Public Health

Director of graduate studies:

Robert L. Larson

Graduate faculty:

David Ashford, DVM, MPH, DSc (Adjunct), Harvard University.
Betsy Barrett, Ph.D., R.D., Kansas State University.
Timothy K. Behrens, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma.
Melissa Bopp, Ph.D., University of South Carolina.
Deborah D. Canter, Ph.D., R.D., University of Tennessee.
Stephen K. Chapes, Ph.D., MPH, University of Illinois.
M.M. Chengappa, Ph.D., Michigan State University.
David Dzewaltowski, Ph.D., University of Iowa.
Elizabeth Fallon, Ph.D., University of Florida.
Lisa Freeman, DVM, Ph.D., The Ohio State University.
Daniel Y.C. Fung, MSPH, University of North Carolina, Ph.D., Iowa State University.
Steven J. Galitzer, Ph.D., Kansas State University.
Roman Ganta, Ph.D., All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
Rebecca Gould, Ph.D., R.D., Texas Woman’s University.
Gail R. Hansen, DVM, MPH, University of Washington.
Craig Harms, Ph.D., Indiana University.
Mark D. Haub, Ph.D., University of Kansas.
Mary Meck Higgins, Ph.D., R.D., Iowa State University.
Sanjay Kapil, DVM, Ph.D., University of Minnesota.
Curtis L. Kastner, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University.
Justin Kastner, Ph.D., University of Guelph.
Tandalayo Kidd, Ph.D., LPN, RD, Kansas State University.
Robert L. Larson, DVM, Ph.D, Kansas State University.
Mary McElroy, Ph.D., University of Maryland.
Denis M. Medeiros, Ph.D., R.D., Clemson University.
Derek A. Mosier, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University.
T.G. Nagaraja, Ph.D., Kansas State University.
Abbey L. Nutsch, Ph.D., Kansas State University.
Richard D. Oberst, D.V.M., Ph.D., University of California.
Frederick W. Oehme, D.V.M., Ph.D., University of Missouri.
Patricia A. Payne, D.V.M, Ph.D., Kansas State University.
Paula Peters, Ph.D., Ohio State University.
John Pickrell, DVM, M.S., Ph.D., University of Illinois; ABVT.
Sandra B. Procter, Ph.D, R.D., Kansas State University.
David G. Renter, Ph.D., Kansas State University.
Deanna D. Retzlaff, Ph.D., Kansas State University.
Michael W. Sanderson, D.V.M.,Colorado State University.
J. Scott Smith, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University.
Deon van der Merwe, Ph.D., North Carolina State University.
Ludek Zurek, Ph.D., University of Alberta, Canada.

About the program

Public health is an interdepartmental graduate professional program with faculty participants from many academic departments of the university. The 42 semester hour program is designed to provide graduate-level education for individuals currently employed or anticipating a career in the field of public health. The purpose of public health is to address the physical, mental, social and environmental concerns of communities and populations. Its focus is on prevention of injury and disease in populations while they are still healthy, rather than treating individual patients after they become sick. The field of public health involves programs, strategies, and interventions designed to protect and improve community health through health education, promotion, research, and disease prevention. The final outcome of all public health efforts is to improve the quality of life in communities as well as targeted populations. The MPH program includes the five core areas within the field of public health: environmental health, behavioral sciences/health education, epidemiology, biostatistics, and health services administration. In addition to the five core areas, a student can select an area of emphasis in food safety and biosecurity, infectious diseases/zoonoses, public health nutrition, public health physical activity, or public health nutrition and physical activity.

Application and admission requirements

A complete application file must be received by the Program Director before the deadlines indicated below in order to be considered by the Coordinating Committee for admission. Requests for financial aid applications (assistantships, scholarships, and/or fellowships) should be directed to the designated coordinator in the area of emphasis found on the Graduate School website. The following items constitute a complete application:

• Completed application for admission to the Graduate School
• Non-refundable application fee of  $30.00 for domestic students or $55.00 for international students
• Official record of the GRE scores sent directly from Educational Testing Service (ETS)
• One official copy of transcripts from all universities attended
• Three letters of recommendation from former professors or employers (reference form is on the program website)
• A narrative letter describing objectives in pursuing the degree and plans for completion of the degree requirements
• For applicants whose native language is not English, an official record of the TOEFL score sent directly from ETS
• For international applicants only, a completed affidavit of financial support dated within nine months of desired entry date; Note: substitute documentation other than the affidavit cannot be accepted

To be admitted to the program an applicant must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a scale of 4.0, a combined GRE score of 1000 or higher for the verbal and quantitative sections combined (This requirement will be waived for applicants who already hold a graduate degree or a graduate professional degree.), a TOEFL score of at least 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), or 79 (IBT-internet based) for applicants whose native language is not English, and at least one year of health-related experience in a health-care setting is preferred. One year of an approved internship or employment in Extension will count. For applicants who lack this requirement, a directed field experience concurrent with the program will be required.

Deadlines

International students (admitted for Fall Semester only):

            February 1 – All application items MUST be in the MPH Program Office;

            April 15 – Notification for admission will be made;

Domestic students and International students who are in the United States:

May 1 – All application items MUST be in the MPH Program Office for Fall semester admission;

July 1 – Notification of admission for Fall semester;

August 1 – All application items MUST be in the MPH Program Office for Spring semester admission;

October 1 – Notification of admission for Spring semester;

Summer admission will be available ONLY for graduate students or veterinary medical students already enrolled at KSU.

Financial assistance

Assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships are awarded through individual faculty members in the program or through the participating departments and colleges. The MPH Program, per se, does not have resources for stipends or tuition waivers.

For more information

For additional information and application materials please contact:

Department of Public Health
1 Trotter Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas 66506
Email: mphealth@ksu.edu
(785)532-5696 Web Page: http://www.k-state.edu/mphealth/

Programs

Graduate Certificate

• •  Public Health Core Concepts Graduate Certificate

Master of Public Health

• •  Public Health (M.P.H.)