/Spring/
Summer
2
PubH 7694
Culminating Experience (students who present their Field
Experience activities and take the CPH exam register for 1
credit; those who choose a formal paper option register for 2
credits)
Fall/Spring/
Summer
1-2
Electives (Advanced Standing - to total 42 credits; Standard – to total 48 credits)
38
Maternal, Infant, Child and Adolescent Nutrition (online)
Summer
3
Nurs 6924
Assessment and Intervention for Children and Youth with Special
Health Care Needs
Fall
2
Methodological and Analytical Skills (13 credits)
PubH 6342
Epidemiologic Methods II (prerequisite 6341)
Spring
3
PubH 6343
Epidemiologic Methods III (prerequisite 6342)
Fall
4
PubH 6350
Epidemiologic Methods III Lab
Fall
1
PubH 6451
Biostatistics II
Spring
4
PubH 6325 OR
PubH 6420
Data Processing with PC SAS
Introduction to SAS Programming
Fall/ Spring
Fall/ Summer
1
1
Management, Policy and Advocacy Skills (5-7 credits)
PubH 6673
Grant Writing for Public Health
Spring
1
PubH 6630
Foundations of MCH Leadership
Fall
3
Please select one additional course from the list below:
PubH 6034
Evaluation
Spring
3
PubH 6045
Skills for Policy Development
Spring
1
PubH 6066
Building Communities, Increasing Health: Preparing for Community
Health Work
Fall
2
PubH 6074
Mass Communication and Public Health
Fall
3
PubH 6078
Public Health Policy as a Prevention Strategy
Fall
2
PubH 6571
Leading Performance Improvement in Health Care (Hybrid)
Spring
2
PubH 6634
Advocacy and Children’s Rights
Fall
2
PubH 6702
Integrative Leadership Seminar
Fall/Spring
3
PubH 6711
Public Health Law
Spring
2
PubH 6724
The Health Care System and Public Health
Fall (online)/ Spring
3
PubH 6727
Health Leadership and Effecting Change
Spring
2
PubH 6755
Planning and Budgeting for Public Health
Fall/Summer(Online)
2
PubH 6805
Introduction to Project Management
Summer
2
PubH 6807
Global Health Relief, Development and Religious and Non-religious
NGO’s
Spring
3
PubH 6955
Using Policy to Address Child and Adolescent Obesity Prevention
(online)
Spring
1
Public Health Core (15 credits)
FNote: Courses designated as part of the Public Health Core must be taken for a letter grade (A/F)E
PubH 6020
Fundamentals of Social and Behavioral Science(available online)
Fall/Spring /Summer
3
PubH 6101 or
PubH 6102
Environmental Health OR
Issues in Environmental and Occupational Health
(online or in-class)
Fall/Spring
Fall/Spring/Summer
2
2
PubH 6341
Epidemiologic Methods I
Fall
3
PubH 6450
Biostatistics I (available online)
Fall/Spring
4
PubH 6741 or
PubH 6742
Ethics in Public Health: Professional Practice and Policy
Ethics in Public Health: Research and Policy
Fall/Spring/Summer
Fall/Spring
1
1
PubH 6735
Principles of Health Policy (in-person)
Principles of Health Policy (online)
Fall
Spring
3
3
39
(online or in-class)
PubH 6751
Principles of Management in Health Services Organizations
(available online)
Fall/Spring/Summer
2
Culminating and Field Experience (4 credits)
PubH 7696
Field Experience
Fall/Spring/Summer
2
PubH 7694
Culminating Experience
Fall/Spring/Summer
2
Electives (to total 48 credits)
Elective Credits/Concentrations
Elective courses are usually taken during the second year. Electives must be 5XXX level or higher and may be taken within the
School of Public Health or in other areas of the University.
PLEASE NOTE: Students in the MCH-Epi track are strongly encouraged to declare the Epidemiology Minor for master’s level
students which will appear on the transcript as a sub-plan. The MCH-Epi track will not show up on your transcript so if you would
like to show future employers that you did have an emphasis in Epidemiology it is in your best interest to declare the minor. See
Shelley Cooksey for details on how to declare a minor.
7.3 OTHER MPH DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The basis for all MCH graduate program curricula in the U.S. are the Maternal and Child Health Competencies
(http://www.atmch.org/sites/atmch.org/files/documents/mchcomps.PDF). They were developed by the education committee of the
Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health and approved by the membership and the Association of Schools of Public
Health MCH Council in 1993 and revised in 2001. Achieving these competencies permit MCH professionals to perform the MCH
essential services in the broader context of public health core functions.
MCH curricula are also informed by competencies identified by the Council on Education for Public Health, an independent agency
that accredits schools of public health.
The Recommended Competency Areas can be found at: https://z.umn.edu/epichcomp1415. Please scroll down the
list to find the MCH MPH list.
Changing Tracks:
Students may request to switch tracks by completing a form available by contacting Ms. Shelley Cooksey, the Student Advising
Manager, at cooks001@umn.edu. Students are encouraged to discuss changing tracks with their academic advisor as early in the
program as possible.
Registration Requirement
To graduate with an MPH at the University of Minnesota students are required to register for at least 2 semesters and 15 credits in
the School of Public Health.
Course Numbers and Graduate Credit
5xxx, 6xxx, 7xxx and 8xxx-level courses are considered graduate-level. 1xxx and 3xxx-level courses are for undergraduates and
will not receive approval for graduate credit. Under some circumstances – with approval of the student’s Program Director – 4xxx-
level courses may also be applied toward a MPH degree if graduate faculty members teach them.
MPH Study Plan
Students are required to submit a completed MPH Study Plan to Ms. Shelley Cooksey, Student Advising Manager, at
cooks001@umn.edu at least one semester prior to their anticipated completion of coursework.
Time Frame
The maximum time allowed by the School of Public Health for completion of an MPH degree is five years. The five-year period
begins with the first term of enrollment after admission to a degree program in the School.
Course Transfer Credits
A student may seek transfer of no more than 40% of their total graduate or professional program credits taken at the University of
Minnesota or at another college or university prior to the MPH program matriculation. Course credits may be used to satisfy public
40
health core or other program requirements as jointly approved by the Program Director and the Associate Dean for Academic
Affairs. No course credits older than 5 years from the date of the student’s matriculation will be accepted for transfer. A grade of “B”
or better is required for each course requested for transfer credit.
MPH students who have completed graduate-level coursework at the University of Minnesota or another college or university may
petition to transfer those courses toward their MPH degree. To be considered for transfer, graduate level coursework must have
been taken at an accredited graduate institution. Students must:
1. Meet with their Student Advising Manager to discuss the petitioning process. If the petition is acceptable to the advisor, the
student will complete and sign the Petition form, and attach an official transcript on which the final grade has been posted.
2. Submit the Petition form to the Student Advising Manager for processing. The Petition form can be found at
http://policy.umn.edu/forms/otr/otr172.pdf
The Student Advising Manager will forward the petition to the Program Director and then to the Associate Dean for
Academic Affairs for final evaluation and/or approval.
Course Substitutions and Waivers
All student requests that deviate from the degree curriculum requirements outlined in this Guidebook must be made on a Petition
form. The Petition form can be found at http://policy.umn.edu/forms/otr/otr172.pdf.
Students should note that the process for approving a course substitution or waiver could take up to one month, so plan
accordingly.
Course Substitution Procedures:
The process outlined below should be followed when requesting that a course substitute for a required course in the degree
program.
1. Obtain the course syllabi of the required course in your degree program and the proposed substitute course and a transcript
on which the proposed course grade has been posted (if the proposed course has already been completed).
2. Complete the Petition form with the following information in each section:
§ Briefly state the exception or approval to be considered: describe the course requested for substitution including the course
title, number of credits, term and year taken, and the name of the institution where the course was taken. Also list the
course/requirement in your degree program for which you are asking for the substitution.
§ Provide an explanation or reason to grant your request below: Indicate what skills and/or content overlaps between the
required course(s) and the proposed substitute course(s).
3. Compile the above materials and have the request reviewed by your Student Advising Manager. She will complete the
Department section of the Petition form and indicate whether or not they approve of the request.
4. The student should submit these materials to the Student Advising Manager who will forward it to the appropriate Credentials
Committee for review. The student will be notified via e-mail of the committee’s decision.
5. If the substitute course is to replace a School of Public Health Core course (administration—PubH 6751, behavioral/social
science—PubH 6020, biostatistics—PubH 6414/6450, environmental health—PubH 6101/6102, epidemiology—PubH
6320/6341, ethics—PubH 6741/6742), there is an additional step to get School-level approval. To complete this next step,
provide the materials to your Student Advising Manager. Upon receipt of those materials, the Student Advising Manager will
review the request with the Program Director and then if approved by the Program Director, the request will be forwarded to
the Student Services Center to be presented to the appropriate SPH Educational Policy committee members. The student will
be notified via e-mail of the committee’s decision. If the Program Director does not approve of the request, the Student
Advising Manager will inform the student that the request will not be forwarded to the SPH Educational Policy Committee for
review.
Application for Degree
MPH students are required to submit an Application for Degree form online. There are strict deadline dates before a student can be
cleared for graduation. You must submit the form by the end of the first business day of the month in which you want your degree
conferred. You must apply on-line by going to www.myu.umn.edu: ACADEMICS: DEGREE PROGRESS: APPLY TO GRADUATE
7.4 PLANNING YOUR SCHEDULE
Students are strongly encouraged to develop at draft plan for degree completion sometime during the initial term of registration.
This draft should be reviewed by Ms. Shelley Cooksey, Student Advising Manager, at cooks001@umn.edu for feedback. Ms.
Cooksey is available to meet with students needing assistance in developing a course completion plan.
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7.5 FIELD EXPERIENCE
Goals
The goals of the Field Experience are to provide an opportunity for Maternal and Child Health students to strengthen their
philosophy and understanding of public health and to begin developing an identity as a professional in MCH. These are achieved
by working with MCH professionals in a field agency outside of the University of Minnesota to introduce the student to:
§ The broad practice and philosophy of public health as it relates to MCH;
§ The administrative and organizational framework for MCH programs and services at state and local levels; and
§ The application of theory and skill to practice through work experiences with professional and community colleagues.
The Field Experience should increase the students’ confidence and ability to assess their strengths and weaknesses as members
of a public health team. Field Experiences provide opportunities for personal involvement in developing, planning, executing, and
evaluating public health activities for MCH populations.
To achieve these goals, students, in consultation with their advisor, will identify objectives specific to their field placement. The
following list provides examples of relevant objectives, but is by no means exhaustive:
§ Explore and apply methods of working effectively with communities or special populations within the community;
§ Participate in needs identification, planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and/or evaluating the components of health
services, programs, and projects related to MCH;
§ Participate in assessing health problems of a selected population;
§ Interpret current MCH research findings and their practical application to personal and community health through
appropriate consultation experiences for physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists, teachers, nutritionists, or other
health workers;
§ Plan, direct, implement, and evaluate in-service education and orientation programs for professional and allied health
workers in MCH programs;
§ Participate in coordinating MCH services with related programs;
§ Participate in planning, implementing, and evaluating needs assessments and health surveys that relate to MCH issues;
§ Participate as a member of a multidisciplinary public health team;
§ Select, plan, prepare, and evaluate teaching aids and materials to disseminate information to professional and
nonprofessional audiences through various media; and
§ Interpret legislation for professionals and consumers.
How to Meet the Field Experience Requirement
The Field Experience should be started after students have completed half of their required coursework. Students are encouraged
to begin seeking an appropriate site six months before they are prepared to begin. Students should consult with their academic
advisor in selecting a site appropriate for achieving their educational and professional objectives.
Students must register for 2 semester credits in PubH 7696. Each credit requires 60 hours of work with the agency/site. A
maximum of 3 credits can be negotiated with academic advisor approval but requires an additional 60 hours of work.
Periodic communication with the advisor during the Field Experience is expected, although the faculty advisor will not observe
students at their field site. The site preceptor must have a master’s level degree or higher and may not be a MCH faculty member.
How to Register and Complete the Field Experience
1. The first step is to identify a possible field site and preceptor. The School of Public Health provides excellent help in identifying
your interests and finding a match. The following link will provide you with hints for networking, professional development, a
self-learning tool, and a searchable database of many field experience options: http://www.sph.umn.edu/careers/fe/. If you
have difficulty after using these tools and guidance, please contact your academic advisor, or the Program Director for
assistance.
2. Once a potential placement has been identified, the student should make contact with the organization to identify and define a
specific project or area, time commitment, and a site preceptor.
3. The Field Experience/Internship Learning Agreement must be completed and approved electronically by going to
www.ahc.umn.edu/sphfieldexp. Once the agreement is approved, Ms. Shelley Cooksey will do a final review of the contract
and email the student electronic permission to register for PubH 7696.
4. Certain facilities are required by Minnesota law to conduct a criminal background check for all personnel with direct,
unsupervised client contact. If their Field Experience, Culminating Experience, or dissertation is in such a facility, students may
be asked by the institution to submit paperwork.
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5. Some agencies may ask students to sign agreements concerning confidentiality of data or other data practices. This may be
especially true in settings where students will have access to data with personal identifiers.
6. The Field Experience is graded on a pass/fail (S/N) basis. Upon completion of their Field Experience, both students and site
preceptors are required to complete electronic evaluations.
Relationship of Field Experience To Culminating Experience
For standard and online/distant education MCH students: The preferred option for the Culminating Experience involves giving a
brief presentation about the Field Experience (see info in section 1.6)
7.6 CULMINATING EXPERIENCE
Purpose
The purpose of the Culminating Experience is to enable students to demonstrate:
§ Familiarity with the tools of research and scholarship in public health;
§ Ability to work independently;
§ Ability to plan and carry out a systematic investigation related to a public health issue; and
§ Ability to effectively present the results of their Culminating Experience (or their Field Experience, for those who do Option
#1).
Project Options
Students should discuss with their academic advisors which of the five options for a Culminating Experience they will choose:
1. Field Experience presentation and Certificate of Public Health exam (preferred for standard and advanced standing students);
2. Research project; (required of epi emphasis students, although a waiver may be possible)
3. Technical report;
4. Critical literature review project; or
5. Research proposal
For standard and advanced standing students: The preferred option is #1 (presentation of field experience highlights and
Certificate of Public Health exam). Students may choose from other options IF they have a project advisor and committee.
Students should discuss their options with their academic advisor.
For epi emphasis students: Option #2, the Research Project, is the required option to enable the students to demonstrate their
quantitative skills. If this is not a viable option for an epi emphasis student, s/he should discuss this with her/his advisor as a
request for exception may be possible.
For students who choose Option #1, there is no need for a project advisor, as the academic advisor is sufficient. If students
choose a paper option they must find a project advisor (the academic advisor is not obliged to fulfill this role) and a committee
willing to mentor a paper project.
For students pursuing Options #2-#5: Students are encouraged to decide upon a topic as early in their program as possible.
Ideally, the primary area of interest should be determined before the beginning of their second year. This should be followed by
further specification of the topic for investigation and a decision about the project options. Discussions with the advisor should be
used to explore opportunities and alternatives.
Students choose their topics through different avenues including:
§ Prior experience that has stimulated an interest in a particular area of MCH;
§ A formal course that stimulates interest in a specific area;
§ Field placement projects that include sufficient scope and scholarly activity to constitute a Culminating Experience;
§ Announcements from community organizations or public health agencies that have contacted the MCH program or SPH
Career Center; and
§ The student's advisor or another member of the faculty may be involved in a research study of interest to the student. The
student may be given the opportunity to use data from a faculty research study for their Culminating Experience or be
referred to a public domain database.
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It is critical that students who decide to choose Options 2-5 identify a project advisor (not necessarily the academic advisor) who
will mentor the development of the paper, as well as identify two committee members will read the paper (in draft and final form).
The following provides a rough outline of each option. Individual Culminating Experiences may vary. Please note that students
who choose Option #1 will register for one Culminating Experience credit (PubH 7694), while those who choose the other options
will register for two Culminating Experience credits.
Option #1: Field Experience Presentation and Certificate of Public Health exam (Preferred
for standard and advanced standing students)
A. Presentation and Executive Summary. Every Fall and Spring Semester, MCH, CHP and PHN will hold a joint 4 hour
presentation event at WBOB. MCH, CHP and PHN students who select this option will give a 15-minute presentation of their Field
Experience with 5 minutes allowed after the presentation for questions. Program directors, and the presenting students’ advisors,
must attend this presentation event. It is hoped that this celebratory event will be attended, in part or in its entirety, by many
faculty, staff, and students in and outside of the MCH, CHP and PHN programs, as well as by Field Experience preceptors and
other community members who may be invited by presenting students. The event will model a scholarly conference. The date of
the event will be announced well in advance by Ms. Shelley Cooksey, Student Advising Manager.
A.1. PowerPoint presentation: The topic of the presentation will be the Field Experience. A student may describe the
entire experience and/or identify an element of the experience (e.g., a missed opportunity, a particular challenge that
was overcome) that would be of interest to a public health audience. The purpose of the presentation is to teach the
audience (students, faculty members, community colleagues) about the organization, its aims, the project, and/or a
public health lesson learned through the Field Experience. This presentation will expand the depth of the Field
Experience by allowing students to present lessons learned or products developed during the Field Experience. The
presentation must be a formal PowerPoint presentation. The student will work with her/his advisor to prepare a
professional presentation. There are many online resources that may be of help listed below.
A2. Executive summary: Students must complete an executive summary. Students should work with their Academic
Advisors to prepare their written materials. There are also many websites that offer guidance about how to write them.
Format and Style:
The executive summary should not exceed two pages of text. Students should use a block format, with single spaced
paragraphs. Margins should be one inch. Use 11-point Arial font. Attach references on a third page (students MUST use
APA or Vancouver format).
The executive summary should have a formal tone but be written for a broad audience. The author should assume that
the readers will have a short amount of time to read this document. It should be written concisely, using short sentences
and no jargon. If technical language is included, the author should also include definitions if a readership with public
health background could be confused.
Because Field Experiences can vary in intensity and variety, this summary (and the presentation) may reflect part of the
Field Experience or the entire experience.
Sections:
Introduction: Intended to describe the public health problem addressed by the Field Experience (or presentation project).
Why is it a public health concern? How does this public health problem affect the population focused on in the Field
Experience?
Experience: An overview of the work the student completed for the Field Experience (or presentation project). What were
the learning objectives? Did the student achieve them? If the student collected or analyzed data, the student must provide
a brief description of the data collection and analytical methods used as well as a description of measures used. Specify
sample sizes. If the student worked on an intervention, it must be briefly described (e.g., what was the purpose of the
intervention, who developed it, who was implementing it, whether it is evidence based).
Organization: The student must describe the organization that organized the Field Experience (or presentation project).
What type of organization was it (e.g., local health department, non-profit organization)? What was the size, focus, and
mission of the organization? How did the student’s Field Experience fit with the organization’s overall mission?
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Results (applicable to an experience that involved data analysis): What were the major findings? Include enough data
(e.g., confidence intervals, p values) to give the reader a good idea about the magnitude of the findings. Be sure to
describe the primary findings at the very least (i.e., the findings that relate to the specific aims or purpose of the
evaluation).
Lessons Learned: What did the student learn from the Field Experience (or presentation project)? Lessons learned may
reflect the student’s own skill development or lessons learned about the field. The student may also reflect on a missed
opportunity or a challenge that was overcome.
Recommendations: The student should provide recommendations for the specific Field Experience organization, or
similar organizations, working in the content area and/or with populations similar to those related to the Field Experience
(or presentation project). What activities, programs or policies should be continued or improved to address the public
health problem? When appropriate, the recommendations should be based on the research literature and relevant
theory.
Conclusion: A few (~2-4) sentences that reflect the major points of the Field Experience or presentation project.
Resources:
• NW Center for Public Health Practice, U Washington presentation toolkit, https://www.medicalteams.org/docs/default-
source/resource-center/effective-presentation-toolkit.pdf?sfvrsn=2
• Tips for oral presentations, http://library.eb.com/resources/pdf/BSW_Oral_Presentation.pdf.
A3. Evaluation: Three faculty members will independently complete a structured evaluation form for students about the
abstract and the presentation. Academic advisors will evaluate their advisees and the program coordinator will identify
one “outside” faculty reviewer for each student in advance (the third reviewer will be the program director). Faculty
reviewers will have the option to score the student abstract and the presentation independently as pass, pass with
revisions (which could entail a revised abstract and/or presentation at a subsequent event day), or fail (the student would
have one more time to write an abstract and present it at a subsequent event day—or choose Option 2). Faculty
evaluators will provide a numerical ranking of the abstract and presentation on a written evaluation form. The rubric for
grading the abstract and presentation will be based on the following:
• Content relevance: Does the student convey how and why the topic is meaningful from a public health
perspective AND do the tasks meet what would be expected of a final project or field experience?
• Critical Analysis of Experience: Does the student provide a thorough and thoughtful analysis of the
experience? Does the student derive reasonable implications for future public health work, research, programs,
and/or practice?
• Coherence and quality of oral presentation: Does the student clearly and deeply describe the main points of
the presentation? Does the student provide a clear overview of the work s/he specifically completed for the
project? Was the information delivered effectively, with good vocal projection and inflection, eye contact, and
body language? Was time used appropriately (i.e., was the presentation delivered without rushing, using the
allotted time)? Did the student present him/herself in a professional manner?
• Coherence and quality of slides: Did the information flow well, in a logical and clear manner? Did the slide
presentation use color and design well, avoid crowded slides, and present graphics (if used) clearly so attendees
could easily read them?
• Coherence and quality of written executive summary: Is the Executive Summary in a structured form,
appropriate for the topic? Is it free of grammar and syntax errors? Is it coherent? Does it adequately reflect the
presentation? Does it show critical thinking about the field experience (or project). Were methods and processes
well described?
B. CPH Exam. Students selecting Option #1 must also take and pass the Certified in Public Health (CPH) exam. The exam has
200 questions that cover the SPH core; it is a timed exam (maximum time is 4 hours). It is offered year round. The cost of the
exam (as of June 2017) is $385. Students would have to pay this fee as well as register for one Culminating Experience credit. In
order to earn their degree, students choosing Option #1 must PASS the exam (more than 80% of those who take the exam pass
the first time).
Students of CEPH-accredited schools and programs are eligible to take the CPH exam if they have completed or are concurrently
enrolled in the graduate-level core content required for their graduate degree (biostatistics, epidemiology, health services/policy
management, environmental health, social behavioral sciences). Candidates who pass the exam under these eligibility criteria will
be provisionally certified until graduation. Following confirmation of their graduation, they will be certified in Public Health.
Confirmation the core requirements have been completed must be verified by the NBPHE before candidates may schedule their
exam (students should talk to the Shelley Cooksey about their eligibility). For information about the CPH exam, go to
https://www.nbphe.org/.
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Option #2: Research Project (Required for epi emphasis students)
This option is available for students who would like to apply research skills and analyze data (usually secondary data). The
research project will focus on pertinent questions or issues in MCH. This project will demonstrate the student’s ability:
§ To plan and conduct research using appropriate scientific methods;
§ To assess quantitative or qualitative analysis using primary or secondary data; and
§ To assess the relevance of project findings in terms of research, policy, and programmatic implications.
Approval for the research needs to be obtained from the Human Subjects Committee (Institutional Review Board -
http://www.research.umn.edu/irb/).
To develop the research project, the best samples are research papers from peer-reviewed journals. The research project should
include the following components:
• Title Page: title; student name; statement about project option and that the paper is in support of the MPH degree in Maternal
and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; advisor name; date; and copyright permission (optional)
• Abstract, not to exceed 250 words
• Acknowledgments (generally includes anyone who helped with the paper or the project it describes)
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Statement and development of problem, including its rationale and significance to public health and MCH
• Conceptual model or theoretical framework (if appropriate)
• Statement of purpose
• Methodology
• Study design
• Description of database/population and sample selection procedures including nature of response and non-response,
as appropriate
• Description of data/information collection procedures, study site and instrumentation, as appropriate
• Analytic method
• Results
• Discussion
• Description of how findings confirm/conflict from those of others
• Strengths and weaknesses of study
• Conclusion and implications for public health/MCH
• References
• Appendices (copies of instruments, surveys, records used, IRB documentation, etc.)
Pending advisor's approval, students who plan to submit their Culminating Experience for publication may submit the final project
in the article format specified by a professional journal. Students collaborating with other investigators have the primary
responsibility for writing the article. However, revisions and editorial changes recommended by co-authors may be incorporated
into the final paper to be submitted to the examining committee. Students who are seeking guidance on the format for the research
project paper should examine published public health research reports in journals like the American Journal of Public Health.
Note: The student and advisor should have frank discussions about the possible publication of the research paper stemming from
the Culminating Experience, including order of authorship. See below for guidance on Dissemination and Authorship.
Option #3: Technical Report
This option gives students the opportunity to have in-depth involvement in a public health program. Students may work with an
agency or combine the field placement experience with the Culminating Experience requirement, depending on the needs of the
agency and the interests of the student. The project will meet the needs of the agency, as well as the MPH requirement to produce
scholarly work as the culmination of the graduate program. It is not a research study but should reflect critical thinking, problem
solving and creativity. The project should address topics of relevance to the field of MCH and may reflect the product of: program
evaluation; a community needs assessment; an assessment of current practices or policies, data systems, or screening methods;
or the development of a curriculum or program.
The technical report will demonstrate the student’s ability:
§ To develop or evaluate program plans, processes, service activities or outcomes;
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§ To plan and organize a body of technical information into a cohesive and acceptable report format; and
§ To assess the relevance policy and programmatic implications of the findings.
The technical report should be written in a style and format usable and useful to the agency, program planners and/or policy
makers. The student, the faculty advisor, and the site supervisor will determine the structure of the report. The technical report
should include the following components:
• Title Page: title; student name; statement about project option and that the paper is in support of the MPH degree in Maternal
and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; advisor name; date; and copyright permission (optional)
• Acknowledgments (generally acknowledge individuals who helped with the paper or the project)
• Executive Summary
• Table of Contents
• Overview of problem, issue, or project including its significance to public health, MCH and/or the agency
• Critical literature review: A modest literature review may be necessary to contextualize the purpose of the project or the findings
of the project
• Methodology
• Design or plan of approach
• Description of study site and data base/population and sample selection procedures including nature of response and
non-response, as appropriate (e.g., Children’s Defense Fund, March of Dimes)
• Description of data/information collection procedures and key variables,
• Analytic method
• Results
• Discussion
• Description of how findings confirm/depart from those of others
• Strengths and weaknesses of project
• Conclusion and implications for public health/MCH and/or the agency involved
• References
• Appendices (copies of instruments, surveys, records used, IRB documentation, etc.)
Option #4: Critical Literature Review Project
This option gives the student the opportunity to do a scholarly comprehensive and integrative review of published literature to
address a specific issue that is relevant to the science and practice of MCH. This literature review must be of publishable quality. It
will demonstrate the student’s ability:
§ To initiate and successfully plan and complete a comprehensive review of the literature and synthesize findings in an area
of MCH;
§ To critically and systematically evaluate the scientific, programmatic, or practice and policy evidence in the selected MCH
content area;
§ To recognize gaps in existing knowledge; and
§ To assess the relevance of the literature to the delivery of health services and/or the development of programs or
interventions for MCH populations.
A review could examine:
§ The evidence-based review of a causal link (e.g., Is there a relationship between maternal hypertension and fetal growth?);
§ The best practices in programming, evaluation or policy (e.g., Are abstinence-based programs associated with reductions in
teen pregnancy?);
§ The methodological concerns in studies of MCH populations (e.g., How has SES been modeled in studies of teenagers?);
or
§ The evidence-based review of a critical issue (e.g., Mortality and morbidity for large-for-age babies).
The Critical Review Project typically has the following components:
• Title Page: title; student name; statement about project option and that the paper is in support of the MPH degree in Maternal
and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; advisor name; date; and copyright permission (optional)
• Abstract, not to exceed 250 words
• Acknowledgments (generally anyone who helped with the project)
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
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• Statement and development of problem, including its rationale and significance to public health and MCH
• Conceptual model or theoretical framework (if appropriate)
• Statement of purpose
• Methodology
• Method used to collect articles
• Criteria for including or excluding articles in the review article
• Criteria for assessing articles
• Integrative Literature Review and Analysis
A critical appraisal of the literature would involve a critique of the relevant studies that identifies strengths, weaknesses, and gaps
(e.g., measurement of concepts, sampling, design, and analysis). An approach to this section would be to develop a table
summarizing the studies reviewed, with the salient characteristics of the studies specified. It is generally recommended that the
emphasis be on actual results of studies reviewed and not the authors' discussion of their results.
• Discussion
This section is a summary of trends or patterns in the studies reviewed. If the review involves examining the evidence for a causal
link between one or more factors and health outcomes, this section may discuss the literature relative to the general criteria for
causality (e.g., strength of association, consistency across studies, temporal relationship, dose-response, biologic plausibility).
• Conclusion and Implications for Public Health/MCH
• References
• Appendices
Pending advisor's approval, students who plan to submit their Culminating Experience for publication may submit the final project
in the article format specified by the journal. Students collaborating with other investigators have the primary responsibility for
writing the article. However, revisions and editorial changes recommended by co-authors may be incorporated into the final paper
to be submitted to the examining committee. Students seeking guidance on the critical literature review project should examine
published review articles on the Cochrane database or in public health or medical journals (e.g., The Annual Review of Public
Health). Students are also advised to read Health Sciences Literature Review Made Easy: The Matrix Method by Dr. Judy
Garrard.
Option #5: Research Proposal
This option gives the student an opportunity to demonstrate methodological and critical analyses skills. The product of this
proposal is a formal research proposal that could be submitted to a funding agency. It is intended to be an NIH-type proposal (i.e.,
distinguished from a 5-page proposal that is common among community-based funders). In their grantwriting course, MCH
students learn the elements of grantwriting that is typical for foundations. Many of the skills they learn in this course are relevant to
this project EXCEPT THAT this project requires a longer narrative and more content and methodological depth.
This proposal will demonstrate the student’s ability:
§ To synthesize the literature that forms the background for the research project;
§ To recognize gaps in existing knowledge;
§ To frame researchable questions; and
§ To develop a feasible study design.
The project could propose secondary analyses of an extant database, evaluation of a program, or conduct of an etiologic or
intervention research project. Students may consider the length of the project to be anywhere between 1-5 years (whatever is
most relevant for the project. Unlike real proposals, this project will not include a budget, a description of the investigators (or their
previous work).
There are several websites that provide advice about how to write a proposal. A short article may be of help:
http://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Pajares/proposal.html. Of most help may be for students to ask their advisors for examples of
research proposals.
The Proposal typically has the following components:
• Title Page: title; student name; statement about project option and that the paper is in support of the MPH degree in Maternal
and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; advisor name; date; and copyright permission (optional)
• Abstract, not to exceed 250 words
• Acknowledgments (generally anyone who has helped with the paper)
• Table of Contents
• Statement of the Problem
• Specific Aims. Long and short-term objectives of the proposed work
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• Background
• Statement and development of problem, including its significance to public health and MCH (i.e., provide a framework
for the importance of the proposed study)
• Gaps in knowledge (i.e., to provide a framework for the significance of the proposed study)
• Methods (i.e., the heart of the proposal!)
• Theoretical framework
• Sample
• Instruments (e.g., surveys, scales)
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Timetable
• Strengths and Limitations of the Proposed Study
• Conclusion and Implications for Public Health/MCH
• References
• Appendices (e.g., draft surveys)
Culminating Experience Advisor
All students must have an advisor to guide and approve the steps in the Culminating Experience process. If the student chooses
Option #1, the Culminating Experience advisor is the Academic Advisor; there is no “Project Advisor” because there is no project,
per se. If the student chooses Options #2-5, the Academic Advisor may be the project advisor if the paper stems from the
academic advisor’s own projects or datasets, but often the project advisor is a different individual. The academic advisor can help
the student identify a project and project advisor and also should be kept apprised of the student’s progress on the Culminating
Experience. The project advisor must be a member of the MCH faculty. When a faculty member agrees to serve as their project
advisor, students should inform their academic advisor and the Student Advising Manager of the name of the project advisor and
the subject or working title of their Culminating Experience project. The role of the Culminating Experience advisor varies with the
project. Students can expect their project advisor to:
§ Be available for consulting with the student at all stages of the project;
§ Review and approve all project protocols and methods; and
§ Provide guidance about the format and content of the final report.
Culminating Experience Committee for Options #2, 3, 4, and 5
The committee must include at least three members:
1. The Culminating Experience advisor, who must be an MCH faculty member, will chair the committee;
2. The second committee member must be an MCH faculty member. This person will be the student’s academic advisor if the
academic advisor is not also the project advisor; and
3. One outside person. This person must be a regular or adjunct/affiliated faculty member from the University, but outside of the
MCH Major or it can be an appropriate community member. The project advisor and the student select this person. A
community member can be the third member provided that the person selected has a master’s level degree or higher and
does not have a close personal relationship to the student. Students selecting this option must submit a form along with their
Culminating Experience Declaration Form to get approval for this community member to participate.
The student’s academic advisor can also serve as the project advisor if both parties agree. If the student selects a project advisor
who is not her/his academic advisor, the academic advisor must be the second committee member. A list of MCH faculty members
and their research interests is available in section 1.9. All of the faculty members included in this list may serve as a Culminating
Experience advisor for an MCH student. Students with questions about any faculty member’s appointment should contact one of
the Student Advising Manager for clarification. Please remember the academic advisor must be either the first or second
committee member.
It is recommended that students inform all members of their committee about the scope of the project to give all committee
members a chance to have input. Students should also keep committee members updated on their progress (e-mail is often fine)
and be sure to schedule their exam at least one month in advance. Students should be aware that all faculty members have full
research/training schedules and are often heavily scheduled.
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Approval Process and Registration
For students who choose Option #1: Student completing this option should submit the Culminating Experience Declaration form
at the same time as the Field Experience Learning Agreement is submitted. Students selecting this option will register for one
credit of PubH7694 at the same time as registering for field experience credits (PubH 7696). The final grade for 7694 will not be
submitted until the student provides the Student Advising Manger with documentation that they have passed the CPH exam.
For students who choose Options #2, 3, 4, or 5: After selecting a topic, it is suggested that the project proposal be submitted to
the advisor no later than the beginning of the Fall semester in year two. This schedule will be different for part-time students.
Prior to registering for Culminating Experience credits, students must submit the Culminating Experience Declaration Form
(https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4snm2Q3-ffQYXNKcUJGaExpTXM/edit?usp=sharing). Students must have this form approved
and signed by their Culminating Experience advisor, and submitted to the Student Advising Manager, before they can start work on
their Culminating Experience. The outline should include a detailed description of the Culminating Experience.
Students must register for PubH 7694 Culminating Experience: Maternal and Child Health for 2 semester credits. The grade option
for these credits is S-N only. Most students do not complete their Culminating Experience credits the same semester they register
for credits and thus the grade remain a "K" for "work in progress" on the transcript until they complete their project and hold their
oral exam.
The Culminating Experience is completed in an independent study format with regular advisor meetings. Students are encouraged
to review the proposal with their advisor and schedule meetings as outlined in the implementation plan. Regular meetings with the
members of the exam committee are not expected but may occur.
Human Subjects Information
Contact your Culminating Experience Advisor for details on how to obtain IRB Approval.
Project Completion
For students choosing Option #1: Students should apprise their academic advisor of their decision at least 3 months
before the date on which they will present their Field Experience. They should also be aware of the deadlines for the CPH
Exam and coordinate their preparation and taking the exam with the Student Advising Manager.
Working with their advisor, students should finalize their structured Executive Summary and Powerpoint Presentation
and submit it to the Student Advising Manager at least 2 weeks (14 days) before the presentation day. Students should
allow 1 or 2 meetings with their advisor, over a 1-3 week period, to prepare their presentation.
For students choosing Options #2, 3. 4, or 5: The length and format of the final project report will vary depending on the project.
Students need to decide on the format and length in consultation with their advisor. Shorter papers (15-30 pages) prepared in a
journal format to be submitted for publication may be appropriated for research projects, but longer papers (30-50 pages) are more
typical of a Culminating Experience paper. Papers should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, using a 12-point font, and
prepared according to accepted style guidelines. Copies of former students’ research projects are located near cubicle 398E on the
third floor of WBOB. Students may browse through this paper but cannot take them from the student study area. Abstracts are
available on http://www.epi.umn.edu/mch/academics/mch-masters-projects/.
In an effort to keep this requirement contemporary and relevant to the preparation of public health professionals, the following style
manuals are recommended:
§ APA, Purdue Online Writing Lab, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
§ AMA Vancouver, Monash University Library, http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/tutorials/citing
Suggested Timetable
During Fall Semester of Year Two students should:
§ Develop topic and select project option in consultation with their advisor;
§ Submit project proposal to their advisor for approval;
§ Once approved, submit the Culminating Experience Approval Form to Ms. Cooksey, Student Advising Manager and register
for Culminating Experience credits;
§ Complete IRB application (allow two months for approval); and
§ After IRB approval, begin work on their project.
Three to four months before their expected program completion students should:
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§ Continue work on their project; and
§ Identify and contact (in consultation with their advisor) possible Oral Examination Committee members to determine interest
and availability.
One to three months before expected program completion students should:
§ Submit the first draft of the project to their advisor and make an appointment for a follow-up discussion (allow 2 weeks for
advisor to read draft);
§ Discuss the draft with their advisor and make revisions and corrections (more than one round of revisions will probably be
required);
§ Schedule their Oral Examination, with advisor approval; and
§ Submit final project to advisor and Committee members (allow at minimum two weeks for reading).
Costs Associated with the Culminating Experience
Students are responsible for costs associated with completing their Culminating Experiences. These costs are sometimes offset in
part by the organization with which the student is working. Funds may also be available from the Division of Epidemiology and
Community Health by applying for the J. B. Hawley Student Research Award. A call for submissions for this award is usually sent
out via email in October and April.
Students who choose Option #1 will be solely responsible for the cost of taking the CPH Exam (and re-taking it if they do not pass
the first time). There are no School, Division or Program funds to cover the costs of the exam.
Dissemination and Authorship (for Options #2, 3, 4, and 5)
It is expected that projects will result in methods and findings of interest to professionals in the field. Students are highly
encouraged to disseminate their findings at professional meetings (poster or paper), in a professional journal at the annual summer
MCH Institute or by preparing a technical report for MCH agencies.
It is assumed that the student will be the first author on their master’s paper manuscript if it is submitted for publication only if the
student meets the qualifications for first authorship. Students and advisors should have a conversation about authorship before
work begins and authorship should be revisited if any author (including the student) is not contributing substantively to the
manuscript.
Many advisors have rules about authorship and the student and the advisor should discuss these rules. Interested students may
also refer to the authorship guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (http://www.icmje.org/).
According to ICMJE, authors should have made substantial contributions to all of the following: conception or design; acquisition of
data; analysis and interpretation of data; drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and final
approval of the version to be published.
Order of authorship should reflect the extent of each collaborator’s contribution to the paper, with the first author typically being the
individual who takes primary responsibility for conceptualizing and writing the first draft of the paper. It is the first author’s
responsibility to ensure that all the co-authors have the opportunity to review and contribute to various drafts of a paper or
presentation before it is submitted. It is also the first author’s responsibility to determine order of authorship, based on contribution.
The major burdens of authorship (and revisions) fall on the first author. If the first author is unable to take an active intellectual role
in the creation of the paper, s/he has an ethical obligation to assume a lesser authorship. All authors are expected to be able to
take public responsibility for a paper; the first author should be knowledgeable enough—and involved enough—to be able to step
into the role as primary spokesperson.
Individuals who have made contributions to a manuscript, but who do not qualify for authorship should be listed, with their
permission, in the Acknowledgments. An example of such an individual would be a statistician who followed directions from the
authors to do the study data analysis and offered no contributions of his/her own to the development of the paper.
7.7 ORAL PRESENTATION AND EXAMINATION FOR OPTIONS #2, 3, 4, AND 5
The following are guidelines for the MPH examination for the Maternal and Child Health Major. Forms mentioned below can be
found at http://www.isph.umn.edu/epich/current-student-forms-and-policies/.
Students give an oral presentation of the Culminating Experience to a public audience and their examining committee. The
presentation should last approximately 15-20 minutes followed by 10 minutes for audience questions. After the presentation, the
student and the examining committee convene for a closed-door examination, which lasts for approximately 30-60 minutes.
Students have the option to complete their exam via teleconference.
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Material Covered
The material covered in the oral examination is comprehensive and may include:
1. Culminating Experience;
2. Course materials and seminars;
3. Issues of practical application
Before the Examination
Students need to complete Part I of the Study Plan (http://www.isph.umn.edu/epich/current-student-forms-and-policies/) at least
one semester before completion of their coursework. Students should complete Pages 1 & 2 of the Study Plan and then turn in the
Study Plan to Shelley Cooksey, Student Advising Manager. Students are urged to keep a copy of their Study Plan for their files.
Students are responsible for scheduling the oral exam with the committee members, reserving a small conference room for a
minimum of two hours to allow preparatory time and post-exam discussion time, if needed. Students are expected to determine the
date and time of their defense and schedule the room. To schedule a room in the West Bank Office Building (WBOB), call 612-
624-1818.
It is a good idea to reserve the room 30 minutes prior to the presentation time. Allowing that additional 30 minutes will ensure that
the audio-visual equipment reserved has been set up and is working. To reserve an LCD projector and/or laptop, please notify
Shelley Cooksey, Student Advising Manager (cooks001@umn.edu) at least two weeks in advance.
At least two weeks prior to the exam, students must forward a copy of their final project to their committee members for review, and
notify Shelley Cooksey, Student Advising Manager (cooks001@umn.edu) of the date of the oral exam so that the proper
paperwork can be forwarded to the project advisor. Students should send Ms. Cooksey a copy of the project abstract electronically.
This abstract will be included in the announcement of the oral to students and faculty. The abstract will also be posted on the
Center for Leadership Education in MCH website, http://www.epi.umn.edu/mch.
During the Exam
The student's formal presentation should cover the Culminating Experience and may also include:
§ An introduction and rationale for the project;
§ A description of the methods used;
§ A description of major findings; and
§ A concluding statement regarding public health implications and directions for the future research or program/policy
development.
The exact components for the presentation will vary among individuals, but all presentations should be well prepared and suitable
for a professional audience.
After the Exam
The “exam” involves the student’s formal presentation, questions from the audience, and questions from the examining committee.
After the examining committee has finished its questions, the student will be excused from the room and the committee will make
its decision by a vote. If the vote is split, the committee discusses their respective opinions and strives to reach a unanimous
decision. Each member of the exam committee will complete an Evaluation form. The final decision will be one of the following
based on the average scores given from the exam committee members:
§ Pass: The requirements are complete. The committee members sign the MPH Study Plan indicating that the student has
passed.
§ Pass pending revisions: The committee may request revisions of the written Culminating Experience project. In this case
the advisor is responsible for summarizing the changes to be made, designating who will review the changes, and setting a
date when the changes are due. The student must make the changes and submit an updated version of the project to the
member(s) by the date designated at the exam. Reviewers are given two weeks to evaluate the updated project. Upon
approving the changes the advisor will sign and forward the MPH Study Plan and student's transcript to Ms. Shelley
Cooksey, Student Advising Manager..
§ Re-take: In the case of a re-take, the Committee will provide specific reasons for the re-take and provide guidance to the
student about what must be demonstrated to pass. The advisor will give this as verbal feedback to the student in the
committee's presence, as well as in writing after the exam, with copies to the other Committee members and the Ms.
Shelley Cooksey, Student Advising Manager.
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The MPH will not be conferred until the Exam Committee is satisfied with both the quality of the presentation and the Culminating
Experience. The project advisor is responsible for returning the student’s file with the signed study plan to the Ms. Shelley
Cooksey, Student Advising Manager as well as submitting a grade change for the Culminating Experience research credits, PubH
7694.
Once any necessary changes or corrections to the Culminating Experience have been completed, students must submit their
Culminating Experience paper and abstract to Ms. Shelley Cooksey, Student Advising Manager via email (cooks001@umn.edu).
An abstract of every MCH student’s project is placed on the website for the Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child
Public Health, http://www.epi.umn.edu/mch. Students who do not wish to have their abstract on the website should contact Dr.
Jamie Stang (stang002@umn.edu).
7.8 CAREER SURVEY
Students must submit the Career Survey prior to receiving their degree or certificate. Students may complete the process online at
the appropriate link on the current student Web page or at this link http://secure.ahc.umn.edu/PublicHealth/CareerSurvey. Upon
submitting the electronic survey, the student's relevant program Coordinator will be notified by e-mail.
All graduates will receive a three-month and six-month e-mail message asking them to update survey information (e.g.,
employment). This is through secure access and staff are unable to input information on students' behalf.
7.9 PROGRAM FACULTY LIST
Primary Faculty
Name
Phone
E-mail
Research Expertise
Zobeida Bonilla, PhD,
MPH
624-1818
zbonilla@umn.edu
Health disparities, global MCH and qualitative
research
Sonya Brady, PhD
626-4026
ssbrady@umn.edu
Health risk behavior during adolescence and young
adulthood; Developmental influences on risk taking;
Mechanisms linking stressful life circumstances to
health risk behavior and factors promoting resiliency;
Promotion of health protective behavior; Public
policies affecting adolescent health.
Ellen Demerath, PhD
624-8231
ewd@umn.edu
Body composition and obesity assessment;
Developmental determinants of cardiovascular
disease risk; Lifecourse epidemiology; Genetic
epidemiology of obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart
disease; Biomarkers of biological senescence
John Finnegan, Jr., PhD
625-1179
finne001@umn.edu
Media communication and public health; Community
campaigns; The "Knowledge Gap" and health
outcomes; Digital information technology and its
impact on public health
Eileen Harwood, PhD
626-1824
harwo002@umn.edu
Social Epidemiology Health Program and Policy
Evaluation Alcohol; Tobacco and Illicit Drugs
David Jacobs, Jr., PhD
624-4196
jacob004@umn.edu
Cardiovascular disease epidemiology; Biometry; Diet;
Physical activity; Low serum; Cholesterol and
noncardiovascular disease; Nutritional epidemiology
and whole grains
Rhonda Jones-Webb,
DrPH
626-8866
jones010@umn.edu
Alcohol studies; Alcohol policy as a prevention
strategy; Minority health issues; Behavioral
epidemiology
Harry Lando, PhD
624-1877
lando001@umn.edu
Global issues in tobacco reduction; Smoking
cessation; Treatment of medically compromised
smokers
Russell Luepker, MD,
MS
624-6362
luepk001@umn.edu
Cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention;
Health behavior; Community trials; Clinical trials
Susan Marshall Mason,
PhD, MPH
624-9556
smmason@umn.edu
Psychosocial stress and stress mechanisms, women’s
health, maternal and child health, health disparities,
exposure to violence
53
Dianne Neumark-
Sztainer, PhD, MPH
624-0880
neuma011@umn.edu
Adolescent health and nutrition; Obesity and eating
disorder prevention; Health behavior change; Nutrition
education program design and evaluation
Ruby Nguyen, PhD
626-7559
nguy0082@umn.edu
Women’s Health; Reproductive and Perinatal
Epidemiology.
J. Michael Oakes, PhD
624-6855
oakes007@umn.edu
Quantitative Methods; Social Epidemiology; Research
Ethics
Theresa L. Osypuk, SD,
SM
525-8279
tosypuk@umn.edu
Social epidemiology, health disparities racial/ethnic,
socioeconomic, and nativity/immigrant disparities in
health, their geographic patterns, and causes.
Pamela Schreiner, PhD
626-9097
schre012@umn.edu
Etiology of cardiovascular disease particularly as it
relates to lipids, obesity, visceral fat accumulation and
the perimenopausal transition; Osteoporosis
Nancy Sherwood, PhD
625-4567
sherw005@umn.edu
Obesity prevention and treatment in children and
adults
Jamie Stang, PhD,
MPH, RD
626-0351
stang002@umn.edu
Nutrition and weight status in pregnancy; Child and
adolescent nutrition; Behavioral counseling in child
obesity; Eating disorders treatment
Boris Volkov, PhD
624-7176
volk0057@umn.edu
Domestic and international surveillance and evaluation
Adjunct Faculty
Name
Phone
E-mail
Research Expertise
Sara Axtell, PhD
625-0252
axtel002@umn.edu
Community organizing
Mark Bergeron, MD,
MPH
berge356@umn.edu
Maternal and child public health; infant
apnea; hospital-based quality improvement
initiatives; NICU follow-up clinic
Lynn Bretl, MPP
612-275-6690
muen0001@umn.edu
Health promotion with vulnerable
adolescents; Sexual behavior; Substance
abuse; Violence involvement; Multiethnic
issues in adolescent health.
Edward Ehlinger, MD,
MSPH
612-625-1434
ehlin003@umn.edu
Health of college students; Urban Health
Lauren Gilchrist, MPH
626-1125
gilc0010@umn.edu
Health policy and reform, community
outreach, women’s health
Rachel R. Hardeman,
PhD
626-2803
hard0222@umn.edu
Equity, structural racism, police violence;
birth outcomes, doulas, medical education,
diversity and inclusion
Molly Harney, PhD
218-726-6778
mharney@d.umn.edu
Maternal care, early brain development,
emotional development, and attachment
Annie-Laurie McRee,
DrPH
626-0162
almcree@umn.edu
HPV vaccination; Parental influences on
adolescent health; Adolescent health care
utilization; Parent-child
communication; Adolescent sexual behaviors
Oswald, John W., Jr.
PhD, MPH
612-623-5187
oswal007@umn.edu
Safety net hospital performance for cost,
quality and access; applied research
supporting federal health statistics and
epidemiologic surveillance; population
studies using vital statistics and surveys
Carolyn Porta, PhD,
MPH, RN
624-6179
garcia@umn.edu
Latino adolescent mental health, stress and
coping, access to care, effect of uninsurance,
longitudinal prevention interventions, mixed
methods, community-based participatory
methods.
Cheryl Robertson, PhD,
MPH, RN
624-5412
rober007@umn.edu
Refugee family health; trauma, stress and
coping; community-based interventions
Shlafer, Rebecca, PhD,
MPH
625-9907
shlaf002@umn.edu
Achievement gap, opportunity gap, and
educational disparities
Logan Spector, PhD
624-3912
spect012@umn.edu
Etiology of childhood cancer
Lisa Turnham, MPH
612-799-8595
lisa.turnham@hennepin.us
Sexuality Education, Adolescent Pregnancy
Prevention.
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7.10 GRADUATION CHECKLIST
General steps for all MPH majors
1. Student submits completed Study Plan at least one semester prior to the anticipated completion of coursework;
2. Student submits the on-line Application for Degree form by the end of the first business day of the month in which they intend
to graduate.
3. Student completes all coursework and requirements by noon on the last business day of the month in which they wish to have
their degree conferred.
4. Student completes and circulates the Culminating experience paper and schedules the oral exam at least two weeks before
the scheduled oral examination date;
5. Student notifies Ms. Shelley Cooksey, Student Advising Manager (cooks001@umn.edu) of the date of the oral exam at
least two weeks prior to the exam so that their study plan can be forwarded to the project advisor;
6. After the oral exam, project advisor returns the student’s study plan to the Program Coordinator;
7. Student submits the Culminating experience paper via email to Shelley Cooksey (cooks001@umn.edu)
8. Student submits the Career Survey;
All Division of Epidemiology and Community Health students who fulfill, or anticipate fulfilling, the above requirements and
deadlines for Fall 2017 through Summer Session 2018 are eligible to participate in the School of Public Health commencement
ceremony on May 14, 2018. We encourage you to attend!
It is considered highly unethical and inappropriate to use or include in your title or professional signature any degree that you have
not completed. This means you cannot use the MPH title prior to completing all your degree requirements and your degree has
been conferred. The School does not recognize or confer the title “MPH Candidate”.
55
8. DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH
8.1 WELCOME
Epidemiology and Community Health is one of four Divisions that make up the School of Public Health at the University of
Minnesota. The Division of Epidemiology and Community Health is home to six majors in the School of Public Health:
§ Clinical Research MS
§ Community Health Promotion MPH
§ Epidemiology MPH
§ Epidemiology PhD
§ Maternal and Child Health MPH
§ Public Health Nutrition MPH
The Division Head is Dr. Dianne Neumark-Sztainer
The Graduate Studies Staff are here to assist students in the Division:
Shelley Cooksey: Student Advising Manager – Primary contact for all current students in Master’s level (MPH, MS, Cert)
programs.
Andrea Kish: Doctoral Program Administrator – Primary contact for all PhD prospective and current students.
Kathryn Schwartz-Eckhardt: Senior Enrollment and Program Development Manger – Primary contact for prospective students,
and curriculum development in master’s level programs
Laurie Zurbey: Student Support Services Coordinator – course scheduling, data management, staff support
E-Mail .................. epichstu@umn.edu
Phone ................. 612-626-8802
Fax ...................... 612-624-0315
Campus Mail ....... WBOB, #300, Delivery Code 7525
US Mail ............... 1300 South Second Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454
8.2 THE WEST BANK OFFICE BUILDING (WBOB)
The offices are located in the West Bank Office Building (WBOB) at 1300 South 2nd Street in Minneapolis. Students can find
directions to WBOB at http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/maps/WBOB/.
Forms
We have PDF versions of forms at Student Forms (http://www.isph.umn.edu/epich/current-student-forms-and-policies/). Microsoft
Word documents of all the forms are also available upon request. Contact the Graduate Studies Staff at epichstu@umn.edu to
obtain the Word documents via e-mail.
Evening and Weekend Access
Division graduate students who do not have a paid appointment in the Division can have access to the student computer lab and
student mailboxes after work hours and on weekends. Students obtain access by filling out a form to have their UCard
programmed for access to the third and fourth floors of WBOB. Students are given the option to sign up for building access at
Orientation. After orientation, contact the Graduate Studies Staff for information.
NOTE: There is approximately a one-week turnaround time to get a student’s UCard programmed, so please plan accordingly.
Computer Lab
The Division computer lab in WBOB includes four PC's available for student use. The computer lab is located in the student lounge
in room 466. The general policy for use of these computers is that they are for Division graduate students for work pertaining to
their degree program. All four of the computers have SAS and two of them have STATA. Printers are available.
Copier and Fax Access
The Division does not allow copy machines or fax machines to be used for personal use. Personal copies can be made for a cost
at various locations throughout campus. Unfortunately, there is not a copier for use in WBOB.
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8.3 DIVISION COMMUNICATION WITH STUDENTS
The Division communicates information to students in the following ways:
§ E-mail: Students are expected to check their U of M email regularly. Communication between the Division and students
regarding changes in programmatic requirements or announcements, as well as advisor, faculty, and student-to-student
contacts is usually through e-mail. If you do not register for courses for two full academic years you will lose access to your
e-mail account and will need to contact the Technology Helpline to restore your access. Alumni maintain lifetime access to
their University e-mail account as long as the account is accessed on a regular basis.
§ My U Portal: This is a form of communication and information exchange within the University. Students are expected to
check their portal regularly. Access to the portal is available at https://www.myu.umn.edu/.
§ Weekly SPHere: A weekly electronic publication for students. This publication contains important deadline reminders as
well as updates on students and faculty research and activities.
§ Division Newsletter: The Division administrative staff produces a more extensive monthly newsletter titled EpiCHNews.
EpiCHNews is available on the Epi web site at http://www.isph.umn.edu/epich/.
§ Bulletin Boards: There is a student bulletin board to the right of the reception desk on the third floor of WBOB.
§ University News: The University of Minnesota student newspaper is called The Daily and is available campus-wide.
8.4 SEMINARS
The Division of Epidemiology and Community Health sponsors scientific seminars between September and June to exchange
ideas and research findings pertinent to the field. Because the Division has a large faculty, staff and student body, the seminar
provides a forum for exchange of information among people who may not otherwise meet or work together. All faculty and students
are strongly encouraged to attend regularly.
Division faculty members and other scientific staff are asked to present at least one seminar every two years. Each year, the
seminar brings in about 10 scientists from outside the Division.
Notices are posted in the Division's third floor reception area as well as sent out electronically. Most seminars are held 10:00-11:00
a.m., Fridays, in Room 364 of WBOB. Seminars by visiting scientists may be at other times. Students can check the EpiCH Web
site for seminar information by going to http://www.isph.umn.edu/epich/
8.5 ACADEMIC CREDIT FOR INDEPENDENT OR DIRECTED
COURSEWORK
Independent and directed coursework can be taken to fulfill elective credits and can take many forms depending upon the student's
interests and needs. All independent/directed coursework needs the support of a faculty member who agrees to serve as an
"instructor/advisor" for the independent or directed course. The expectation is that the student has something specific to propose
prior to approaching a faculty member.
To fulfill the course requirements, the student and instructor should agree on the type, scope, and length of a final academic
"product" whether it is a paper(s), an annotated bibliography, curriculum, training modules, media piece(s), etc. It is expected that
the faculty member and student will meet regularly during the term.
It is very unusual for students to take more than four credits total of independent or directed coursework (over and above any
credits earned for the field experience or master’s project/thesis requirement). Students are expected to fulfill the majority of their
elective credits through regularly-scheduled courses.
Examples of Independent and Directed Coursework
1. Students interested in a theory, an evaluation method, or a skill not covered in depth in a specific course could arrange for an
independent study course with a faculty member knowledgeable in that area and/or willing to work with the student.
2. The student wants to attend a conference, workshop, or mini-course, but there is no academic credit involved. The student
must find a faculty member willing to work with the student to develop academic work over and above the actual event to fulfill
some elective credits. This must be arranged ahead of time, not after the event has occurred.
Additional comments
Arranging an independent/directed course depends upon the student putting together an academically rigorous proposal and
finding a faculty member to serve as an instructor. The faculty instructor does not have to be the student's academic advisor or
master's project advisor. The instructor must be a member of the major associated with the course number; see below.
57
The student should also receive prior approval from their academic advisor to count the independent/directed work as an elective
course.
Choosing Course Numbers
Independent study, directed study, and readings courses are available within the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The student and instructor should agree on the course number/title that most closely matches the work being proposed. Course
options are:
§ PubH 7091 Independent Study: Community Health Promotion (only CHP faculty can serve as instructor)
§ PubH 7391 Independent Study: Epidemiology (only Epi MPH or Epi graduate faculty can serve as instructor)
§ PubH 7392 Readings in Epidemiology (only Epi MPH or Epi graduate faculty can serve as instructor)
§ PubH 7691 Independent Study: Maternal and Child Health (only MCH faculty can serve as instructor)
§ PubH 7991 Independent Study: Public Health Nutrition (only PHN faculty can serve as instructor)
§ PubH 8392 Readings in Clinical Research (only Clinical Res. graduate faculty can serve as instructor)
§ PubH 8393 Directed Study: Clinical Research (only Clinical Res. graduate faculty can serve as instructor)
NOTE: Other majors in the School of Public Health may have independent/directed coursework opportunities in their areas. Check
with the Divisions of Environmental Health Sciences, Health Policy Management, and/or Biostatistics. You could also do an
independent/directed course with another graduate-level program. Remember that your academic advisor has to approve it as an
elective.
Procedures
1. Student meets with the faculty member to discuss the requirements for the independent/directed course.
2. Student fills out an Independent/Directed Study Contract form outlining the requirements for the course and has the form
signed by their academic advisor and Independent/Directed Study instructor. This information is vital to receive proper credit
for this course (i.e., a grade). The instructor needs to agree to work with the student and both need to agree on the
requirements. The form can be downloaded from the web at http://www.isph.umn.edu/epich/current-student-forms-and-
policies/.
3. Student gives the completed/signed Independent/Directed Study Contract to the appropriate Graduate Studies Staff. Once the
completed form is received you will be sent registration information.
4. At the end of the semester, the instructor assigns a final grade. The grade will then be entered on the official transcript. It is the
student’s responsibility to make sure that all requirements are completed so a grade can be submitted.
8.6 DIVISION RESOURCES AND POLICIES
Incomplete Grades
For MPH students, all required courses (with the exception of field experience, internship, or culminating experience/thesis credits)
must be completed during the term of registration. Students must complete all course requirements by the end of the registered
term so that faculty can submit a grade by the appropriate due date. A grade of incomplete "I" shall be assigned at the discretion of
the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the student was prevented from completing the work of the course on
time. The assignment of an incomplete grade requires an electronic contract between the instructor and student specifying a
deadline by which the student will complete the course requirements. In no event may the written agreement allow a period of
longer than one year to complete the course requirements. If the instructor submits an "I" without a contract in place, a hold will be
placed on the student record, barring the student from registering. If the requirements of the contract are not met by the contract
deadline a final grade will be submitted based on the work submitted to date. Field experience, internship, and culminating
experience projects that are not completed by the end of the term of graduation will receive a grade of "K" indicating "work in
progress."
PhD Students only: The symbol “I” may be assigned by an instructor to indicate “incomplete,” in accordance with the provisions
announced in class at the beginning of the semester, when in the instructor’s opinion there is a reasonable expectation that the
student can successfully complete the work of the course. An “I” remains on the transcript until the instructor replaces it with a final
A-F or S-N grade. Course instructors are encouraged to establish a time limit for the removal of incomplete grades.
Six Credit Minimum Exemption
The University of Minnesota has a policy that students must register for a minimum of six credits in order to hold a graduate
assistant position. The policy states that "exemption from [this requirement] is determined on a semester by semester basis" and
that "eligibility criteria are to be determined by each graduate program...these criteria will be well publicized and administered
equitably among all Graduate Assistants in the program."
58
The Division Training Committee (DTC) approved the following policy: “Students will almost always be granted a one semester
exemption so they can finish their work toward the end of their degree program, but must petition the DTC for more than one
semester's exemption and this would be given under only extraordinary, extenuating circumstances. Extending coursework in order
to remain a graduate assistant will not be sufficient reason.” Students who wish to request an exemption should contact Andrea
Kish. It may take several weeks for this request to be reviewed so please submit your request at least one month prior to the start
of the term.
Graduate Assistants who wish to be exempt from FICA withholding must register for at least three credits per term (one credit for
PhD candidates working on a dissertation).
Sitting in on a Class
Students are not permitted to attend a class for which they are not registered. This means that if you are unable to register for a
class before it begins for any reason you may not attend the class.
Support for Student Travel (effective 5/2017)
1. The Division will provide up to $600 per student in a 12 month period [a maximum of $3,200 available for all students during
the fiscal year] for travel to a scientific meeting under the following conditions:
§ The student is currently enrolled in the Epi PhD/MS/MPH, CHP MPH, MCH MPH, PubH Nutr MPH, or Clinical Research
MS program and must be the presenter of the paper or poster. The student has been enrolled in their program as least
one term at the time of the conference; the work was done during the time the student was in their program.
§ The meeting can be local, regional, national or international but must have relevance to the student's field of study.
§ There are no other sources of support specifically allocated for such travel. For example, whenever a training grant
provides funds for travel for its fellows, those fellows will not be eligible for travel support under this policy. However,
students whose work was supported by a research grant with no funds specifically for student travel will be eligible for
travel support under this policy. Principal Investigators are encouraged to provide support for student travel from their
grants since their grants benefit as well as the students.
2. All requests for travel support must be in writing. The request should be addressed to the Chair of the Division Training
Committee and given to Kathryn Schwartz-Eckhardt, who will process the request. The request should include:
§ The dates, location and purpose of the meeting and describe the student’s role. A link to information about the conference
should also be included.
§ A copy of the abstract and letter of acceptance must be attached to the request. In addition, a letter from a member of the
Division’s faculty indicating that he/she is familiar with the student’s work, judges it to be of good quality, and supports the
student’s request. The faculty letter should also provide any necessary clarifications on the student’s role to ensure that
the role of the student in the presentation is clear. The student must be the primary author. If the student is not also the
first author, we need a reason why the student is presenting.
§ The request must be made in advance of the scientific meeting. Since the DTC only meets once per month, it is
suggested that complete requests be submitted at least six weeks prior to the scientific meeting.
§ A summary of the travel expenses (cost of air fare, hotel price, registration fees, etc.).
§ Students need to include information about any other sources of funding they have applied for, even if the funds have not
been awarded yet, including SPH Student Senate funds.
3. Allocations under this policy will of course be subject to the availability of funds for this purpose.
Payment for TA English Program
If a nonnative English-speaking Division student is required by their degree program to fulfill a teaching assistantship position (i.e.
Epidemiology PhD students), the Division will pay one-half the cost of instruction the first time the student takes the course (the
University's Office of Academic Affairs pays the other half). Students not passing the exam must pay the costs of any additional
instruction.
SAS Access
Students can purchase the SAS program for a fee if it is necessary for them to complete research. Additional information on
ordering the software is available at http://it.umn.edu/sas-sas-inc. Please note that all 4 of the computers in the student computer
lab (466 WBOB) have SAS.
One computer has the SAS Learning Edition 4.1 (an easy to use personal learning tool). The book, The Little SAS Book for
Enterprise Guide 4.1 is a guide to a point-and-click interface that is part of the Learning Edition. Using Enterprise, you generate
SAS code without writing it. It is available for checkout from Laurie Zurbey, in cube 398C.
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J.B. Hawley Student Research Award
The Division has established the J.B. Hawley Student Research Award, a small grant mechanism to support research projects.
This is a wonderful opportunity for students and post-doctoral fellows to obtain funds for their research, gain experience in grant
proposal writing, and receive faculty feedback on their ideas. During the academic year, we will have two separate award
categories. The standard award is open to all students and post-doctoral fellows; the doctoral award is only open to doctoral
students in Epidemiology. We anticipate two rounds of requests for proposals (one per semester). The chair of the Research
Awards Committee will distribute detailed e-mail solicitations for applications.
STANDARD AWARD
Who May Apply?
Students currently enrolled in degree programs in Epidemiology, Community Health Promotion, Maternal and Child Health, Clinical
Research, or Public Health Nutrition or post-doctoral fellows in Epidemiology. Proposed projects do not have to be thesis or
masters projects, and may be for any research that involves the applicant (e.g., evaluation of a program for a field experience).
Those who have received previous funding from a Hawley Award will not be eligible for further support until they have submitted
the required one-page report for their prior award (see below).
How Much?
$3,500 maximum, including fringe benefits when applicable. PhD students may request a maximum of $7,500 to support thesis
research.
How Can It Be Used?
The award may be used to support research activities including supplies and equipment. It cannot be used for stipends or salary
support for the applicant.
Please note that before making any expenditure with the award (i.e., ordering, purchasing, hiring, or contracting for services) the
applicant must meet with accounting personnel in the Division to ensure that procedures are followed.
How Long?
Normally projects are funded for one year.
DOCTORAL AWARD
Who May Apply?
Students currently enrolled in the doctoral program in Epidemiology. Proposed projects do not have to be thesis projects, and may
be for any research that involves the applicant. Those who have received previous funding from a Hawley award will not be eligible
for further support until they have submitted the required one-page report for their prior award (see below).
How Much?
$7,500 maximum, including fringe benefits when applicable.
How Can It Be Used?
The award may be used to support research activities including supplies and equipment. It cannot be used for stipends or salary
support for the applicant.
Please note that before making any expenditure with the award (i.e., ordering, purchasing, hiring, or contracting for services) the
applicant must meet with accounting personnel in the Division to ensure that procedures are followed.
How Long?
Normally projects are funded for one year.
What is the Format for the Proposal?
1. Cover Letter
Please indicate in the letter whether the project will help support a master’s project, master’s thesis, PhD thesis, or field
experience.
2. Face Page (1 page)
a. Title
b. Investigator information, including name, address, telephone, and e-mail address
c. Your degree program
d. Collaborating investigators (faculty, staff, students), if any
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3. Research Proposal (4 pages maximum; font: 12-point Times or larger)
a. Background and Significance (1 page maximum):
Describe the background and justification for the study and state the research questions/hypotheses.
b. Research Methods (2 pages maximum):
Describe the study design and detailed methods. Be sure to include information on each of the following issues (and
others, as appropriate):
• Study population
• Sample selection and recruitment
• Measurements
• Data analysis plan (required for both quantitative and qualitative research)
• Timeline
• Sample size (justified by formal statistical calculations or other means)
c. Human Subjects (no page limit):
All proposals must address protection of human subjects and have the project approved by the University of
Minnesota's Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to receiving funds. However, a project will be reviewed by the
Research Awards Committee prior to receiving final IRB approval.
d. References (no page limit):
Citations for articles referenced in the background and significance and research methods portions of the proposal
should be listed after the Human Subjects section of the proposal.
4. Detailed Budget (2 page maximum):
The proposed budget should include precise amounts requested in various categories (e.g., postage, supplies, printing,
personnel, etc.). Provide a brief justification for the amount requested in each category and state why these funds are
needed to conduct the proposed research. The budget should clearly itemize and justify expenditures. If the request is part
of a larger project, the proportion to be supported by this award and the rationale and need for this funding mechanism,
should be specified clearly.
The following items are NOT allowed: stipends or salary for the applicant, computer purchase, publication costs (e.g., page
charges, reprints), and presentation costs (e.g., travel to a conference, conference fee).
5. Letter of Endorsement from Faculty Advisor (1 page):
A primary or adjunct faculty member in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health must provide a brief letter to
accompany the proposal, specifically endorsing the applicant’s request. First, applicants must discuss their proposals with
the faculty advisor, who must review the proposal before it is submitted. Then, the faculty advisor’s letter of funding
endorsement must state that the faculty member has read and provided input on the proposal. The faculty member must
also indicate his opinion of the quality and importance of the research.
6. Appendices, if needed (no page limit)
Submission
Submit your proposal to the Chair of the Research Awards Committee, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, Suite 300,
1300 South Second Street, Minneapolis, MN 55454-1015
Review Process
All applications will be reviewed by the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health Research Awards Committee, which
includes faculty members representing the major fields. Each proposal will be evaluated according to its scientific and technical
merits and public health implications. The most important criteria are (1) importance of the area, (2) quality of proposed research,
(3) investigator’s experience and resources to accomplish the project, and (4) relevance to public health.
If you have questions regarding preparation of a proposal, please contact the Chair of the Research Awards Committee.
Information regarding the status of human subjects (IRB) applications must be provided to the Committee. Award funds will not be
released until Division of Epidemiology and Community Health accounts administration has received notification of Human
Subjects Committee approval.
Final Report
A one-page report to the Research Awards Committee on progress and outcome is due on the one-year anniversary date of the
award.
Martinson-Luepker Student Travel Award
The Martinson-Luepker Student Travel Award will support Division of Epidemiology and Community Health students pursuing an
international field placement in fulfillment of curriculum requirements for a field experience or culminating experience project. Funds
will be provided to help support the cost of air fare to the international location. Students may request up to $1500 U.S. Students
must apply for this award. As part of this application, students should fully describe their proposed field experience project,
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including location, populations to be worked with and proposed program activities. The application form can be obtained from
Shelley Cooksey (cooks001@umn.edu).
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health Student Support Policies
Doctoral Student Support Policy, for those matriculating Fall 2003 or later
1. Students can be accepted to the program with varying levels of support including no guaranteed support, guaranteed support
for the initial year, or support for multiple years.
2. Support levels will be set at the level of an NIH Pre-Doctoral Fellow or, if not an NIH Fellow, not more than 50% RA/TA
position. This means that those who accept a pre-doctoral fellowship may not also accept an RA or TA position in the Division.
Scholarship or block grant awards are not included.
3. Students on fellowships perform their TA requirement as part of the fellowship, with terms to be negotiated with the training
director.
4. Requests may be made to the DGS for levels of RA/TA support up to 75% for students who have passed their preliminary
examinations and are working on their thesis. These requests are required to show that such additional work does not delay
the thesis defense and graduation.
5. Physicians who are licensed to practice medicine in the United States will have an RA/TA stipend set at the doctoral level.
Those who are not licensed to practice will be paid at the Masters level RA/TA position stipend.
6. There is no limit on the number of years of support; however, adequate progress toward degree completion is required for
continued support.
7. Students may increase support to 75% during the Summer term.
8. This policy only applies to positions held within the Division. For example, a student with a 50% research assistantship in the
Division would also be able to hold a 25% research assistantship in the Medical School.
Approved 7/1/03, revised 06/08
Doctoral students matriculating prior to Fall 2003 should see a Graduate Studies staff to
discuss their student support policy.
Master’s Student Support Policy
No one may hold a graduate assistantship of more than 50% (75% in the Summer) in the Division of Epidemiology and Community
Health. Adopted 12/17/03, and applies to students matriculating Fall 2004 and after. This policy only applies to positions held
within the Division. For example, a student with a 50% research assistantship in the Division would also be able to hold a 25%
position in Medical School because that is not in the Division.
Policy for Graduate Assistant Pay Scale for Post-Baccalaureate Professional Students
Post-baccalaureate professional students in doctoral-level programs (e.g. dental, medical, law, veterinary students) who have
completed two years of their professional studies will be paid at the rate of those who have completed a master’s degree. Those
who have not completed the first two years will be paid at the rate of those whose highest degree is a bachelor’s degree. This
policy is effective beginning Spring semester, 2004. Adopted 12/17/03.
Requesting Letters of Support – 10 Tips for Students
The following tips may help you get a positive—and productive—response when you request a letter of support from a faculty
member for a fellowship, an internship, a scholarship, graduate school admission, or a professional position.
1. FIRST CONTACT: E-MAIL IS OK. Make the e-mail brief. Mention the opportunity for which you are applying, the deadline,
what you are requesting, and what you are willing to send for further information (e.g., CV, bullet points, a draft letter). If there is a
chance the faculty member will not remember you, mention where you have met.
2. THINK AHEAD. Many faculty members in EpiCH have 10 or more advisees, so they may not be able to respond immediately
to student requests. If they receive a request with short notice, they may not be able to respond positively, so contact them well
ahead of deadlines so they can schedule your request.
Deadlines: Clearly convey the deadline for the materials you are requesting. It is also fine to re-contact the faculty member a
week before the deadline as a gentle reminder. Such contact should include, in addition to the reminder about the deadline,
your reiteration that you are happy to provide additional information about yourself, or the opportunity and details about where
and how to submit the reference (in case the original contact information was misplaced).
3. REQUEST LETTERS FROM PEOPLE WHO KNOW YOU. A letter from someone who does not know you well may not be a
strong letter, as the lack of familiarity is usually reflected in the text. Many requests for references also require individuals to
specifically indicate how well they know an applicant. Reviewers may not give much weight to a referral from someone who does
not know the applicant well—and they may wonder why the applicant did not select someone who knows her/him well. For
example, they could think that either the applicant does not know anyone well OR everyone who knows the applicant well would
write a lousy letter—both imagined scenarios are bad.
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Try to gauge if the person can write a “good” letter for you. A strategy is to ask this question directly: don’t ask “will you
write a letter for me?” Instead, ask “will you write a supportive letter for me?” A hard life lesson is that some faculty members
may be unable to strongly recommend you, and it is best to find that out—and respect it—before you agree that the person will
write a letter. Most faculty members will reveal any hesitation they have and it is important to listen to it and accept it. A
tentative, or a poor, letter can have a strong negative impact on an application.
4. IF YOU CONTACT SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW YOU WELL, BE PROFESSIONAL. An exception to item #3 is when
you have to ask Chairs or Division Heads for letters of support because their support is required by the applicant organization. If
you don’t know such people well, and must request a favor, use his/her last, rather than first, name (i.e., Dr. Smith instead of Judy)
when you make your first approach. In EpiCH, you will likely be told to use his/her first name, but your professionalism will be
noted and appreciated.
5. DON’T ASSUME THAT FACULTY MEMBERS KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE APPLICANT ORGANIZATION. There are
hundreds of fellowships, scholarships, etc. for which faculty members are asked to write letters. Faculty members have little or no
connection with many organizations beyond writing letters for students. They often receive what, to them, are garbled messages,
with acronyms instead of full organization names, and find them incomprehensible. Don’t rely on acronyms or assume any
knowledge about the opportunity for which you are applying, even if it is at the SPH or UMN.
To inform faculty members, it is fine to e-mail them URLs and PDFs about the applicant organization, but also include a 1-
page synthesis of relevant information. You are asking the faculty member to volunteer time: don’t ask him/her to also go to a
website and/or open multi-page PDFs. Those materials can be optional—your one-pager should be all your letter writer needs,
along with your CV and some guidance about the text of the letter.
6. DON’T ASSUME FACULTY MEMBERS KNOW YOU WELL ENOUGH TO WRITE A GREAT LETTER OR THAT THEY
HAVE TIME FOR A 1-HOUR INTERVIEW TO PREPARE FOR THE LETTER. A great strategy is to offer to provide bullet points
about your qualities, eligibility, and interest in the opportunity that can be used by the faculty member to frame the letter. You may
even offer to write a draft letter. You are in the best position to draft a successful letter and it is not uncommon to provide such
help for letters of reference.
7. MAKE SURE FACULTY MEMBERS HAVE CONTACT INFORMATION. Clearly indicate where the letter or rating sheet
should be sent! One of the most common—and frustrating—mistakes made by students is to omit this information, resulting in
unnecessary contacts, delays, and poor impressions.
8. MAKE SURE YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND THAT YOU INTEND TO APPLY BEFORE YOU ASK
FOR A LETTER. Unfortunately, it is common for faculty members to write letters, only to be told by students that they found out
they were ineligible or decided not to apply after all.
9. MAKE SURE THE MATERIALS YOU PROVIDE DO NOT HAVE TYPOS AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS. The written word
is influential: we often base our impressions about someone’s intellectual qualities on the quality of his/her writing. While this may
not be fair, it is what academics (and others) do. You are asking for a laudatory letter of reference, so make sure that your CV, 1-
pager, bullet points/draft letter, are clearly and properly written.
10. THANK THE FACULTY MEMBER FOR WRITING THE LETTER AND FOLLOW-UP. It is surprisingly common for students
to not thank a faculty member after an application is complete and even less common for students to let faculty members know if
they received the scholarships, fellowships, internships, jobs, etc. for which they applied. Faculty members commit time to letters
of reference because they want students to succeed—they are rewarded with thanks and updates.
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health Websites
EpiCH website ....................................................................................... http://www.sph.umn.edu/academics/divisions/epich/
EpiCH Student Guidebook and Forms .......................... http://www.isph.umn.edu/epich/current-student-forms-and-policies/
EpiCH course grid ......................................................... http://www.isph.umn.edu/epich/current-student-forms-and-policies/
Course syllabi ...................................................................................................... http://www.sph.umn.edu/academics/syllabi/
EpiCH faculty information ...................................................................................................... http://sph.umn.edu/faculty1/ech/
EpiCH seminar ....................................................................................................................... http://www.isph.umn.edu/epich/
EpiCH telephone directory ................................................................... http://www.isph.umn.edu/epich/faculty-staff-directory/
8.7 DIVISION ADVISING INFORMATION
Team approach to Advising at the Master’s level
At the master’s level students are advised by a team which includes their academic advisor, the Student Advising Manager, and
the Program Director for their major. The role of the academic advisor is to advise students on things like their career goals and
objectives, provide advice for securing a field experience, and help students with their initial culminating experience planning. The
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role of the Student Advising Manager is to assist students with course planning, petitions, and to provide general procedural
advice. The Program Director will meet with students as a group to discuss issues related to the entire major and is also available
to assist students with any issues they might be having with the program.
Guidelines for Faculty/Student Interactions
Faculty members often develop close working relationships with students, especially advisees. Often a relationship is formed that
provides benefits to both the faculty member and the student. Faculty should be cognizant of the power differential in these types
of relationships and set appropriate boundaries. Although faculty members may not intend that a request of a student be an
obligation, they should be aware that such requests might place a student in a difficult position. Some students are intimidated by
faculty members and may not feel free to decline such requests. Since faculty/student interactions often are situations that are
ambiguous, included below are examples to help you think through a variety of situations that you may encounter:
§ A faculty member asking you to drive them somewhere, including the airport, home, or main campus. Such a request
does not fall under a student’s duties. A situation when this may be acceptable is when the student has the same
destination.
§ A faculty member asking you to work extra hours or late hours. Students should be expected to work the hours for
which they are paid. Students may volunteer to work extra hours to gain more experience (e.g. grant writing), gain authorship
on a paper or help meet a deadline – but should not be expected to work these extra hours.
§ Your advisor asking you to housesit, take care of your children or pets, or help you move. While some students may
not mind house sitting, taking care of children or pets, or helping someone move, others may only agree to do these jobs
because they feel obligated or worry that saying no will somehow affect their relationships with faculty members. To avoid
problematic situations, a faculty member may post a flyer requesting a sitter or mover for pay without the faculty member’s
name attached to the request – ensuring that respondents really want the job.
Faculty members who are uncertain about the appropriateness of requests they have for students should consult with the DTC
Chair. Students should talk with their Program Director, DGS, or Student Advising Manager if they have concerns about the
appropriateness of requests from faculty members.
The University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents policy on Nepotism and Consensual Relationships (including student and faculty
relationships) can be found at http://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/Nepotism%26Personal.pdf.
Confidentiality
Student records—including materials related to advisees—are protected under Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99; 1974) and the Student Data Privacy Act. Student information should be secure –
not left in an unlocked location. If advisors have a concern about a particular student, only student support staff, appropriate
Program Director/DGS, or DTC Chair should discuss the situation and have access to records. Any confidential information shared
by a student with a faculty member must remain confidential – whether the student approaches you as an advisor, instructor,
Program Director, DGS, or DTC Chair. Talking about individual students in hallways and other public areas should be avoided.
If a faculty member feels he/she must consult with another faculty member about a student, consider talking about the issue
without providing the name of the individual student. If the student’s name must be shared, tell the student ahead of time that you
intend to talk with the Program Director (or other appropriate person) about the issue in question. Some issues, such as sexual
harassment, are governed by law and require faculty members to report the problem to the Division Head. In these situations,
explain to the student that you are required to report the incident/problem.
Guidelines for Changing Advisors
Master’s Students
At the master's level, students may change academic advisors if they have serious personality or other conflicts with their assigned
advisor. In that case, they should discuss their reasons and their preferences for a different advisor with the program chair or the
Student Advising Manager. The change will be finalized at the discretion of the program director.
PhD Students
Many PhD students shift their courses of study and focus over their graduate careers, but doing so does not necessarily require a
change in advisors. Faculty advisors can facilitate students’ academic development, by working directly with them or by
encouraging them to gain experience with other faculty members (e.g., through research or teaching assistantships or grant-writing
opportunities). Sometimes students work more closely with one (or more) members of their committees than with their advisors.
Faculty advisors can also suggest changes in committee membership to accommodate a change in dissertation focus.
Once PhD students have begun work on their dissertation, changing advisors should be rare, and limited to circumstances of
personality conflicts, major ethical problems, or substantial shifts in areas of interest. Students wishing to change graduate advisors
should consult with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Likewise, faculty who are considering a change in their role as an
advisor should consult with the DGS. Changes in graduate advisors should be approved by the DGS and forwarded to the
Division’s Graduate Studies Staff who will file the change with the Graduate School.
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Student Guide to Mission, Definitions and Expectations of Advising
Mission Statement
The School of Public Health strives to provide advising that promotes collaboration among students, staff and faculty to enhance
students’ academic and professional development in the field of public health. The School’s goal is educational and experiential
excellence that prepares students for successful careers improving the health of populations.
Defining Advising
The School of Public Health is committed to creating and sustaining high quality advising in the following four areas:
1. Administrative Advising: advising on course planning and scheduling, policies, procedures and benchmarks of the degree
program/major, SPH, and the University.
2. Academic Advising: general guidance on topics related to program/major including, but not limited to program focus (may
include identifying appropriate course work options), culminating experience project selection and career planning.
3. Field Experience/Internship/Practicum Advising: specific and targeted advising for field experience/internship/practicum
development, placement and completion.
4. Culminating Experience/Thesis/Plan A&B/Dissertation Advising: specific and targeted direction on a culminating
experience project or a PhD dissertation including, but not limited to development, completion and in some cases publication.
Advising Expectations for Students
SPH students are expected to…
§ Regularly read and respond to University email (ideally once per day); email is the official mode of communication at the
University of Minnesota
§ Review program objectives and educational documents at least once per semester, (i.e. Student Guidebook, etc.), or
when directed by Student Advising Manager or Program Director/DGS; students are responsible for knowing the
requirements of the degree program
§ Actively contribute to a welcoming and supportive SPH climate
§ Initiate meetings with advisor(s) at least once per semester; regularly communicate with faculty advisor(s) and/or Student
Advising Manager about program progress
§ Respond to inquiries from faculty or staff in a timely manner (ideally within 5 – 7 business days)
§ Behave in a professional and courteous manner; fulfill educational and advising commitments, such as appointments,
project deadlines, etc.
Faculty Guide to Mission, Definitions and Expectations of Advising
Mission Statement
The School of Public Health strives to provide advising that promotes collaboration among students, staff and faculty to enhance
students’ academic and professional development in the field of public health. The School’s goal is educational and experiential
excellence that prepares students for successful careers improving the health of populations.
Defining Advising
The School of Public Health is committed to creating and sustaining high quality advising in the following four areas:
1. Administrative Advising: advising on course planning and scheduling, policies, procedures and benchmarks of the degree
program/major, SPH, and the University.
2. Academic Advising: general guidance on topics related to program/major including, but not limited to program focus (may
include identifying appropriate course work options), project selection and career planning.
3. Field Experience/Internship/Practicum Advising: specific and targeted advising for field experience /internship/practicum
development, placement and completion.
4. Culminating Experience/Thesis/Plan A&B/Dissertation Advising: specific and targeted direction on a culminating
experience project or a PhD dissertation including, but not limited to development, completion and in some cases publication.
Advising Expectations for Faculty
Faculty advisors are expected to…
§ Refer advisee to Student Advising Manager for course planning/scheduling, policy and procedural information
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§ Review program objectives and educational documents at least on an annual basis, (i.e. Student Guidebook, etc.), or
when directed by Graduate Studies staff or Program Director/DGS
§ Actively contribute to a welcoming and supportive SPH climate
§ Initiate meetings with advisee at least once per semester; regularly communicate with students on program progress
§ Respond to student inquiries in a timely manner (ideally within 5 – 7 business days)
§ Provide reasonable office hours and/or appointments and be generally available to student inquiries; communicate with
students about extended absences or travel
§ Serve as a model and example of respectful behavior
§ Provide referrals to school and university resources when appropriate (e.g. Student Mental Health Services)

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