Master of Public Health (Public Health Service Management & Health Promotion and Education) –Pokhara University

Master of Public Health ((Public Health Service Management/ Health Promotion and Education) –Pokhara University (Syllabus) The main goal of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program is to strive for academic excellence, encourage the development of health technology and advance new idea and leadership quality in the field of public health. The result would be the availability of competent public health human resource which could contribute for healthy living in the healthy environment by promoting health, preventing from becoming sick and protecting from diseases. After completion of this course, gradates would contribute for educating people on health promotion and managing public health services as sound as possible. The graduates of this course would be able to carry out research activities independently and in group and contribute in the development of evidence based health policies, plan and programs.

Scholarships !! Master of Public Health – Pokhara University

Program Objectives

Specific objectives of the program are as follows:

• Provide students a firm grasps of broad-based and integrated advanced concept of public health, including health promotion and education with real-life applications.
• Develop professional managers who can effectively lead public and private sector public health and related organizations in a highly dynamic and competitive national and global public health service environment.
• Provide student-centered learning environment where students acquire modern public health service skills, enhance their managerial capabilities, and adopt success-oriented, career-focused attitudes
• Provide research skills for seeking empirical solution to public health issues.
• Contribute in the development of evidence based health policy, planning and practice.

Curricular Structure

This curriculum is designed to equip students with knowledge, competencies and attitudes needed for success in public health service positions. This coursework gives students a broad and holistic view of the complexity of issues in today‟s public health service environment. It comprises the following three distinct components:

• Core Courses: The core courses provide students with advanced analytical concepts and the skills on core areas of public health field, necessary for making program decisions in planning, implementing and evaluating public health and related areas.
• Specialization Courses: The specialized courses in the concentration level provide students with an opportunity for in-depth study in particular focus on public health field areas listed below:
  i) Health Promotion and Education
  ii) Public Health Service Management
• Thesis: Students are required to submit a thesis in their specialization area that involves either fieldwork for primary data or national level authorized secondary data. Students are required to prepare a thesis on a prescribed format. This course covers 9 credit hours.

Program Features

The features of the MPH program are competitive learning environment, service demand-driven concentrations, and program flexibility. The MPH is a two-year regular program spread over four semesters each lasting for six months. A student needs to successfully complete 75 credit hours of course work, practical work, seminars and research work to confer the degree.
The program will use a range of critical pedagogy inputs that includes on-campus learning through classroom discussions, presentations, group work, case events and guest lecture series, and off-campus learning through practical for skill development (PSD) work.

The Semester System

The prominent feature of the semester system is the continuous evaluation of performance of student. The credit hour assigned to each course of this program varies depending on theory and practical works. One credit hour theory is equivalent to 16 teaching hours and one credit practical/PSD is equivalent to 48 hours of clinical or laboratory or field activities.

Admission Requirements

Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for admission to the MPH program, an applicant must have;

• Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) degree or Post Basic Bachelor of Nursing (PBN) degree or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSc. N) with community nursing specialization or Post Graduate Diploma in Health Education (after holding a bachelor degree) degree from a recognized university/institution for pursuing MPH with specialization in Health Promotion and Education
• Bachelor degree in health science field (Public Health, Nursing, Medicine, Laboratory Technology or Pharmacy) for pursuing MPH with specialization in Public Health Service Management.
• Bachelor degree in health science (Public Health, Nursing, Medicine, Laboratory Technology, Pharmacy, Ayurveda, Radiography, Physiotherapy, Optometry, and Dentistry) for pursuing MPH in Health Policy Research.

Furthermore, the applicant must have obtained a minimum CGPA of 2.0 or 45 percent in bachelor level (required level/degree) and at least one year working experience in after completion of bachelor degree in health related Government Organizations, research organizations NGOs/INGOs, or teaching in CTEVT or university constituent or affiliated colleges in the field of public health, or health promotion/education or nursing or in the field of general health at recognized health service organization or at recognized health science teaching institute.
The final decision on admission is taken on the basis of entrance examination conducted by Faculty of Health Sciences, Pokhara University.

Documents Required for Admission

The applicant is required to submit copies of the following documents with the application form made available by the concerned college/school/university:

• Completed and signed application form mentioning his/her intended specialization area
• Transcript/mark-sheet, transfer and character certificates, and citizenship/passport
• Experience letter

Certificates of all degrees should be photocopied and submitted with proper attestation. Enrollment is conditional upon completion of all admission formalities including payment of fee determined by the school/college. Incomplete application shall not be processed.

Admission Procedures

Admission notice will be announced in Local/National News Paper/s. Application form and information brochure will be provided after the payment of the prescribed fee. The eligible candidates are to be informed to attend the entrance examination.

Academic Schedule and Course Registration

The intake will be taken once a year either in fall or spring session. Selected candidate is required to register assigned courses at the beginning of each semester mandatory.

Scholarships !! Master of Public Health – Pokhara University

Duration of Study

• Normal duration: 24 months (4 semesters)
• Maximum duration: 4+1 years from the date of registration.
  (All the courses have to be completed within 4 years, and additional 1 year can be given to Thesis work on special request upon the approval of concerned authority)

Curricular Structure

Pokhara University may offer several career-focused concentrations in the field of public health. These courses allow students to gain specialized knowledge and skills on specific concentration in public health areas. Currently, students are required to select any one of the following concentration areas besides studying core public health courses:

• Public Health Service Management
• Health Promotion and Education
• Health Policy Research

The MPH students are required to complete a total of 18 public health courses (equivalent to 75 credit hours). Students are required to complete public health core courses (40 credits) and specialization area (35 credits).

CURRICULAR STRUCTURE AND COURSE CYCLE

Semester I (Total 20 Credit Hours)

• PHP 511 Advanced Concept of Public Health 3
• EPI 512 Advanced Concept of Epidemiology 3
• PHS 513 Advanced Public Health Statistics 3
• EOH 514 Environmental and Occupational Health 3
• DRH 515 Demography, Reproductive Health and Nutrition 3
• PSD 511 Advanced Concept of Public Health (Practical) 1
• PSD 512 Advanced Concept of Epidemiology (Practical) 1
• PSD 513 Advanced Public Health Statistics (Practical) 1
• PSD 514 Environmental and Occupational Health (Practical) 1
• PSD 515 Demography, Reproductive Health and Nutrition (Practical) 1

Semester II  (Total 20 Credit Hours)

• EPI 521 Epidemiology of Diseases and Health Problems 3
• HPE 522 Public Health and Behavioral Sciences 3
• HPE 523 Health Promotion and Education 3
• PHR 524 Advanced Public Health Research 3
• HSM 525 Public Health Service Management 3
• PSD 521 Epidemiology of Diseases and Health Problems (Practical) 1
• PSD 522 Public Health and Behavioral Sciences (Practical) 1
• PSD 523 Health Promotion and Education (Practical) 1
• PSD 524 Advanced Public Health Research (Practical) 1
• PSD 525 Public Health Service Management (Practical) 1

Semester III (Public Health Service Management: Total 20 Credit Hours)

• HSM 611 Theories of Public Health Service Management 3
• HSM 612 Health Project Management 3
• HSM 613 Health Financing and Economics 3
• HSM 614 Development and Management of Human Resource in Health 3
• HSM 615 Analysis of Health Service Management in Nepal 3
• PSD 611 Theories of Public Health Service Management (Practical) 1
• PSD 612 Health Project Management (Practical) 1
• PSD 613 Health Financing and Economics (Practical) 1
• PSD 614 Development and Management of Human Resource in Health (Practical) 1
• PSD 615 Analysis of Health Service Management in Nepal (Practical) 1

Semester III (Health Promotion and Education: Total 20 Credit Hours)

• HPE 611 Theories and Principle of Health Behavior, Promotion, Education and Communication 3 
• HPE 612 Applied Health Promotion 3
• HPE 613 Applied Health Education 3
• HPE 614 Applied Health Communication 3
• HPE 615 Analysis of Health Promotion, Education and Communication Management in Nepal
• PSD 611 Theories and Principle of Health Behavior, Promotion, Education and Communication (Practical) 1
• PSD 612 Applied Health Promotion (Practical) 1
• PSD 613 Applied Health Education (Practical) 1
• PSD 614 Applied Health Communication (Practical) 1
• PSD 615 Analysis of Health Promotion, Education and Communication in Nepal (Practical) 1

Semester IV (Public Health Service Management:  (Total 15 Credit Hours)

• HSM 621 Seminar and Practicum 3(1+2)
• HSM 622 Health Management Research Methods 3
• HSM 691 Thesis on Health Service Management 9

Semester IV (Health Promotion and Education: Total 15 Credit Hours)

• HPE 621 Seminar and Practicum 3(1+2)
• HPE 622 Health Promotion and Education Research Methods 3
• HPE 691 Thesis on Health Promotion and Education 9

Excerpt from MPH Curriculum 2017 (Updated :1-11-2017)_Faculty of Health Science, Pokhara University 2017

Scholarships !! Master of Public Health – Pokhara University