Understanding the BA/MHS and BA/MSPH Programs

What is it? The Bachelor of Arts/Masters of Health Sciences and

Bachelor of Arts/Masters of Sciences in Public Health programs are a coordinated academic collaboration between the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH).

The following JHSPH Academic Departments participate:• Environmental Health Sciences• Epidemiology• Health Policy and Management• Mental Health

IMPORTANT: What is it not?

It is NOT a degree program, but a pathway of transition from the BA to a Master’s Degree in Public Health

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What is the difference between an MHS and an MSPH? An MHS is an academic degree. An MSPH is a professional degree.

How does it work? A current PHS major applies for admission to the department of their

interest during the summer between their junior and senior years. Please refer to the handout for each department’s details and deadline.

In doing so, you express your desire to matriculate in this department after receiving your Bachelor’s Degree.

In return, the application fee and GRE requirements are waived for you.

AND you benefit from receiving JHSPH guidance as you begin your JHSPH coursework in senior year.

Half of the JHSPH credits taken during the senior year, up to a total of 16, can be applied toward the Master’s degree credit requirement.

JHSPH courses taken during the senior year can be used to fulfill course requirements in the Master’s degree.

At a glance – please refer to your handout for more detail:Department Degree Duration Deadline

Environmental Health Sciences

MHS ScMMSPH

1 year2 years1½ - 2 years

July 1, 2015

Epidemiology MHS 1-2 years June 1, 2015

Health Policy and Management

MSPH 2 years July 1, 2015

Mental Health MHS 4 terms July 1, 2015

A bit more on each department…

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

Dr. Bill Spannhake

Mission The Department of Environmental Health Sciences

integrates diverse scientific disciplines in its quest to discover, translate and disseminate new knowledge critical to understanding the impact of environmental factors on individuals and human populations—a goal that is central to public health.

Paramount to our mission is a commitment to the education and training of public health professionals to solve environmental health challenges ranging in scale from molecular to global.

• 1 year, Academic Program• Coursework and Essay-based• 3 Specialty Tracks:

• Human Toxicology and Pathophysiology• Population Environmental Health• Sustainability and Global Environmental Health

Master of Health Science

(MHS)

• 1 year, Academic Program• Coursework and Research-based• Same tracks as MHS• Students enroll in the MHS, then transfer to ScM

Master of Science (ScM)

• 16 - 24 months, Professional Program• Coursework & Internship-based• 2 Tracks:

• Occupational & Environmental Hygiene• Toxicity Testing & Human Risk Assessment

Master of Public Health

(MSPH)

Environmental Health SciencesMaster’s Degree Programs

EPIDEMIOLOGY

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Dr. Terri Beaty

Mission The mission of the Department of Epidemiology is to improve

the public’s health by training epidemiologists and by advancing knowledge concerning the causes and prevention of disease and the promotion of health.

As the oldest autonomous academic department of epidemiology in the world, the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has maintained leadership in fulfilling this mission.

Epidemiology: an observational science

Epidemiology is the study of how diseases are distributed in populations: Distribution partly reflects the causes or “etiology” of disease

Understanding etiology creates opportunities for controlling/preventing disease

Ultimate goals of epidemiology are: to identify causal agents or risk factors

to develop effective control/prevention strategies

Applications include: Identifying & confirming risk factors for disease

Evaluating intervention strategies

Building a scientific foundation for public policy

Epidemiology is largely an observation science. Clinical trials represents an experimental arm, however

Research Tracks Cancer Epidemiology Clinical Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology Clinical Trials & Evidence Synthesis Methods Epidemiology of Aging Environmental Epidemiology General Epidemiology and Methodology Genetic Epidemiology Infectious Disease Epidemiology And some sample projects underway:

HIV/AIDS: large cohort studies of at-risk groups Cardiovascular disease: cohort & case-control studies of CVD & kidney

disease Cancer: Community based cohorts & hospital based studies of

prostate, breast, colon & other cancers Genetic Epi: Studies of autism, birth defects, asthma, kidney disease,

eye diseases etc. Clinical trials & systematic reviews of numerous diseases

HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT

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Christine King

Mission The Department of Health Policy and Management seeks to

improve health, and prevent disease and disability through the education of future public health leaders, and through research on the causes and possible remedies of significant public health problems facing our nation and other industrialized countries.

The Department seeks to improve our capacity to identify: Policy options that promote and protect the health status of

populations Strategies that improve access to health and preventive services,

particularly among the most vulnerable Methods that enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of health

care for medical and mental illnesses Models for improving the financing, organization and delivery of

preventive and curative health services

Application RequirementsThe following courses MUST be completed before you apply for the

BA/MSPH:

The Environment & Your Health Fundamentals of HPM Biostatistics (minimum ‘B’ grade) Fundamentals of Epidemiology (minimum ‘B’ grade) Calculus (AP or transfer credit)

Cumulative GPA = 3.0+ PHS Major GPA = 3.5+ No ‘C’s in the major

MENTAL HEALTH

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Dr. Jeanine Parisi

Mission

The mission of the Department of Mental Health is to advance the understanding of mental and behavioral disorders, to develop, implement, and evaluate methods to prevent and control these disorders, and to promote mental health in the population.

Data Collection Methods

•Population-based surveys • to understand the causes and consequences

of mental health in order to improve health in the general population

• Intervention trials • to prevent disorders in individuals who are

currently healthy• to minimize future consequences for those with

a current disorder or a history of the disorder

Department of Mental Health• The first and the only department-level unit in a school of public health

• Faculty• 22 Full-time faculty• 48 Part-time faculty• 31 Jointly appointed

• Mental Health Seminar Series• Wednesday 12:15-1:30 pm; Hampton House

Research Areas

Psychiatric Epidemiology

International Mental Health

Research Areas

School and Community-based Interventions

Youth Violence Prevention Programs

Research Areas

Drug and Alcohol Dependence Epidemiology

Cognitive Health and Aging

Research Areas

Quantitative Methods in Mental Health Research

Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics

Degree Programs

•BA/MHS • Open to JHU Public Health Studies students• Apply end of Junior year; JHSPH courses in

Senior year (up to 16 credits)• Transition into MHS program upon graduation

•Master in Health Science (MHS)• 9-month academic program• Coursework and final research paper• Can be combined with a certificate program

Degree Programs

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)• Research-oriented (not clinically-based) degree• Coursework, Comprehensive Exam, Preliminary

Exams, Thesis• Students typically complete program in 4-5 years

• Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)• Practice-based degree; designed for the student

who has a MPH or equivalent degree• Students typically complete program in 4-5 years

Courses

•First Term• 330.617: The public health approach to

psychopathology

•Second Term• 330.641: Prevention and control of alcohol and

drug abuse• 330.667: Mental health and the law

Courses

• Third Term• 330.661: Social, Psychological and Developmental

Processes of Mental and Behavioral Disorders • 330.612: Introduction to Behavioral and Psychiatric

Genetics

• Fourth Term• 330.607: Prevention and Control of Mental

Disorders: Public Health Interventions

Thanks!

• Is the MHS degree associated with the BA/MHS different from a

regular MHS degree from the School of Public Health?

• Can I apply to more than one department’s BA/MHS?

• I am not certain that I want to pursue the MHS – am I locked in if I

become a part of the BA/MHS?

• Is it possible to apply during the regular cycle as a senior?

• By what date must I decide to accept an offer of admission to the

BA/MHS program?

• Application includes:

• Online JHSPH form with narrative

• Transcript with grades thru Junior year Fall & Spring courses

• Three letters of recommendation

FAQs

General Questions?

Enjoy speaking with the representative of each department!

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