What you may need to ascertain is the extent to which your program is online. If it is 100% online, then your courses and assignments are available through a course management system, portal, or website structure (depending on the grad school). This means being able to study from wherever you are with a computer and reliable Internet; quite appealing for the working student or person with other responsibilities apart from university studies.
If a program is deemed partially online, you may expect some type of onsite requirements. This could take the form of meetings with your advisor, intensives, real-world experience via internships, or laboratory work.
With the advances in technology, distance learning does not mean you are cut off from classmates or your professors; students are often expected to participate in online discussions. Forms of communication vary but could include email, web chat, texting and online chat rooms for e-learners. Naturally though, you want to choose an online public health graduate program that has tech support in place and where you have access to similar services as campus grad students.
Types of Online Tracks Taken For Public Health Graduates
Online Public Health Graduate Programs fall into 2 categories[viii]:
- Academic degrees which are oriented to research, teaching, and policy analysis
- Professional degrees which are oriented to practice in public health settings (e.g. public health departments or administration)
GradSchools.com has an extensive directory of sponsored listings for different public health sub categories:
- Bioethics
- Epidemiology
- Health Education & Communication
- International Health
- Occupational Health & Safety
This allows you to focus your education on an area of interest; public health encompasses multiple disciplines from epidemiology to biostatistics and health services.[ix]
Choosing the ‘Right’ Online Public Health Grad Degrees
For the student interested in moral values as they apply to medicine, topics in bioethics might include[x]:
- Abortion
- Animal Rights
- Medical Malpractice
- Cloning
- Gene Therapy
- Human Genetic Engineering
- Euthanasia
For the student interested in studying and analyzing the patterns, causes and effects of health and disease, topics in epidemiology might include:[xi]
- Etiology
- Transmission
- Outbreak Investigation
- Disease Surveillance
- Forensic Epidemiology
- Screening
- Statistics
For the student interested in teaching and informing others, topics in health education might include:[xii]
- Assessment
- Health Education Strategies
- Research
For the student interested in global initiatives, topics in International Health might include:[xiii]
- Roles of NGOs
- International Medicine
- Travel Medicine
- Vaccinations
For the student interested in promoting health in the workplace, topics in Occupational Health might include:
- Workplace safety issues
- Prevention of disease & accidents
- Promotion of healthy work environment
- Improvement of Working Conditions
Once you have identified your preference, narrow down your search by choosing a program level. Some of the sponsored listings that you might review could include: Online Master of Science in Communication – Health Communication, Master of Public Health Online, and Doctor of Philosophy – Mental Health Policy and Practice.
Accreditation for Online Public Health Graduate Programs And Schools
Part of your searching process should include checking with your university or program administrator to ensure that the school and program you’re interested in are accredited by an agency that is recognized by U.S. Department of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation. In the case of Public Health, The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is a programmatic accreditation organization which reviews and approves public health education programs throughout the United States. [xiv]
Take the Next Step
Whether you are approaching public health from the standpoint of science or administration, an Online Public Health Graduate Program may be the flexible learning environment you are looking for to take the next step in your education.
sources:[i] bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm |[ii] bls.gov/ooh/management/social-and-community-service-managers.htm |[iii] bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/health-educators.htm |[iv] bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/epidemiologists.htm |[v] bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm |[vi] bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/political-scientists.htm |[vii] onetonline.org/link/summary/11-9111.00 |[viii]en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_health |[ix] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_health |[x] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioethics |[xi] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology |[xii] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_education |[xiii] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_health |[xiv] http://ceph.org/
