Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)/Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) in Health Behavior and Health Education

Program Description and Goals

The goal of the MSW/MPH program in Social Work and Public Health (Health Behavior and Health Education) is to provide academic training and practical experience to improve public health social workers' effectiveness in a variety of settings, agencies and arenas including health care, state and local departments of public health and social services, workplace environments, health-focused non-profit agencies, school and universities and in advocacy and policy. The purpose of this training is to develop understanding of the intersection of public health and social work. The specific objectives of the program are:

A. To provide an opportunity for dual degree students to acquire the skills and competencies necessary to work with health care professionals in meeting the health care and social support needs of various "at-risk" populations in our society, such as the elderly, persons with AIDS, pregnant women, persons who use alcohol, tobacco and other substances, and persons with developmental disabilities.

B. To provide specialized training for public health social workers in the development, management, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion/disease prevention, and health intervention programs in public health and social service agencies and organizations.

This dual degree program is a 93-credit-hour program but is based upon 120 credit hours: the 60 credit hour minimum requirements for the MSW program, and the 60 credit hour MPH in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. This is consistent with Rackham Graduate School guidelines and existing dual degree programs. The total requirements of each of the programs when pursuing the dual degree is as follows:

1. 46 credits hours in the School of Social Work, including a 15-hour social work field instruction experience to fulfill degree requirements. Completion of foundation courses, and both areas and methods concentrations are required. The Social work research requirements are fulfilled by the required MPH Methodological Core course. Elective courses are limited in this program and are dependent on the student's previous academic coursework.

2. The 47 credits required in the School of Public Health curriculum is organized in two core areas. Students must complete the Methodological Core consisting of an approved course in both Biostatistics and Epidemiology. Students must also satisfy requirements for Breadth, Integration and the Capstone (BIC) in public health. The Breadth requirement is satisfied by completion of approved courses in the areas of (a) Health Administration, Planning and Policy Analysis, (b) Physical, Chemical and Biological Aspects of Health, and (c) Social and Behavioral Aspects of Health. These core courses are designed to give students knowledge in the social, economic, and cultural determinants of health status and the ways in which these factors affect health behavior and access to health care. The Integration Requirement is designed to integrate areas of knowledge that are basic to public health and is satisfied by completion of HBHE 600: Psychosocial Factors in Health-Related Behaviors. The Capstone Requirement is completed in the final term of study in the program, under the guidance and supervision of the departmental faculty advisor.

In addition, each student must complete the required Department course HBHE 651: Program Development in Health Education and at least one course from the HBHE Analytic Methods area. The dual degree further requires that a minimum of 24 of the 47 credits for the MPH degree are in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. Finally, each student completes an HBHE field placement experience which results in a reduction in credit hours (from 3 to 6) required for the MPH degree.

The MSW-MPH Dual Degree curriculum has been structured to ensure that all requirements of both programs will be met fully. The 93 graduate hours of the dual degree program comprise two and one-half academic years plus two summers for field experiences. Prospective students interested in the combined MPH/MSW program will be required to meet each School's entry requirements and standards of admission, and be admitted by both schools.

Those wishing additional information on this program should contact Professor Linda Chatters.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the dual degree program have pursued career opportunities in health care and social service agencies in both the public and private sectors and domestic and international settings. Most of our graduates are working in one of the following settings: direct service counseling agencies; hospital services (discharge planning, case management, patient/family education); program development and evaluation in ambulatory care settings; research settings on health intervention projects; and in organizations involved in advocacy and policy analysis development concerning specific health issues.

Printed from http://www.sph.umich.edu/hbhe/programs/mph-msw.html on July 20, 2008