The Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health (MSW/MPH) dual degree provides academic training in order to maximize the impact of both public health and social work practices. This dual degree develops expertise at the nexus of public health and social work. The goal of this program is to train leaders who have the skills and competencies to address many of the social and public health problems facing the state of Alaska, this nation and the world.
An advantage of the dual MSW/MPH option is that by mutual agreement between the two programs, some courses count toward graduation requirements in both programs. Thus, the time to complete both degrees and the total number of credits required has been reduced. The time to complete both degrees for a full-time student is approximately three years (nine semesters). If both degrees were pursued sequentially, the minimum time to the degrees is four years (12 semesters).
Admission Requirements
- Complete the Admission Requirements for Graduate Degrees.
- Students must apply separately and meet the admission requirements of both the MSW and MPH programs. See those programs for specific requirements.
Advising
Each student will have two academic advisors, one for each degree program. Students will have two graduate studies plans (GSPs), one for each degree program. The GSPs will vary based on full or part-time status and the semester of entry into the MSW or MPH program.
Academic Requirements
To maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the dual degrees, a student is expected to be in good standing in both academic programs. See Graduate Degree Policies for additional requirements.
Graduation Requirements
- Complete the General University Requirements for Graduate Degrees.
- Complete the following program requirements:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following MPH core courses: | ||
| HS A605 | Public Health and Society | 3 |
| HS A610 | Environmental and Occupational Health | 3 |
| HS A615 | Health Services Administration | 3 |
| HS A624 | Circumpolar Health Issues | 3 |
| HS A625 | Biostatistics for Health Professionals | 3 |
| HS A626 | Principles of Epidemiology | 3 |
| HS A630 | Public Health Emergencies and Disasters | 3 |
| HS A695 | Applied Practice Experience | 3 |
| HS A696 | Integrative Learning Experience | 2 |
| Total | 26 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following MSW core courses: | ||
| SWK A607 | Social Welfare Policy and Services 1 | 3 |
| SWK A608 | Advanced Policy Practice | 3 |
| SWK A629 | Advanced Practice with Individuals | 3 |
| SWK A630 | Practice with Individuals 1 | 3 |
| SWK A631 | Introduction to Social Work Practice 1 | 3 |
| SWK A632 | Practice with Families and Groups 1 | 3 |
| SWK A633 | Advanced Practice with Families and Groups | 3 |
| SWK A635A | Transformational Leadership Capstone Development | 2 |
| SWK A635B | Transformational Leadership Capstone Implementation | 2 |
| SWK A636 | Practice with Organizations and Communities 1 | 3 |
| SWK A637 | Transformational Leadership with Communities and Organizations | 3 |
| SWK A642 | Human Behavior in the Social Environment 1 | 3 |
| SWK A643 | Engaging Diversity through Justice and Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice 1 | 3 |
| SWK A695A | Generalist Practicum I 1 | 3 |
| SWK A695B | Generalist Practicum II 1 | 3 |
| SWK A695C | Advanced Generalist Practicum I | 3 |
| SWK A695D | Advanced Generalist Practicum II | 3 |
| Total | 49 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following MSW/MPH shared courses: | ||
| HS/SWK A628 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
| HS A629 | Public Health Research Tools and Methods | 3-4 |
| or SWK A624 | Foundation Research Methods | |
| Advisor approved elective(s) 2 | 3-6 | |
| Total | 9-13 | |
- 1
Dual degree students with a Bachelor of Science who are admitted to the MSW program with advanced standing are not required to complete SWK A607, SWK A630, SWK A631, SWK A632, SWK A636, SWK A642, SWK A643, SWK A695A, and SWK A695B.
- 2
Dual degree students in the full MSW program will complete 3 credits of advisor approved electives with public health content. Dual degree students in the advanced standing MSW program will take 6 credits of advisor approved electives with public health content.
A minimum of 60 credits (specifically for students admitted to the MSW program with advanced standing) and a maximum of 84 credits are required for the MSW/MPH dual degree. The MPH degree requires a minimum of 42 credits of public health-relevant coursework.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Master of Social Work
The Master of Social Work prepares advanced generalist social workers who:
- Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior in advanced generalist practice
- Advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice in advanced generalist practice
- Engage anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) in practice in advanced generalist practice
- Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice in advanced generalist practice
- Engage in policy practice in advanced generalist practice
- Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in advanced generalist practice
- Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in advanced generalist practice
- Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in advanced generalist practice
- Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in advanced generalist practice
- Integrate the context of Alaska in advanced generalist practice
Master of Public Health
Based on national accreditation criteria (Council on Education for Public Health, ceph.org) and quality standards, the overall MPH student goal is to prepare public health professionals who can demonstrate attainment of the following 12 foundational public health knowledge learning objectives, 22 MPH core competencies, and 5 public health practice generalist track-specific competencies.
MPH Foundational Knowledge Learning Objectives
Profession and Science of Public Health
- Explain public health history, philosophy, and values.
- Identify the core functions of public health and the 10 Essential Services.
- Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health.
- List major causes and trends of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. or other community relevant to the school or program.
- Discuss the science of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention in population health, including health promotion, screening, etc.
- Explain the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge.
Factors Related to Human Health
- Explain effects of environmental factors on a population's health.
- Explain biological and genetic factors that affect a population’s health.
- Explain behavioral and psychological factors that affect a population’s health.
- Explain the social, political, and economic determinants of health and how they contribute to population health and health inequities.
- Explain how globalization affects global burdens of disease.
- Explain an ecological perspective on the connections among human health, animal health, and ecosystem health (e.g., One Health).
MPH Competencies
Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health
- Apply epidemiological methods to settings and situations in public health practice.
- Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
- Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming, and software, as appropriate.
- Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy, or practice.
Public Health & Health Care Systems
- Compare the organization, structure, and function of health care, public health, and regulatory systems across national and international settings.
- Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities, and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and systemic levels.
Planning & Management to Promote Health
- Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health.
- Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique of public health policies or programs.
- Design a population-based policy, program, project, or intervention.
- Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management.
- Select methods to evaluate public health programs.
Policy in Public Health
- Discuss the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence.
- Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes.
- Advocate for political, social, or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.
- Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.
Leadership
- Apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue.
- Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges.
Communication
- Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors.
- Communicate audience-appropriate (i.e., non-academic, non-peer audience) public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
- Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.
Interprofessional Practice
- Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health.
Systems Thinking
- Apply a systems thinking tool to visually represent a public health issue in a format other than standard narrative.
MPH in Public Health Practice Generalist Track-Specific Competencies
Public Health Response
- Address public health emergencies and/or disasters with a focus on preparedness, impact, response, and/or recovery.
Community Engagement
- Engage community partner(s) in identifying and/or addressing public health issues.
Professionalism and Ethics
- Demonstrate ethical decision-making in public health practice.
Diversity and Cultural Humility
- Apply concepts of social justice, equity, and/or cultural humility in addressing public health problems.
Circumpolar Health
- Analyze the unique social, cultural, and/or environmental conditions affecting population health in the Arctic.