Public Health Degrees at the University of Illinois at Springfield
The University of Illinois at Springfield appears in our ranking of the Top 10 Master’s in Environmental Health Degrees Online.
Students at the University of Illinois at Springfield have several routes for studying Public Health that include an undergraduate minor, graduate certificates, and graduate-level degrees. Programs are offered within the Department of Public Health at the university. Students already enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program at the University of Illinois at Springfield may want to consider the undergraduate minor, which requires that students complete at least 15 hours in public health courses. Classes include Global Public Health: Population, Poverty and Pollution, Global Environmental Health, and Human Well Being.
Students who already have a bachelor’s degree can consider the graduate certificate route, which offers students the choice of specialized certificates in the five areas of Public Health including Environmental Health, Emergency Preparedness & Homeland Security, Environmental Risk Assessment, Community Health Education, and Epidemiology. These graduate certificates are offered to provide career advancement opportunities and continuing professional education options for health professionals. Students may enter the certificate programs as non-degree seeking students, but applicants must complete the formal application process to qualify for admission.
There are three graduate degrees offered at the University of Illinois at Springfield including a Master of Public Health without a concentration, an MPH with a concentration in Environmental Health, and a Professional Option degree program. Students may take their courses online or at the university’s physical location. To earn the Master of Public Health without a concentration, students must complete 28 credit hours of study in classes like Foundations of Epidemiology, Public Health Policy & Administration, and Biostatistics for the Health Professional. The program also requires that students complete a 4-credit internship which equals 400 contact hours during the internship.
Students who enroll in the Environmental Health Concentration for their MPH will also complete 28 credits in core courses with eight hours coming from Environmental Health-related classes. Electives include classes like Risk Management and Communication, Program Evaluation for Public Health, and Occupational Safety & Health Policy. Alternatively, currently working physicians who are in a residency program may consider the MPH Professional Option, which requires the completion of 36 credit hours. In addition to currently employed physicians, the program is also available to students who are completing a health-related doctoral program and have at least one of experience in health care. All MPH students at the University of Illinois at Springfield must complete an internship.
About The University of Illinois at Springfield
The University of Illinois at Springfield was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University and would become part of the state’s university system in the mid-1990s. The school is the newest campus within the university system and has a student population of around 5,700 students. Students can enroll in 27 undergraduate programs, 20 graduate programs, and one doctoral program in Public Administration. At one time, the university only offered classes to graduate students and upper-division students, but the school would open its doors to first and second-year students soon after its establishment. The rural campus is located about six miles from the city of Springfield and covers 740 acres. The school’s official colors are white and deep navy, and 16 varsity teams are playing as the Prairie Stars at the school.
The University of Illinois at Springfield Accreditation Details
Institutional accreditation for the University of Illinois at Springfield comes from the Higher Learning Commission. There are several colleges and degree programs offered by the university that are also programmatically accredited. The Bachelor of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, which is vital for any student seeking licensure as a social worker. The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences has accredited the Clinical Laboratory Science program. The American Chemical Society’s Committee on Professional Training has accredited the program in chemistry. The Master of Public Health is accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council for its concentration in Environmental Health.
The University of Illinois at Springfield Application Requirements
First-year students who want to apply to the University of Illinois at Springfield will need to complete a series of recommended classes in high school, take the SAT or ACT, and write a personal, academic statement. The university will use these items, as well as the student’s class rank and grade point average to determine whether the student is eligible for admission. Highly qualified students may qualify for the Honors Program. Students interested in applying to graduate school at the University of Illinois at Springfield will need to have official transcripts from their undergraduate degree program forwarded to the university. Applicants should have a grade point average from 2.50 to 4.00 to qualify for admission, as well as a degree granted by a regionally accredited institution. Students may also apply as non-degree seeking students and may want to consider this route if they have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition at the University of Illinois at Springfield for undergraduate students is $286.25 for Illinois residents and $598.25 for non-residents. Mandatory fees for full-time students add $1,467.00 to the total, and mandatory fees for part-time students add $1,224.50 to the total. For graduate students, the tuition for state residents is $329.00 per credit hour, and the tuition for non-residents is $675.00 per credit hour. Students will add anywhere from $105.65 to $130.65 per hour for mandatory fees and assessments. Other tuition fees may include an on-campus tuition fee for Computer Science classes and Management Information Systems classes of $40.75 or an additional tuition charge of $80.75 for on-campus students in the Public Administration doctoral program.
The University of Illinois at Springfield offers financial assistance to almost 70 percent of students who attend the university. Assistance comes in the form of scholarships, loans, grants, and student employment. If students qualify for the federal student loan program, the university may award a Federal Direct Loan that will require the signing of a Federal Direct Loan Master Promissory Note and completion of Federal Direct Loan Entrance Counseling. Students may also qualify for scholarships from the Aim High Scholarship Program or the University of Illinois system. Applicants who wish to enroll in any of the programs offered by the Department of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Springfield should contact the department for information on specialized aid or scholarships for students enrolled in health profession degree programs.