Public Health at EVAMS
Eastern Virginia Medical School appears in our ranking of the Top 10 MPH in Health Policy and Management Degrees Online.
The Master of Public Health program at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) is designed for working professionals, so courses are offered online or in the evenings at both the EVMS and the Old Dominion University campuses. The program requires 43 credit hours to graduate, and most students finish in two years of full-time study, but a part-time option is also available which allows for a maximum of six years for completion. Students have a choice between two specialty tracks, epidemiology or health management. The first seven courses are the same in each program and provide an introduction to the public health field as a whole. These beginning courses include Statistical Reasoning for Public Health, Principles of Environmental Health Science, and Introduction to Research Methods. Each track then consists of four required classes and four electives as well as a community practicum and a capstone seminar.
There are also a few graduate certificates for students who are interested in the field but do not want to complete the entire master’s program. The Core Public Health, Epidemiology, and Healthcare Management certificates each require 15 credit hours of study. The Core Public Health curriculum gives students a solid understanding of the discipline with courses including Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Social and Behavioral Science. Students in the epidemiology certificate program take Statistical Reasoning for Public Health, Principles of Epidemiology, and Research Methods but can then choose two electives based on their particular interests. The third certificate focuses more on the business aspect of healthcare with classes like Financing Healthcare, Organizational Management, and Public Health Administration and Management. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job opportunities for epidemiologists and healthcare managers is predicted to increase at rates of 10% and 20%, respectively, at least until 2026. The final public health graduate certificate at Eastern Virginia Medical School is entitled Implementing Change and Achieving High Performance in the Healthcare Environment. This is a 1-credit-hour program that is designed specifically for individuals working in healthcare leadership roles. The program covers topics like conflict resolution, providing feedback, and implementing change using the IMPACT model.
About Eastern Virginia Medical School
Eastern Virginia Medical School is a public, graduate-level school located in Hampton Roads, a region in the southeastern corner of Virginia that is essentially a natural harbor with a conglomerate of cities and towns whose geography is defined by the many rivers flowing through on their way to the Chesapeake Bay. In the 1960s and 1970s, this area was well populated but had a shortage of physicians, so community leaders decided to build a medical school which was essentially funded by donations from local individuals and organizations. The school was built next to two existing hospitals, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, and welcomed its first class of students in 1973. Today, EVMS enrolls about 1200 students in its two divisions, the School of Medicine and the School of Health Professionals which includes programs in public health, physician assistant studies, and clinical psychology among others. Faculty at Eastern Virginia Medical School emphasize the responsibility of health professionals to positively impact their communities, and individuals associated with the school have started programs like Operation Smile and Physicians for Peace that have embodied this principle.
Eastern Virginia Medical School Accreditation Details
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) routinely evaluates post-secondary schools in 11 states in the southeastern region of the United States. During the accreditation process, each school is measured against standards in categories including Financial and Physical Resources, Academic and Student Support Services, Educational Program Structure and Content, Faculty, and Governing Board, and schools undergo continuous monitoring throughout a 10-year cycle. The SACSCOC first accredited Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1984, and it was last recertified in 20009. Additionally, there are other professional organizations that evaluate degree programs or departments to verify that graduates are well prepared for their chosen professions. The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) fills this role for public health programs evaluating each school in ten categories like Evaluation of Program Effectiveness, Faculty Qualifications, and Cultural Competence. The EVMS Master of Public Health program has been accredited by CEPH since 1999.
Eastern Virginia Medical School Application Requirements
The main requirement for admission to EVMS’s public health program is the completion of an undergraduate degree with a GPA of at least 2.5, either cumulatively or in the most recent 40 credit hours. Applicants need to submit the online application with $60 fee along with two letters of recommendation and a personal essay. Transcripts from previous institutions need to be sent electronically through Credentials Solutions, Parchment, or National Student Clearing House or by mail. For the public health graduate certificate program, the only required documents include the application, undergraduate transcripts demonstrating completion of a degree with a 2.5 GPA, and a personal statement detailing how Eastern Virginia Medical School fits into the student’s goals related to the public health field.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition at Eastern Virginia Medical School depends on program, number of credit hours, and residency status. For the Master of Public Health program, in-state tuition is $909 per credit hour with out-of-state students paying slightly more at a rate of $1107 per hour. Additional fees for both categories are $1045 and $945 for the first and second year of the program, respectively. Total estimated costs for the program are about $40,000 at the in-state rate with out-of-state tuition costing about an additional $10,000. Tuition rates for the graduate certificates in public health are identical to the master’s degree but with a lowered fee of $564. Advisers at EVMS can help students make a financial plan for these expenses after they complete a FAFSA to determine whether they qualify for federal aid or student loan programs like the Direct PLUS. In addition, since many students in public health programs continue to work, employers are another possible source of funding as many companies offer tuition reimbursement for employees. Along with a variety of private grants and scholarships, Eastern Virginia Medical School offers some awards to their students in health professional programs including the H. MacDonald Rimple Scholarship which is available specifically for incoming public health students.