Master's Degree Competencies (Effective 2021)
Foundational MPH Competencies
MPH1. Apply epidemiological methods to settings and situations in public health practice
MPH2. Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
MPH3. Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate
MPH4. Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice
MPH5. Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings
MPH6. Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and systemic levels
MPH7. Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health
MPH8. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique of public health policies or programs
MPH9. Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention
MPH10. Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management1
MPH11. Select methods to evaluate public health programs
MPH12. Discuss the policy-making process2, including the roles of ethics and evidence
MPH13. Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes
MPH14. Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations3
MPH15. Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
MPH16. Apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue4
MPH17. Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges5
MPH18. Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
MPH19. Communicate audience-appropriate (i.e., non-academic, non-peer audience) public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation
MPH20. Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content
MPH21. Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health6
MPH22. Apply a systems thinking tool to visually represent a public health issue in a format other than standard narrative7
1 “Resource management” refers to stewardship (planning, monitoring, etc.) of resources throughout a project, not simply preparing a budget statement that projects what resources will be required.
2 This competency refers to technical aspects of how public policies are created and adopted, including legislative and/or regulatory roles and processes, ethics in public policy making, and the role of evidence in creating policy.
3 This competency refers to the ability to influence policy and/or decision making, such as through stakeholder mobilization, educating policy makers, etc. Ability to argue in support of (or in opposition to) a position, as in a standard debate, is not sufficient. Students must produce a product that would be part of an advocacy campaign or effort (e.g., legislative testimony, fact sheets, advocacy strategy outline, etc).
4 Such principles may include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration, and guiding decision making
5 “Negotiation and mediation,” in this competency, refers to the set of skills needed when a common solution is required among parties with conflicting interests and/or different desired outcomes. Such skills extend beyond the level of negotiation required in a successful intra-group process; effective communication within a work group or team is more closely related to competency 16.
6 This competency requires direct engagement (in-person or online) between the student and an individual or individuals in a profession or sector other than public health; students must combine the external sector/profession’s perspective and/or knowledge with their own public health training to complete a task, solve a problem, etc.. Role-playing, in which public health students assume the identity of an individual from another profession or sector to which they do not already belong, is not an acceptable substitute for actual engagement with an individual or individuals from a profession or sector outside of public health.
7 Systems thinking tools depict or map complex relationships, demonstrating, for example, how component parts of a system interact with and influence one another. Examples include causal loop diagrams, systems archetypes, network analyses, and concept maps. Logic models and evidence tables are not sufficient to address this competency.
MPH Specialization Competencies (Effective AY 2022-23)
Epidemiology Specialization Competencies
EPI1. Critique epidemiological evidence and methods used in public health research and practice
EPI2. Build regression models and apply model diagnostic techniques for analysis and proper interpretation of epidemiologic data
EPI3. Evaluate how public health biology – the biological, ecological, and molecular context of public health -- impacts public health practice
EPI4. Apply strategies for drawing appropriate causal inferences from epidemiologic data taking into account confounding and other sources of bias
EPI5. Create and implement an appropriate analytic plan to test hypotheses and estimate exposure-outcome associations in a public health context
Health Policy and Management Specialization Competencies
HPM1. Apply the principles of program planning, management, and evaluation in organizational and community initiatives using appropriate data sources
HPM2. Evaluate health service programs, policies, and/or systems using appropriate methods
HPM3. Apply legal and ethical principles to health service practice and policy to promote the health of populations
HPM4. Use leadership skills to initiate, plan, change, strategize, monitor and/or manage health programs to achieve organizational and policy goals
HPM5. Investigate economic, political, and social factors influencing public health service delivery and policy to address public health challenges
Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health Specialization Competencies
NHIH1. Describe indigenous people’s health in a historical context and analyze the impact of colonial processes on health outcomes
NHIH2. Critically evaluate public health policy and programs using traditional values and ancestral knowledge, balanced with scientific methodology, as they relate to improving the health of Indigenous Peoples
NHIH3. Apply principles of Indigenous evaluation to health programs
NHIH4. Describe a reflexive public health practice for Indigenous peoples’ health contexts
NHIH5. Design a health promotion strategy that values and incorporates Indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge
Social and Behavioral Health Sciences Specialization Competencies
SBHS1. Critique methods and instruments for collecting valid and reliable quantitative and qualitative data related to social behavioral health
SBHS2. Design mechanisms to monitor and evaluate health promotion programs for their effectiveness and quality
SBHS3. Apply behavior change theory and health promotion strategies to develop grant proposals and identify budgetary priorities
SBHS4. Incorporate ethical principles in health promotion and community engagement
SBHS5. Develop communication strategies and interventions that promote health behavior change
MS COMPETENCIES
MS (Epidemiology) Competencies (Effective AY 2022-23)
MSE1. Critique epidemiological evidence and methods used in public health research
MSE2. Build regression models and apply model diagnostic techniques for analysis and proper interpretation of epidemiologic data
MSE3. Create and implement an appropriate analytic plan to test hypotheses and estimate exposure-outcome associations in a public health context
MSE4. Design and implement a research project that addresses an important public health issue through application of appropriate epidemiologic methods
Epidemiology Specialization Competencies
EPI1. Critique epidemiological evidence and methods used in public health research and practice
EPI2. Build regression models and apply model diagnostic techniques for analysis and proper interpretation of epidemiologic data
EPI3. Evaluate how public health biology – the biological, ecological, and molecular context of public health -- impacts public health practice
EPI4. Apply strategies for drawing appropriate causal inferences from epidemiologic data taking into account confounding and other sources of bias
EPI5. Create and implement an appropriate analytic plan to test hypotheses and estimate exposure-outcome associations in a public health context
Link to 2018 - 2021 master's degree competencies
Link to Fall 2015 - Spring 2018 master's degree competencies
Link to pre-Fall 2015 master's degree competencies