The program shall have
a clearly formulated and publicly stated mission with supporting goals and
objectives.
A clear and concise
mission statement for the program as a whole.
The mission of the Master of Public Health in Community Health Education (MPH-CHE) is: To provide academic, professional, and service excellence in preparing community health education professionals who will demonstrate competent leadership, innovation, and technical expertise at local, state, national and international levels, in particular with border health problems in communities along the U.S./Mexico border.
The distinguishing feature of the MPH-CHE program is its focus on border health issues related to community health education because of its proximity to the U.S./Mexico border.
The program’s mission is achieved through an integrated program of instruction, research, and service.
INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL STATEMENT – Provide superior and innovative instruction centered around a comprehensive core curriculum, which reflects the broad range of knowledge and skill-based competencies necessary for public health practice and community health education in the 21st century, with an emphasis on U.S.-Mexico border health.
RESEARCH GOAL STATEMENT – Contribute to the fields of
public health and community health education by analyzing, synthesizing, and
conducting research, and by disseminating the results of these studies.
SERVICE GOAL STATEMENT - Provide meaningful university and professional service at local, state, national, and international levels.
NOTE: These three goals are accomplished, in part, by:
ü Continual monitoring and assessment of the MPH-CHE curriculum based on a comprehensive evaluation (and revision, as needed) of the program from: 1) Internal reviews (e.g., Academic Department Head, Graduate Program Coordinator, Program faculty, student course evaluations, student exit interviews, and annual outcomes assessment report), and 2) External reviews (MPH-CHE Oversight Committee, community public health leaders, MPH-CHE alumni, field experience site mentors and employers).
ü Assuring that faculty and students are aware of public health trends, concerns, and priorities, and are kept abreast of state-of-the-art public health research and practices through regular review of the professional and scientific literature.
ü Providing funding for faculty and student attendance at local, state, regional, national, and international meetings.
A set of measurable
objectives relating to each major function through which the program intends to
achieve its goals of instruction, research and service.
Instructional Objective – The MPH-CHE achieves its mission and goals, in part, by providing superior and innovative instruction centered on a comprehensive core curriculum. Program faculty and administrators are tracking the following indicators of success for our students in our on-going efforts to achieve the program’s mission statement, goals and objectives.
ü Successful completion of a thesis, or successful completion of the non-thesis option
ü Pass rates on written and oral final examinations
ü Employment rates in public health or community health education
ü Percentage employed in community health education and/or related public health arenas (practitioners, administrators, supervisors, educators, consultants, and researchers)
ü Admission to doctoral programs
ü Pass rates on the CHES exam
ü Publication of thesis in peer-reviewed journals
ü Number of student publications
ü Number of students who obtain funding in support of their thesis research
ü Number of students involved with faculty research projects
ü Number of interdisciplinary projects and activities
ü
Percentage of students involved with one or more
of the Department’s centers (Southern Area Health Education Center, Border
Epidemiology and
ü Number of service learning activities that have been incorporated into MPH-CHE classes
ü Percentage of students involved with professional organizations through membership, officers, boards, and committees at the local, state, national, and international levels
ü Student self-assessment exit questionnaires
ü Field experience supervisor assessment of student’s skills and competencies
Consistent with A
Competency-Based Framework for Graduate-Level Health Educators[1],
the MPH-CHE program has established the following program objectives. Graduates of the MPH/CHE
program will demonstrate competency in:
1) Assessing individual and community needs for health education, and determining community capacities to meet these needs, especially in the region along the U.S./Mexico border.
2) Planning effective health education programs for individuals and communities based on community analysis.
3) Implementing community-based health education programs, particularly along the U.S./Mexico border.
4) Evaluating the effectiveness of community health education programs.
5) Coordinating the provision of community health education services.
6) Acting as a resource person in health education.
7) Communicating health education needs and information to the public and policy makers including effective communication (written and verbal) skills and the ability to give presentations and facilitate groups.
8) Applying appropriate research principles and methods to evaluate the effectiveness of community health education programs.
9) Administering community health education programs, with an emphasis on border communities.
10) Advancing the profession of community health education.
Research Objective - The MPH-CHE achieves its mission and goals, in part, by encouraging scholarly activity and research in order to stay abreast of changing knowledge and trends in the fields of public health and community health education and to use this knowledge to enhance the teaching and learning environment of our students as future practitioners and researchers. Specifically, the research objectives are to:
1) Integrate faculty research activities with on-going student learning and research projects.
2) Contribute to the body of knowledge and resources in community health education and health promotion, and in related fields of public health and behavioral science, through community-based faculty and student research activities.
3) Serve as a research resource, providing consultation to local, state, regional, national, and international agencies and organizations and by offering the research skills and resources of the MPH-CHE program to groups and organizations working to address community needs and concerns through public health interventions.
4) Work with local agencies and communities to assess and prioritize health needs and issues of populations living along the U.S./Mexico international border, and to communicate these needs and health priorities to stakeholders and constituency groups via publications and presentations.
5) Apply and develop research and evaluation methodologies (e.g., community-based participatory approach) that are sensitive to diverse stakeholder perspectives and that involve community members and stakeholders in the identification of problems, design and implementation of programs, and use of findings for action.
6) Participate in the development and evaluation of interventions designed to promote health and prevent disease among diverse populations.
7) MPH-CHE faculty and students will contribute to improving the health of the people by participating in professional practice, volunteer work, and other forms of community service.
8) Provide an academic setting to collect, analyze, interpret research findings and effectively apply them in program planning, implementation, and evaluation.
9) Develop research knowledge and skills of faculty and students.
Service Objective
- The MPH-CHE achieves its mission and goals, in part, by providing meaningful
university and professional service at local, state, national, and
international levels that advances the profession and meets the education and
health needs of people of
1) Encourage faculty membership and leadership on committees and boards of regional and national public health associations, organizations, and agencies, to be evaluated as part of the criteria for annual performance evaluation. These affiliations and activities will be documented on their curriculum vitae.
2) Encourage students to participate in professional organizations, student organizations, and to be involved with local or regional community organizations as part of class projects, volunteer opportunities, or field experiences.
3) Disseminate research findings and program outcomes at community, state, regional, national and international professional meetings and organizations, as evidenced by updated faculty curriculum vitae. These efforts will facilitate dialogue and encourage implementation and replication of successful public health programs.
4) Faculty will network with local and state community agencies and organizations in order to identify and provide quality public health education intern experiences for our MPH-CHE students. As the same time, useful services and information are provided to participating, supervising agencies.
5) Provide MPH-CHE students with service learning opportunities during which students have an opportunity to use and refine technical skills, and local communities gain needed public health programs, evaluations and needs/strength assessments. These opportunities and exercises will be delineated on course syllabi.
6) Serve as a consultant to public health and health education agencies and organizations in the surrounding region including the U.S./Mexico border and other entities. These accomplishments are documented on faculty curriculum vitas.
7) Provide health education services through student field experiences and faculty involvement in communities to a variety of public and private agencies in the surrounding region including the U.S./Mexico border and other entities. These services include needs assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
8) Provide
continuing education and in-service programs to health professionals in the
surrounding region through our outreach centers including the Southern Area
Health Education Center and the Border Epidemiology and
9) Contribute to the growth and development of the health education profession.
10) Offer the energy, talents, enthusiasm, and imagination of our students and faculty in service activities that promote community health.
11) Maintain and extend our commitment to health promotion through individual and group service activities.
A description of the
manner in which mission, goals and objectives are developed, monitored and
periodically revised and the manner in which they are made available to the
public.
The Program first developed its mission in 1996 when the MPH-CHE program was implemented. The program mission, goals and objectives are reviewed (and revised if needed) annually by department faculty and the program’s external advisory committee. Input is also solicited from current MPH-CHE students, alumni, graduate assistants, and the Council for Education on Public Health. From its inception, the Program has been grounded in the responsibilities and sub-competencies adapted from those developed by SOPHE, AAHE, and the National Commission for Health Education Credentials, and therefore the curriculum reflects those competencies.
[1] American Association for Health Education. National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. Society for Public Health Education (1999).