The Master of Public Health is a two-year course of study with classes conveniently offered in the evening, generally from 4 PM to 9 PM Monday through Thursday on a term basis - Fall, Spring I and Spring II. To complete the Master of Public Health degree, students are required to earn a minimum of 45 credits maintaining a grade point average of B (3.0), complete a 150-hour Applied Practice Experience and write a Culminating Experience (Master’s Thesis, First Author Manuscript, or Capstone).

Navigating Through the MPH Degree

MPH students must read and continually reference the Student Handbook, Curriculum Guide, Applied Practice Experience Guide, Culminating Experience Guide, Track Checklists, and Sample Curriculum to understand the expectations of the Master of Public Health degree.

Students should contact the Academic Program Office with questions regarding policies and procedures, degree requirements, and questions or concerns regarding the Program.

Students are expected to seek guidance from their Specialty Track Advisor regarding their interest in specific topics in public health. Specialty Track Advisors can provide information and advice regarding elective courses, Applied Practice Experience and Culminating Experience opportunities, proposals, competencies, and development, as well as information on the public health profession.

This section covers the following program requirements:

• Curricular Requirements

• Requirements to Graduate

• Standards for Maintaining Satisfactory Progress

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Graduate Program in Public Health offer a Dual MD-MPH Program that can be completed either during the 4 years of medical school or over a 5-year period with a “Scholarly Year” in medical school.

Four-Year Option

MD-MPH students choosing the Four Year Option take courses in the Graduate Program in Public Health beginning at 4 pm, after medical school classes have ended. Typically, four-year dual degree students complete all coursework and the Applied Practice Experience during the first two years of medical school and then complete the Culminating Experience during the last two years of medical school.

Five-Year Option

The five-year option allows current and new students to devote an entire year to MPH degree requirements. Students will be expected to complete at least three core courses during their first year of medical school (Introduction to Biostatistics, Introduction to Epidemiology, and Introduction to Global Health or Public Health). Typically, during the fifth year, students will take a Scholarly Year to complete the MPH requirements. Complete information about how to arrange a Scholarly Year is in the Scholarly Year packet available from the Medical Student Research Office which is located in the Annenberg Building, 13th floor room 13-30. The timing of the Scholarly Year is flexible and up to each student, though many may choose to begin the MPH year after completion of their third year medical clerkships.

It is important to note that not all MPH specialty tracks can be completed in this five-year option. Careful and early planning with the Dual MD-MPH degree advisor is necessary in order to ensure completion of degree requirements.

Furthermore, it is important that students speak with the Student Financial Services early on in their planning to ensure that all financial aid requirements are met.

Interested students should contact Academic Program Office to set up an appointment to discuss their individual interests and needs.

Dual MD-MPH Degree Expectations and Credit Benefits

Students who are pursuing a medical degree and a Master of Public Health degree must meet with the MD-MPH Academic Advisor at the beginning of the first year to plan for the next two years of coursework. Students pursuing both degrees have special demands that require careful attention to planning their public health courses along with medical school curricula.

MD-MPH students benefit from pursuing both degrees simultaneously. MD-MPH students may earn a maximum value of 12 MPH credits by completing certain MD requirements. Please see the list of credit benefits below.

• Ambulatory Care Clerkship: 4 MPH credits. This course is taken by medical students during Year 3 and has an emphasis on Clinical Preventive medicine as well as population medicine. Students incorporate population-based medicine and evidence-based medicine into direct patient care by analyzing and applying USPSTF Guidelines; socio-behavioral models of health and illness; and culturally sensitive models of care giving.

• InFocus Weeks: Maximum of 8 MPH credits. InFocus weeks are innovative and immersive courses taught through all four years of the medical school curriculum. They provide learning in topics critical to medical practice and biomedical research in the 21st century.

• Receive 4 weeks of elective credit in the medical school for MPH activities during Years 3 and 4 of medical school. Students should plan well ahead of time to ensure that they have ample time to finish MPH Applied Practice Experience activities and Culminating Experience requirements prior to graduation from the medical school.

Please contact the Academic Program Office and the Medical School Administration for information on how to formally process these benefits and inquire about any additional waivers or exemptions that may exist.

Status Change in Medical School and/or Graduate School

Dual MD-MPH students whose status changes in the medical school (e.g., leave of absence, probation, dismissal) are considered to have the same status change in the Graduate Program in Public health until and unless the circumstances are presented to the Academic Advisory Committee for review. The same applies to all students in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The MPH Program reserves the right to determine the students’ status in the MPH Program independently from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Dual MD-MPH Academic Advisor

Dual MD-MPH students should meet with the dual MD-MPH Academic Advisor as early as possible during or prior to matriculating at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. If an MD-MPH student chooses to pursue a specialty track, they must meet with the Specialty Track Advisor as well. The Dual MD-MPH Academic Advisor will offer insight in managing the demands of both degrees and ensuring that students complete all necessary requirements for both programs.

Elizabeth J. Garland, MD, MS Dual MD-MPH Academic Advisor Email: elizabeth.garland@mssm.edu

The following residencies and fellowships include either MPH coursework or completion of the full MPH degree as part of the training:

• General Preventive Medicine Residency

• Occupational Medicine Residency

• General Internal Medicine Fellowship

• Pediatric Environmental Health Fellowship

• Family Planning Fellowship

Resident and fellow physicians in these programs should speak with their Program Directors about MPH course requirements and scheduling. Residency and Fellowship Directors have planned MPH curriculum that meets the requirements for MPH degree completion as well as the training requirements of each residency or fellowship program.

Mount Sinai resident and fellow physicians who are not part of these programs but would like to consider taking MPH courses or completing the MPH Degree should speak with their residency or fellowship Program Director as well as the Academic Program Office.

The NYCPM and the ISMMS Graduate Program in Public Health Program work together to offer podiatric college students the opportunity to complete an MPH degree during their podiatric training. Podiatric students interested in this should first contact Dr. Eileen Chusid at the NYCPM. Students interested in applying for matriculation to ISMMS while they are NYCPM students must first obtain approval from Dr. Chusid to apply to ISMMS.

Eileen Chusid, PhD Dean, Pre-Clinical Sciences New York College of Podiatric Medicine 53 East 124th Street New York, NY 10035 212-410-8127

All financial aid is handled through the NYCPM. Podiatric students accepted into the ISMMS MPH Program complete the degree over the four years they are enrolled at NYCPM. Students typically complete course work and Applied Practice Experience during the first two years of training and a Culminating Experience during the last two years of training.

Dual Degree DPM-MPH students may transfer a total of 3 credits from NYCPM to be applied to the MPH degree at ISMMS. The transfer credits are limited to DCHMD 2615 Medical Ethics and the Art of Doctoring and DCHMD 2602 Research Methodology and Epidemiology. Students must earn a grade of B or better in these courses to be eligible for transfer credits. The transfer credits will serve as general MPH elective credits.

The Graduate Program in Public Health offers an Advanced Certificate in Public Health. The certificate is a 15-credit hour program of study. Students can choose from three tracks of study: General Public Health, Global Health or Outcomes Research. The certificate program offers a foundation in public health training for students and practitioners in public health. Certificate students attend courses alongside Master of Public Health students. While enrolled in the certificate program, students may only register for the courses which are outlined in the advanced certificate program course requirements. Students in the certificate program may register for a maximum of 15 credits. Credits in this program may be used towards the MPH degree upon approval by Academic Program Office and the Program Director. For any questions regarding the certificate program, please contact the Academic Program Office.

Peradeba Raventhirarajah, MPH Advisor of Certificate Programs Email: Peradeba.Raventhirarajah@mssm.edu

Any student pursuing ISMMS training/certifications/degrees, either primarily enrolled or while enrolled in another program (or on leave of absence from that program), must obtain approval of their study design for culminating projects, including any planned IRB-related submissions or questions regarding whether the project involves human subjects research, from the program advisor. If the student is enrolled in a second ISMMS program, the student is responsible for notifying both the primary and secondary programs of the filing of an academic LOA to ensure the status of the student is known to both program and any program handoffs/transitions are coordinated.

Master of Public Health students maintain satisfactory progress by:

• Making progress toward core and track courses - successfully completing required core courses within 2 attempts of taking the courses. Grades that are not considered a successful completion include: incomplete, missing grades, withdraws, and failing grades (F or below minimum).

• Successfully completing at least 50% of course credits attempted each semester.

• Resolving incomplete grades within the guidelines established by ISMMS.

• Attaining an overall grade point average of 3.0 is needed at the time of graduation to be eligible to earn the degree. Students who earn a GPA below 3.0 should raise their GPA within 3 consecutive terms to maintain Satisfactory Progress.

• Making progress toward degree requirements as outlined in the Applied Practice Experience Guide and Culminating Experience Guide.

• Demonstrating the ability to grow in professional skills.

• Completing the degree program within the maximum time to earn degree prescribed for the degree, as outlined in the Graduate Program in Public Health Student Handbook.

Students who do not meet the criteria for Good Standing may be placed on probation by the Program Director, Dean of the Graduate School, or their appointed representatives: including the Academic Advisory Committee and the Academic Program Office. Once a student is placed on academic probation, academic progress must be made within two terms. Dismissal is the likely consequence if performance continues to be unsatisfactory. Students on probation are considered enrolled.

Students are required to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Students who fall below a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Anytime a student’s GPA falls below 3.0, the Academic Program Office and the Academic Advisory Committee will be consulted and a plan for remediation developed. The student will meet with a member of the Academic Advisory Committee, develop an individual plan of remediation, and sign a statement of understanding that they are on academic probation.

The Academic Advisory Committee meets at the end of each term and reviews the progress of each student on probation. If the GPA has not improved in the subsequent term, the student will continue to meet the Academic Advisory Committee member revising the remediation plan, as needed. If the student’s GPA has not reached 3.0 within two terms having been placed on probation, the student may be dismissed from the program.

The Graduate Program in Public Health is a dynamic, cutting edge public health program, and as such, the course work for the degree programs offered are designed to be completed in a full-time manner. Students are permitted to take courses on a part time basis. To earn the MPH degree, students, regardless of their chosen track of study, must complete a total of 45-credits. The MPH degree must be completed within five years of the student's first matriculation date, including the completion of the Culminating Experience. Advanced Certificate students have a maximum of two years to complete the Advanced Certificate. Dual Degree MPH students have a maximum time to degree completion of seven years for the MPH degree. Students who do not complete the degree or certificate within this specified time frame will be withdrawn from the program. These time limits include any time for personal or medical leave of absence.

In the Graduate Program in Public Health, benchmarks of satisfactory progress must be completed as outlined in the specific program requirements. Students who are approaching the time limit for completion will be reviewed with enough notice so that a plan is in place to enable the student to complete the requirements by the end of the time limit.

If a student does not complete their degree within the Time to Complete Degree, it is the responsibility of the student to contact the Academic Program Office to discuss their plan to complete their degree. As students approach their maximum Time to Complete Degree they will be reminded of the Length of Time to Complete Degree policy. The student will be placed on a registration hold, and required to meet with the Academic Program Office to ensure that the degree is completed by the end of their maximum Time to Complete Degree. Students who do not complete their degree within the required time frame are administratively withdrawn from the program.

Under extenuating circumstances an extension of the Maximum Time to Complete Degree may be granted by the Academic Program Office and Program Director. If a student’s appeal for an extension is denied, the student may not reapply to the program.