The Harvard School of Public Health offers a Summer-only option for the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program. The Summer-only MPH is open to individuals with an MD or PhD; individuals holding only a Bachelor's or Master's Degree are not eligible for the Summer-only MPH program. The Summer-only MPH is offered in two MPH concentrations only: Quantitative Methods and Clinical Effectiveness. The program is completed over three consecutive summers.
MPH Program
Summer-Only MPH
Program Options and Admissions Requirements
The Summer-only MPH concentrations share most of the same course offerings; however, the entry point for each concentration is different.
Quantitative Methods (QM)
The Summer-Only MPH Quantitative Methods program is open to individuals with an MD or PhD. The Quantitative Methods concentration is designed to prepare health care professionals whose key strength will be in the application of numeric analysis to the health needs of communities large and small. The concentration emphasizes study design, data analysis, and the application of quantitative methods to decision-making and to research in public health. Students pursue courses in a variety of areas, such as the distribution of diseases and behavior. Students interested in the Summer-only MPH in Quantitative Methods must complete a separate Summer Session application in addition to their application to the School to be considered for degree candidacy.
Clinical Effectiveness (CLE)
The Clinical Effectiveness concentration is available only to physicians who have completed their residency and have the financial sponsorship of their home hospital or university. The Clinical Effectiveness concentration is intended to prepare clinicians for leadership roles in evaluating and improving all aspects of health care delivery. Clinical Effectiveness is concerned with identifying the most appropriate, ethical, and cost-effective means of providing health care through prevention, early-detection and treatment. Students in this program must be admitted to and attend the Program in Clinical Effectiveness (PCE), an intensive seven-week 15-credit summer program during their first summer. Students interested in the Summer-only MPH program in Clinical Effectiveness must file a separate application to the PCE program in addition to their application to the School to be considered for degree candidacy. Please be sure to review the requirements for the PCE program.
For addition information about the Program in Clinical Effectiveness program, please contact:
Barbara C. Rosen, Administrator
Phone: (617) 732-5648
Fax: (617) 732-5344
E-mail: brosen@partners.org
Website: www.hsph.harvard.edu/clineff
The deadline for application to the summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness (PCE) is February 1, 2010.
Schedule
Courses are offered for both concentrations during the Summer Session (dates below) in an intensive seven weeks beginning in early July. (The seven weeks cover both the Summer 1 and Summer 2 sessions). Students will take between 10 and 15 credits each summer during three consecutive summers. Between summers, students are expected to work on applied research projects to complement their didactic training. Summer-only MPH students are also permitted to apply for courses offered in the January WinterSession.
2009 Summer Session: July 1 - Friday, August 14
Session 1: July 1 - Friday, July 24
Session 2: Monday, July 27 - Friday, August 14
Sample Program Schedule
For a sample program schedule for the Clinical Effectiveness and Quantitative Methods concentrations, please click here.Practicum and Culminating Experience
This opportunity permits a field practicum wherein students can apply
techniques acquired from the classroom to active investigations. The
primary goal of this program is to provide students with the
broad-based competencies needed to perform these investigations.
Finally, all students must present the results of their projects in a
capstone seminar held during the last summer of their program.
Clinical Effectiveness
For students in the concentration in Clinical Effectiveness, an off-site practicum will be developed whereby students complete an applied research project at their home institution under the supervision of a local mentor and a member of the faculty at HSPH. The nature of the projects should be relevant to student's goals. These projects may include aspects of clinical epidemiology, health services research or quality improvement.
Quantitative Methods
The practicum for the Quantitative Methods Concentration will follow the same guidelines and will focus on a variety of quantitative public health subjects. The practice will provide students with a culminating experience that combines work during the year primarily between Summer II and Summer III with contact with fellow students via e-mail and study groups.