Behavioral and Community Health (MBCH)

Graduate Degree Program
College: Public Health

Abstract

The Department offers graduate study leading to the Master Public Health (MPH) in Behavioral and Community Health and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Behavioral and Community Health. The graduate programs are designed to prepare behavioral health professionals with specific skills and the ability to implement theoretical knowledge in a practical setting.
The mission of the MPH program is to promote the development of behavioral and community health professionals who understand the science, theory, and practice of public health and can apply this knowledge toward the enhancement of health status of communities. The MPH program is designed as a professional degree to prepare behavioral and community health professionals working in public health service as practitioners, administrators, supervisors, educators, consultants, and researchers. Students will participate in both academic and applied training in program planning and implementation, program evaluation, public policy analysis, research, and management.

Degree programs may be completed either full-time or part-time. All classes are held from in the late afternoon and evening typically starting at 4:00pm or later Monday through Friday. Faculty support coursework, research and practice experiences in many areas, including: health communication; health behavior; adolescent health; women’s health; health literacy and health disparities. Faculty hold doctoral degrees in public health, psychology, health education, sociology, and epidemiology. The Department offers excellent research and laboratory facilities including the Center for Young Adult Health and Development, Laboratory for Health Behavior Assessment and Intervention and The Center for Health Behavior Research.

Financial Assistance

The Department offers a limited number of fellowships, and graduate teaching and research assistantships. Contact the Director of Graduate Studies for further information.
Contact Statement

Contact

Katherine Sharp
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Behavioral and Community Health
1234V School of Public Health Building
4200 Valley Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.2464
Fax: 301.314.9167
Email: ksharp1@umd.edu

Website: http://www.sph.umd.edu/bch

Courses: HLTH SPHL

Relationships: Epidemiology (EPID), Health Administration (HLSA), Maternal and Child Health (MCHS)

PART 1. SOPHAS APPLICATION

• Complete the online SOPHAS application.
• Choose the University of Maryland College Park School of Public Health program to which you would like to apply.
• You may apply to only one UMD SPH program per application cycle.
• You must send an official transcript for all completed college courses. These transcripts go directly to SOPHAS.
• We require 3 letters of recommendation. Your references will receive an email invite from SOPHAS to complete the recommendation online.
• Pay the SOPHAS application fee.
• Your SOPHAS application will go through several phases including submission, completion and verification. Verification can take up to four weeks, therefore we recommend starting the application early.

PART 2: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION

• The supplemental application is completed online via an emailed invitation from the UMD graduate school.
• The invite is sent within one week of your SOPHAS verification date to the email on file with SOPHAS. 
• The title of the email is ‘please complete the school of public health supplemental application.’
• This application requires demographic and residency questions, transcript, and application fee.
• You must submit a PDF copy of your undergraduate degree transcript (the transcript that indicates degree awarded).  
• The application fee is $75.00
• Upon completion of BOTH parts, you will receive notification of ‘Under Committee Review’, which means the application has been sent to the review committee.

For more information, please visit the School of Public Health website. 

APPLICATION DEADLINES

The Department has research specializations in a variety of areas including:

• Minority health/social inequalities in health
• Alcohol and drug abuse
• Safety and health
• Sexual health
• Adolescent health and risk behavior
• Violence prevention/community violence
• Public health communication
• Treatment of nicotine dependence

Specialized laboratories operating within the Department include:

• The Prevention Research Center
• The Center for Health Behavior Research
• The Center for Young Adult Health and Development

The proximity of the nation’s capital, the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine, the Food and Drug Administration, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and numerous public health focused private and not-for profit organizations/agencies render the University of Maryland unusually well suited for graduate work in behavioral and community health.