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.

Welcome to the USF College of Public Health and the common course for all students in MPH (and certain other) degree programs, “History and Systems of Public Health.” One of the things we will discuss is how interested the public is in its health, even if the public doesn’t always translate that interest into support for public health efforts. One way we measure this interest is in the large number of books written on health topics and their popularity among the public. Before we officially begin class in August, we want you to have read at least one of these books and to prepare a written response.

To help you prepare for your coursework and the rigorous program you are about to begin, we want you to start to think about the many ways that public health affects our lives. We also want you to begin to read and critically think about public health issues past, present and future. There is so much to learn and, even more importantly, to do. We want to hit the ground running! Be prepared to complete the Dean’s Summer Reading Assignment which is due August 26 at midnight. These books will captivate you and get you thinking about public health! Plus, they are on the list of the Dean’s favorites!

Assignment details were emailed to you when you confirmed your admission.If you did not receive this information, please contact Dr. Corvin at jcorvin1@health.usf.edu or discuss with your graduate advisor.

• Choose one of the books from the list below 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.
  • Briefly describe the book and its central theme.
  • What about this book interested you? Why did you choose it?
  • What is your general understanding of what public health means?
  • How did this book further your understanding?
  • Did you learn anything from a historical perspective that you didn’t know before?
  • Would you recommend this book to others?  Why or why not?

Please upload your response on the PHC6588 course CANVAS site, by Monday August 26, 2019 at 11:59pm EST (just before midnight).

Reading List:  Select at least one book from the list below to read for this assignment.

1. Isabel Wilkerson, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, Vintage Books, 2010.
2. Elaine Tyler May, America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril and Liberation, Basic Books, 2010.
3. Atul Gawande, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, Metropolitan Books, 2014.
4. Steven Johnson, Ghost Map:  The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World, Riverhead Books, 2006.
5. Sam Quinones, Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, Bloomsbury Press, 2015.
6. Matt Richtel, A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age, William Morrow, 2014.

We look forward to seeing you at the College of Public Health’s orientation on Thursday, August 22, 2019. Please plan to join us for the day to meet your future colleagues, learn about your program and prepare for the next phase of your educational journey.  Additional information will be forthcoming.

Please note, USF also holds an orientation for all USF students. This session is not college specific and provides valuable insight into the larger USF community.

Location

Orientation will be held at the College of Public Health building in the auditorium. If you have not purchased a USF parking tag, please purchase a pass for the day at one of the vending machine located on the location map. The cost is $5 for the day.

The Office of Academic and Student Affairs is located in a great space for all of USF Health students, including Public Health, Medicine, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, and Nursing students. The space includes a lounge area for students and computer access. You will be able to find our entire Academic and Student Affairs office 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.