Master in Public Health (MPH)

Introduction

AIPH has entered into a partnership with Ravenshaw University, the oldest institution of higher learning in Orissa, to offer the Master in Public Health (MPH) degree. Honorable minister of higher education Mr. Debi Prasad Mishra and honorable minister of health and family welfare, Mr. Prasanna Acharya were part of the MOU exchange ceremony at the state secretariat on March 26, 2010. AIPH also has a special understanding with the College of Public Health at University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA to run collaborative educational and research programmes in Public Health. As part of this agreement, few faculty members from AIPH also hold adjunct professors’ appointment at UNMC and students from UNMC visit AIPH to do their Capstone research as well as service learning projects in AIPH operated field areas in Orissa. Also, AIPH conducts a Certificate in Public Health course of UNMC at AIPH using a high end virtual learning platform facilitated by designated AIPH faculty authorized by UNMC. This certificate is currently a mandatory part of the MPH course offered by AIPH.

Objective

On successful completion of the course the students are equipped with the following skills:
- Assessing health needs of individual and the community, and determining community capacities to meet these needs, especially in the resource poor settings of developing countries.
- Planning and implementing effective community-based health intervention and education programmes based on evidence based and community oriented concepts.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of public health programmes by applying appropriate quantitative and qualitative research techniques.
- Acting as resource persons in disseminating public health principles.

Course description

The two year degree course is aimed at nurturing highly skilled public health professionals for the 21st century India, with the prowess to deliver solutions to global issues. Alongside theoretical grounding, professional development and all round grooming are emphasized in order to empower the students to face challenges in real life, on graduation. The program is highly student centric and interactive. Students delve deep into public health problems in India and the world, which require them to do in depth search for up to date literature as well as constant interaction among the peers and the teachers across India and U.S. They also get a lot of practical exposure to the field projects that AIPH runs across more than 250 villages in Orissa and two public health laboratories that AIPH runs in two major hospitals of the state. The process of evaluation lays substantial weight on in-class participation, presentations/seminars, regular assignments and field work besides theory examinations. This is a unique course in the sense that not only it gives the students an exposure to the public health issues, their challenges and effective solutions of both the Indian and the international relevance, but also facilitates them to avail an additional Certificate of Public Health from the College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, USA at the end of the first year of the program. On completion of the MPH course which has sixty credits in total, a student can transfer the eighteen credits obtained from Certificate course of UNMC towards another masters or doctoral/post-doctoral studies in US, especially in UNMC, if he/she wishes so in future. The program is divided into four semesters. In the third semester, students take elective courses worth a minimum of six credits besides the courses mentioned above. The fourth semester is mainly devoted to research work, where a student conducts original research work on a chosen topic under the guidance of an AIPH/ US mentor. The course yields a total credit of sixty hours, each credit hour comprising of 15 hours of active interaction between the teacher and the student.
During the two year program, students also have the option of separately enrolling themselves for extra credits to obtain PG diploma in Public Health Informatics and other AIPH Certificates and Executive Development Programs.
Work-study and scholarship programs are made available to students in the second year of the programme based on their performance in the previous semesters and also on their interest. The students are also encouraged to engage in AIPH - sponsored public health projects for their thesis research.

Curriculum Courses

(* These courses are delivered by UNMC faculty as part of the UNMC certificate program mentioned above

Financial Aid

Several merit and need-based scholarships in the form of research grants/stipends/assistantships are available to all students in the second year of MPH Studies. Scholarships are also available to meritorious and deserving candidates to pursue higher education at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Prospective students should contact AIPH administration for further details at the time of application.

Accommodation

Limited number of modest hostel accommodation is available to students willing to stay in the AIPH premises at a monthly rental of Rs 5000 which will include the following services:
- Shared boarding facility furnished with all basic facilities
- Traditional Indian food
- Wi-fi facility and Access to computer lab 24×7
Students may opt to stay outside in hotel or rented accommodations, in which case, AIPH staff will assist them in finding suitable places to stay.

Process of Selection:

The selection to the MPH programme is based on merit and entrance test/personal interview.

How to Apply

Application form can be downloaded from the Ravenshaw University website or AIPH website. The duly filled application form along with the demand draft of Rs 750, drawn in favor of Asian Institute of Public Health, payable at Bhubaneswar, should reach in the following address on or before the due date.