Public Health, MPH (Emergency Preparedness)
Master of Public Health Degree with a Concentration in Emergency Preparedness
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Overview
Admissions and Requirements
Courses You’ll Take
Tuition & Fees
Program Overview
The online Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Emergency Preparedness is designed to prepare practice professionals in a world where emergency preparedness and response skills are increasingly essential to the public health infrastructure.
The University of Nebraska Medical Centers College of Public Health, already renowned for its expertise in Biopreparedness and Biosecurity, is a leading researcher to establish evidence-based knowledge in the field.
Through coursework, students of the Emergency Preparedness, MPH will:
- Explore events including natural disasters, intentional acts of terrorism and newly emerging infectious disease threats.
- The course curriculum is designed to be reflective and inclusive of current and nationally endorsed competencies in emergency preparedness leadership, crisis communication, information management, practice improvement and planning and responder health and safety.
- Benefit from a flexible online format with key emergency preparedness content structured and delivered through course curriculum based on the focus areas established by the Federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Career Outlook: The importance of preparing for and minimizing the risks from emergencies will help sustain the demand and employment of individuals in the emergency management field.
Potential career options*:
- Emergency operations center director
- Emergency response Coordinator
- Disaster reduction
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Law enforcement
- First response teams
- Crime scene investigator
- Red Cross Disaster Relief
*Career options outlined may require previous experience, licensure, certification or other designations.
More about the UNMC Master of Public Health (MPH):
The Master of Public Health Program (MPH) is a 42 credit hour, specialized professional master's degree program designed to prepare graduates for work in public health. Core courses are offered online and consistent with accreditation standards. The core curriculum focuses on the areas of knowledge critical to all public health practitioners. The concentration courses give students an in-depth study of discipline-specific competency areas. This value-based academic program will emphasize the areas of prevention, scientific knowledge base, and inter-dependency with other areas of knowledge and practice and social justice.
Admissions and Requirements
To be accepted to this program, you must have:
A Bachelor's degree
Taken the TOEFL
(Only required if English is not your native language)
A written personal statement
The personal statement should be single-spaced, one page in length and describe the applicant’s: interest in and potential for contributing to the field of public health, career objectives and a self-assessment of personal skills and general preparation for succeeding in a public health graduate program.
3 letters of recommendation
Applicants must submit 3 letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to academic, practice and/or research abilities. Ideally, recommenders are recent professors, researchers or employers. Recent graduates (last 1-3) years should include faculty references among their 3 references. Employer and supervisor letters or recommendation are appropriate for those who may have graduated or have been employed in the workforce for several years, or for those who are a member of the armed services.
Official transcripts from all previous schools
Resume that includes employment history, professional experience/skills and volunteer/service experience.
Note: The GRE requirement for the MPH program Fall 2021 application has been waived. However, applicants with a GPA below 3.0 are strongly encourage to submit GRE test scores if available.
International Transcripts. All non-US transcripts must be evaluated by the World Education Service (WES) using their ICAP Course-by-course evaluation service.
NOTE: This program is authorized, exempt, or not subject to state regulatory compliance and may enroll students from all 50 states
To apply to this program:
- Complete the online application. Use "School Designation" section in online application to select program and area of concentration you wish to apply .
- Submit application fee.
Courses You’ll Take
Course Information
In addition to the core courses, this program requires 9 elective credit hours. Courses are selected in consultation with a student's academic advisor and allow the student to gain further knowledge and skills in areas of interest to the student.
Core Courses
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CPH 553 | Emergency Preparedness: Response | 3 |
This course is designed to prepare the graduate student to work in a world where emergency preparedness and response skills are essential to the public health infrastructure, in preparation for naturally occurring disasters, intentional acts of terrorism and new emerging infectious disease threats. Major topics to be covered include an introduction to the National Response Framework, the Incident Command System (ICS) and the history of federal disaster legislation. Students will then explore various response agencies and initiatives to include the Strategic National Stockpile Program, culminating in an overview of risk assessment, disaster planning and the process of exercising disaster plans. | ||
| HPRO 812/CPH 553 | Emergency Preparedness: Response | 0 |
| CPH 514 | Planning and Evaluation | 3 |
Description to come | ||
| CPH 500 | Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
This is an introductory survey course, which will ensure that all public health students, within their first full year of study, are exposed to the fundamental concepts and theories that provide the basis for the body of knowledge in the field of public health. This course will prepare students to work in public health with a sound theoretical, conceptual, and historical basis for their work. | ||
| HPRO 813/CPH 554 | Emergency Preparedness: Response and Recovery | 0 |
| HPRO 810/CPH 550 | Emergency Preparedness: Prevention | 0 |
| CPH 631 | Emergency Preparedness: Protection | 3 |
This course is designed to prepare the graduate student to work in fields where emergency preparedness and response skills are essential to the public health infrastructure, in preparation for naturally occurring disasters, intentional acts of terrorism and new emerging infectious disease threats. Major topics to be covered include an introduction to Critical Infrastructure Protection (Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 7), agriculture defense and the history of emerging infectious disease. Students will then explore various protection agencies and initiatives to include the BIOSENSE Program, culminating in an overview of surveillance and detection. | ||
| CPH 529 | MPH Capstone Experience | 3 |
A community-based experience, designed to provide students with firsthand, scholarly, supervised experience in a practice setting. This experience augments the academic course work, meets actual community needs and provides students with an opportunity to integrate and apply/test knowledge, principles and skills acquired through classroom instruction. Students will demonstrate mastery of public health principles, values and practice. Prerequisite: CPH 505 Applied Research in Public Health, CPH 517 Design of Medical Health Studies. Students must complete all core and concentration area courses, be within 12 hours of graduation (including the 6 hours of service learning/capstone experience), and be in good academic standing to start the Service-Learning/Capstone Experience (SL/CE). | ||
| CPH 539 | Leadership in Advocacy | 3 |
This course incorporates public health leadership theory and practices that are grounded in biomedical and social science and sanctioned by public law. Also included is the politics of communities and organizations. Advocacy is emphasized as a key tool to secure funding and to help assure that local, state, and federal policy-makers will adopt, implement and maintain important public health regulations, policies and programs. | ||
| CPH 554 | Emergency Preparedness: Response and Recovery | 3 |
The course curriculum is designed to be reflective and inclusive of current and nationally endorsed competencies and focuses on topic areas related to the response to and recovery from an event. Major topics to be covered include a review and in-depth look at medical surge, mass immunization/dispensing, behavioral health and mass fatalities culminating in an overview of short term and long term recovery concepts inherent to restoring economic, health, vital infrastructure and community services. | ||
| CPH 528 | Applied Practice Experience for MPH Students | 3 |
The purpose of this course is to provide all students with an applied, scholarly, and mutually beneficial experience in a public health practice setting. This experience augments the academic course work, meets community needs, and provides students with an opportunity to integrate and apply at least five foundational public health competencies. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of public health principles, values and practice. All partner organizations must be approved by the Office of Public Health Practice. Applied practice experiences may involve governmental, non-governmental, non-profit, industrial and for-profit settings or appropriate university-affiliated settings. To be appropriate for applied practice experience activities, university-affiliated settings must be primarily focused on community engagement, typically with external partners. University health promotion or wellness centers may also be appropriate. | ||
Elective Courses
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CPH 553 | Emergency Preparedness: Response | 3 |
This course is designed to prepare the graduate student to work in a world where emergency preparedness and response skills are essential to the public health infrastructure, in preparation for naturally occurring disasters, intentional acts of terrorism and new emerging infectious disease threats. Major topics to be covered include an introduction to the National Response Framework, the Incident Command System (ICS) and the history of federal disaster legislation. Students will then explore various response agencies and initiatives to include the Strategic National Stockpile Program, culminating in an overview of risk assessment, disaster planning and the process of exercising disaster plans. | ||
| HPRO 812/CPH 553 | Emergency Preparedness: Response | 0 |
| CPH 514 | Planning and Evaluation | 3 |
Description to come | ||
| CPH 500 | Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
This is an introductory survey course, which will ensure that all public health students, within their first full year of study, are exposed to the fundamental concepts and theories that provide the basis for the body of knowledge in the field of public health. This course will prepare students to work in public health with a sound theoretical, conceptual, and historical basis for their work. | ||
| HPRO 813/CPH 554 | Emergency Preparedness: Response and Recovery | 0 |
| HPRO 810/CPH 550 | Emergency Preparedness: Prevention | 0 |
| CPH 631 | Emergency Preparedness: Protection | 3 |
This course is designed to prepare the graduate student to work in fields where emergency preparedness and response skills are essential to the public health infrastructure, in preparation for naturally occurring disasters, intentional acts of terrorism and new emerging infectious disease threats. Major topics to be covered include an introduction to Critical Infrastructure Protection (Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 7), agriculture defense and the history of emerging infectious disease. Students will then explore various protection agencies and initiatives to include the BIOSENSE Program, culminating in an overview of surveillance and detection. | ||
| CPH 529 | MPH Capstone Experience | 3 |
A community-based experience, designed to provide students with firsthand, scholarly, supervised experience in a practice setting. This experience augments the academic course work, meets actual community needs and provides students with an opportunity to integrate and apply/test knowledge, principles and skills acquired through classroom instruction. Students will demonstrate mastery of public health principles, values and practice. Prerequisite: CPH 505 Applied Research in Public Health, CPH 517 Design of Medical Health Studies. Students must complete all core and concentration area courses, be within 12 hours of graduation (including the 6 hours of service learning/capstone experience), and be in good academic standing to start the Service-Learning/Capstone Experience (SL/CE). | ||
| CPH 539 | Leadership in Advocacy | 3 |
This course incorporates public health leadership theory and practices that are grounded in biomedical and social science and sanctioned by public law. Also included is the politics of communities and organizations. Advocacy is emphasized as a key tool to secure funding and to help assure that local, state, and federal policy-makers will adopt, implement and maintain important public health regulations, policies and programs. | ||
| CPH 554 | Emergency Preparedness: Response and Recovery | 3 |
The course curriculum is designed to be reflective and inclusive of current and nationally endorsed competencies and focuses on topic areas related to the response to and recovery from an event. Major topics to be covered include a review and in-depth look at medical surge, mass immunization/dispensing, behavioral health and mass fatalities culminating in an overview of short term and long term recovery concepts inherent to restoring economic, health, vital infrastructure and community services. | ||
| CPH 528 | Applied Practice Experience for MPH Students | 3 |
The purpose of this course is to provide all students with an applied, scholarly, and mutually beneficial experience in a public health practice setting. This experience augments the academic course work, meets community needs, and provides students with an opportunity to integrate and apply at least five foundational public health competencies. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of public health principles, values and practice. All partner organizations must be approved by the Office of Public Health Practice. Applied practice experiences may involve governmental, non-governmental, non-profit, industrial and for-profit settings or appropriate university-affiliated settings. To be appropriate for applied practice experience activities, university-affiliated settings must be primarily focused on community engagement, typically with external partners. University health promotion or wellness centers may also be appropriate. | ||
Other Courses
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CPH 553 | Emergency Preparedness: Response | 3 |
This course is designed to prepare the graduate student to work in a world where emergency preparedness and response skills are essential to the public health infrastructure, in preparation for naturally occurring disasters, intentional acts of terrorism and new emerging infectious disease threats. Major topics to be covered include an introduction to the National Response Framework, the Incident Command System (ICS) and the history of federal disaster legislation. Students will then explore various response agencies and initiatives to include the Strategic National Stockpile Program, culminating in an overview of risk assessment, disaster planning and the process of exercising disaster plans. | ||
| HPRO 812/CPH 553 | Emergency Preparedness: Response | 0 |
| CPH 514 | Planning and Evaluation | 3 |
Description to come | ||
| CPH 500 | Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
This is an introductory survey course, which will ensure that all public health students, within their first full year of study, are exposed to the fundamental concepts and theories that provide the basis for the body of knowledge in the field of public health. This course will prepare students to work in public health with a sound theoretical, conceptual, and historical basis for their work. | ||
| HPRO 813/CPH 554 | Emergency Preparedness: Response and Recovery | 0 |
| HPRO 810/CPH 550 | Emergency Preparedness: Prevention | 0 |
| CPH 631 | Emergency Preparedness: Protection | 3 |
This course is designed to prepare the graduate student to work in fields where emergency preparedness and response skills are essential to the public health infrastructure, in preparation for naturally occurring disasters, intentional acts of terrorism and new emerging infectious disease threats. Major topics to be covered include an introduction to Critical Infrastructure Protection (Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 7), agriculture defense and the history of emerging infectious disease. Students will then explore various protection agencies and initiatives to include the BIOSENSE Program, culminating in an overview of surveillance and detection. | ||
| CPH 529 | MPH Capstone Experience | 3 |
A community-based experience, designed to provide students with firsthand, scholarly, supervised experience in a practice setting. This experience augments the academic course work, meets actual community needs and provides students with an opportunity to integrate and apply/test knowledge, principles and skills acquired through classroom instruction. Students will demonstrate mastery of public health principles, values and practice. Prerequisite: CPH 505 Applied Research in Public Health, CPH 517 Design of Medical Health Studies. Students must complete all core and concentration area courses, be within 12 hours of graduation (including the 6 hours of service learning/capstone experience), and be in good academic standing to start the Service-Learning/Capstone Experience (SL/CE). | ||
| CPH 539 | Leadership in Advocacy | 3 |
This course incorporates public health leadership theory and practices that are grounded in biomedical and social science and sanctioned by public law. Also included is the politics of communities and organizations. Advocacy is emphasized as a key tool to secure funding and to help assure that local, state, and federal policy-makers will adopt, implement and maintain important public health regulations, policies and programs. | ||
| CPH 554 | Emergency Preparedness: Response and Recovery | 3 |
The course curriculum is designed to be reflective and inclusive of current and nationally endorsed competencies and focuses on topic areas related to the response to and recovery from an event. Major topics to be covered include a review and in-depth look at medical surge, mass immunization/dispensing, behavioral health and mass fatalities culminating in an overview of short term and long term recovery concepts inherent to restoring economic, health, vital infrastructure and community services. | ||
| CPH 528 | Applied Practice Experience for MPH Students | 3 |
The purpose of this course is to provide all students with an applied, scholarly, and mutually beneficial experience in a public health practice setting. This experience augments the academic course work, meets community needs, and provides students with an opportunity to integrate and apply at least five foundational public health competencies. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of public health principles, values and practice. All partner organizations must be approved by the Office of Public Health Practice. Applied practice experiences may involve governmental, non-governmental, non-profit, industrial and for-profit settings or appropriate university-affiliated settings. To be appropriate for applied practice experience activities, university-affiliated settings must be primarily focused on community engagement, typically with external partners. University health promotion or wellness centers may also be appropriate. | ||
Tuition & Fees
Nebraska Residents
Per Credit Hour
- Tuition
- $597.00
- Fees
- $71.25
- Total
- $668.25
3 Credit Hours
- Tuition
- $1791.00
- Fees
- $213.75
- Total
- $2004.75
Out of State Residents
Per Credit Hour
- Tuition
- $597.00
- Fees
- $71.25
- Total
- $668.25
3 Credit Hours
- Tuition
- $1791.00
- Fees
- $213.75
- Total
- $2004.75
About Faculty
University of Nebraska online courses are taught by expert faculty who embody the qualities resulting from research experience and professional/field experience. Students learn from faculty with a variety of backgrounds, many of whom are published researchers in their fields. NU faculty who teach online do so in a way that optimizes learning within the online modality and because technology enables students to access education they may otherwise may not be able to pursue.
Application Deadlines
- Fall SemesterJun 01
- Spring SemesterOct 01
