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DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM MASTERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH

The social, economic and cultural dimensions of health and population are a major focus of both governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Bangladesh and in other developing countries. It is now increasingly being recognized that there is a need for professionals who are well trained in the multi-faceted complex interactions of social, economic and cultural factors affecting health and population, such as plateauing fertility rates, inadequate health services coverage, the ongoing epidemiological transition from infectious to chronic diseases, and emerging public health issues such as HIV-AIDS and Arsenic contamination of water supplies. There is however a critical shortage of such professionals in these countries. This increased demand for such personnel comes at a time where funding for this kind of education abroad (United States, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Asia) is extremely limited and will continue to be so in the future. Thus there exists a window of opportunity for in-country training of high quality at the master’s level in Public Health, which focuses on social-economic and cultural dimensions of health and population.

Varendra University Bangladesh is pleased to offer the following post-graduate program leading to the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.). This program will create facilities in higher study for Doctors, Nurses and Non medical health professionals.

The Objectives

Among the overall educational objectives for all graduates of the School is the development of individual competence and improved skills, particularly in (1) recognizing and defining public health problems, setting priorities, and using scientific approaches to problem solving; (2) accumulating appropriate data information, analyzing and interpreting findings, and assessing relevance and validity; and (3) communicating effectively with colleagues and a variety of groups involved in delivering health services. (4) To build up capacity and to prepare individual to become public health practitioner, thinker, researcher.

THE MAJOR COURSE OBJECTIVES ARE:

  • To provide the highest level of education to public health scientists, practitioners, and leaders
  • To foster new discoveries leading to improved health for the people of this country and all nations
  • To strengthen health capacities and services for communities
  • To inform policy debate, disseminate health information, and increase awareness of public health as a public good and fundamental right.

The master of public health (MPH) degree is the most widely recognized professional Credential for leadership in public health. The program emphasizes active, student-directed learning, problem solving, and the acquisition of skills essential to the practice of public health. For many candidates, the MPH will not be their first professional degree. Many students enter the MPH degree program with previous master’s or doctoral degrees or with varying years of practical experience in professional fields related to public health. Graduates of medical, nursing, dental, and other clinical programs, and applicants who have earned master’s or doctoral degrees in other health-related areas, or in other academic or professional areas, will find their academic backgrounds well suited to this program.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The minimum qualifications for admission to Graduate programs are:
Academic Qualifications

  1. Bachelors degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) or equivalent professional degree in Alternate medicine, dentistry or Doctor of Medicine (MD) from any recognized national and Overseas university with at least two years of practical exposure in the professional field. The Doctor must have to be registered with Bangladesh medical and Dental Council/ National Registration Authority
  2. Four-year undergraduate degree from a recognized university with a grade point average of 2.5 Or more on a scale of 4.0 in Pharmacy, Botany, Zoology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Psychology, Veterinary Science, Fisheries, Microbiology, Genetics, social sciences, anthropology and economics,
  3. Three-year bachelors' degree with honors, with at least a second class in social sciences, Anthropology and psychology
  4. Master degree in a health related subject or in any social science and science subjects with An experience of working in health related fields.
  5. BSc. degree with diploma in medical related subject after SSC such as 4 years diploma in pharmacy, BSc. in Nursing, BSc. in Physiotherapy, BSc in Health technology
  6. A two years graduation in nursing from any recognized university after duly completed Four years registered nursing course from government recognized institutes.

Students other than medical graduate required to appear in a written one hour MCQ Examination to prove their understanding about human health and diseases. They may require taking additional preparatory courses at Varendra University even after qualifying the test. The non medical candidate must qualify both in written admission test and viva. Since English is the medium of instruction, all applicants (both medical and non medical) must also take an English placement test for their application to be considered. Applicants will be selected based upon an interview process including a review of both academic and professional experience. The entrance examination designed to measure basic knowledge on primary health care system and level of English so that they can build up their skills in public health.

MPH Course Curriculum

Sl No. Type of courses Number of courses Total credits Total credit hours
01 Foundation Course 4 11 154
02 Core Courses 6 18 252
03 major Courses 3 09 126
04 Dissertation   10 140
05 Practicum/internship 1 03 42
  Total   51 714

 

CORE COURSES (Total 18 credits)

The Following courses are core courses and students have to enroll for all the courses below to complete the degree:

Course Code Course Title Credit Credit Hours
MPH 502 Public Health administration and management 3 42
MPH 503 Epidemilogy I 3 42
MPH 504 Biostatistics I 3 42
MPH 505 Environmental health 3 42
MPH 506 Research Methodology 3 42
MPH 507 Public Health information, education and communication 3 42
  Total 18 252

Major areas of MPH program

  • Epidemiology
  • Reproductive & Child Health
  • Communicable disease control
  • Health management & development
  • Hospital management
  • Health behavior & change communication
  • Public health nutrition
  • Health Management Information system.
  • Environmental health
  • Non communicable disease control

Elective Courses of each Major Area

Elective Courses: (Total 9 credits: Total course work 1 semester)
Prerequisite: core courses

a. Major Area: epidemilogy

Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH-508 Epidemiology - II 3 42
MPH-509 Biostatistics II 3 42
MPH-510 Clinical Epidemiology 3 42

b. Major Area: Reproductive & Child Health

Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH-514 Maternal and Child health 3 42
MPH-515 Reproductive Health 3 42
MPH-516 Maternal and Child Nutrition 3 42

c. Major Area: Communicable Disease Control

Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH-517 Epidemiology of Communicable diaseas 3 42
MPH-518 Disease Control (Communicable & Non Communicable disease) 3 42
MPH-519 Tropical Medicine 3 42

d. Major Area: Health Management & Development

Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH-520 Leadership development & performance appraisal 3 42
MPH-521 Health Information Technology 3 42
MPH-522 Disaster Management 3 42

f. Major Area: Health Behavior & Change Communication

Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH-526 Health education & health promotion 3 42
MPH-527 Behavioral aspects of health & Illness 3 42
MPH-528 Behavior change communication 3 42

g. Major Area: Public Health Nutrition

Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH-529 Public Health nutrition 3 42
MPH-530 Public Health aspects of nutritional deficiency 3 42
MPH-531 Clinical nutrition 3 42

h. Major Area: Health Management Information System

Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH-532 Health management information system 3 42
MPH-508 Epidemiology II 3 42
MPH-509 Biostatistics II 3 42

 i. Major Area: Environmental Health

Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH-533 Occupational  hazard & diseases 3 42
MPH-534 Environmental toxicology 3 42
MPH-535 Race, culture and ethnicity 3 42

j. Major Area: Non-Communicable Disease Control

Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH-536 Epidemiology of non-communicable diseases 3 42
MPH-537 Epidemiology of accident an injury 3 42
MPH-538 Public health genetics 3 42

 Foundation Courses (11 Credits)

Students have to complete 11 credits from the following courses. They have to choose any 4 subject including introduction to public health (2 credits) and practicum (3 credits) and excluding subjects they will get in desire major area.

a. MPH 501 Introduction to Public Health (mandatory) - 2 Credits
b. MPH 539 Demography & Population dynamics - 3 Credits
c. MPH-523 Principles of Hospital management - 3 Credits
d. MPH-515 Reproductive Health - 3 Credits
e. MPH-517 Epidemiology of Communicable disease - 3 Credits
f. MPH-536 Epidemiology of Non Communicable disease - 3 Credits
g. MPH-537 Epidemiology of Accident & injuries - 3 Credits
h. MPH-526 Health Education & health promotion - 3 Credits
i. MPH-529 Public Health Nutrition - 3 Credits
j. MPH-540 Public Health aspect of STDS & HIV/AIDS - 3 Credits
k. MPH-541 Health Economics - 3 Credits
l. MPH-542 Public Health aspects of Microbiology - 3 Credits
m. MPH-522 Disaster Management - 3 Credits
n. MPH-532 Health management information system - 3 Credits
o. MPH-543 Practicum (Mandatory) - 3 Credits

Teaching Plan for MPH program

Classes will be hold in Friday whole day (9am – 12pm, 3pm-6pm) & Saturday evening (3pm- 9pm). So basically it is a weekend Program so that job holder may attend the program.

1st Semester
Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH 501 Introduction to Public Health (mandatory) 2 28
MPH 502 Public Health administration and management 3 42
MPH 503 Epidemiology I 3 42
MPH 504 Biostatistics I 3 42
  Total 11 154

 

2nd Semester
Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
MPH 505 Environmental health 3 42
MPH 506 Research Methodology 3 42
MPH 507 Public health Information, Education and Communication 3 42
  Any 1 course from fundamental elective 3 42
  Total 12 168

 

3rd Semester
Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
  Major Courses (3x3) 9 126
  Any 1 course from fundamental elective 3 42
  Total 12 168

 

4th Semester
Course Code Course Title Credits Credit Hours
  Any 1 course from fundamental elective 3 42
MPH 543 Practicum 3 42
MPH 544 Dissertation/Seminars 10 140
  Total 16 224

VU follows the following Letter Grade and Grade Point system introduced by the UGC as a uniform grading system for all public and private universities:

Numerical Grade

Letter Grade

Grade Point

80% and above

A+

4.00

75% to less than 80%

A

3.75

70% to less than 75%

A-

3.50

65% to less than 70%

B+

3.25

60% to less than 65%

B

3.00

55% to less than 60%

B-

2.75

50% to less than 55%

C+

2.50

45% to less than 50%

C

2.25

40% to less than 45%

D

2.00

Less than 40%

F

0.00

a. The Letter Grade A+, A, A-, B+, B-, B, C+, C and D are considered as pass grades.

b. An f grade is considered as ‘FAIL’ and in such cases students must go for a retake.

c. After completion of the program, the final transcript will be issued mentioning Letter Grade, Corresponding Grade Points, Attempted Credit, Earned Credit and CGPA.

d. Numerical marks in the Grade Sheet/Transcript will not be shown.

 

Final Result Preparation:

The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) will be computed according to the following formula:

CGPA =  Sum of ( Earned Credit X Corresponding GradePoints) / Total Credits