As a student at the USF College of Public Health, you will be engaged in a series of core courses designed to address complex 21st century public health problems. Our MPH core curriculum is guided by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health’s Framing the Future report and the Council of Education in Public Health’s competencies for public health degrees. This curriculum consists of a series of four courses, designed to provide integrated and applied training. These courses utilize experiential learning to present critical public health content through foundational courses with cross cutting, interdisciplinary competencies. 

Your first classes begin this Fall! Please speak with your graduate advisor about your individual course schedule. However, all students should plan to enroll in the following foundational core courses in their first year.

Fall Courses (6 credits of core)

• History and Systems of Public Health (1 credit course)
  • This course provides a historical overview of public health and focuses on current public health challenges. Please see information on your first assignment in this course—due before the class starts.
• Population Assessment I (5 credits)
  • This course uses a systems-thinking approach to understand, assess and evaluate public health problems. You will learn core public health content, analytical techniques and scholarly writing.

Spring Courses (6 credits of core)

• Population Assessment II (3 credits)
  • This course uses a continuation of Population Assessment I. In this course, you will continue to use systems thinking to understand, assess and evaluate public health problems, while practicing your public health analysis and writing skills.
• Translation to Practice (3 credits)
  • This course prepares students to translate core public health concepts and principles into real-world public health practice.

Pre-Class Reading Assignment for PHC6588 History and Systems of Public Health Fall 2021  

Welcome to the USF College of Public Health and the common course for all students in MPH degree programs, “History and Systems of Public Health”.  For the past several years, we have asked students to complete a Summer Reading assignment, from among a selection of books that addresses one or more aspect of public health history.  

This year, we are continuing a new tradition that we started last year and are focusing the Summer Reading assignment on the history of racism in the United States.  Before the start of the fall semester on August 23, 2021, we want you to have read at least one of these books and to submit a written response.  

Choose one of the books from the attached list and read it in its entirety.  

Prepare a no more than two-page response to the following questions:   

• Include your name and the title of the book you chose.
• What about this book interested you?  Why did you choose it?
• Did the book help you learn about the history of racism in the United States? Please share one or two things you learned that you didn’t appreciate before reading this book.
• What is your general understanding of what public health means?
• Did this book provide you any insight into how racism may impact public health? Please provide at least one example.   

Please upload your response on the PHC6588 Fall F21 CANVAS site, by Monday August 23, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST. [Note, the site will not be open until early August]  

Summer Reading List: You MUST read at least one of the books on this list.

1. Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2015. Between the World and Me, One World Books.   
2. Robin DiAngelo, 2018. White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard to Talk to White People about Racism, Beacon Press.   
3. Jennifer Eberhardt, 2020. Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do, Penguin Books.   
4. Ibram X. Kendi, 2017.  Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, Bold Type Books.   
5. Ibrahm X. Kendi, 2019.  How to be an Antiracist, One World Publishers   
6. Jonathan Metzl, 2020. Dying of Whiteness, Basic Books.   
7. Ijeoma Oluo, 2019.  So, You Want to Talk About Race, Seal Press.   
8. Isabel Wilkerson, 2010. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, Vintage Books.   
9. Isabel Wilkerson, 2020. Caste: The Origins of our Discontents, Random House.      

This year's Orientation is still under development. As we have more information it will be posted here.

Here is a map of our location:

As you enter your graduate studies, be sure you are prepared for the journey. Simply, graduate school will be vastly different than your undergraduate program. The philosophy on education between graduate and undergraduate is different. At USF, 12 credits are considered a full load because the requirements for each class is more intense. You will not be sitting anonymously in a lecture hall. Rather, you will be expected to actively participate in discussions, to have completed ALL required readings—there will be a lot—and to work outside of class.

This will be intense. The general rule of thumb is for every hour in class, you should plan on no less than three hours outside of class in homework, reading and preparatory work. For online, that’s four hours of work for every credit.

As a USF COPH student, you will be expected to be active, engaged, and prepared at all times.   Professionalism is critical. You must be self-motivated to seek out new information on your own, and the program requires exceptional time-management and prioritization skills. A whole new set of study skills is also necessary since the goal of your program is not to be ‘taught at’ but rather to be the driver of your education. You will be exposed to information. As a graduate student, you will be expected to critically analyze this information, develop original opinions and thoughts about it and then apply it!  You will become a master at gathering information, creating hypotheses, designing research projects, collaborating with groups, and communicating your knowledge through written work and public presentation.