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MS in Population Health Science

The MS in Population Health Science is a distance education program offered by the John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center. The program will be completed entirely online using UMMC’s electronic student learning platform. The program is designed to educate students to examine health determinants and outcomes using a population health framework and to develop policies and interventions to improve health outcomes, reduce disparities, and improve the health care system. The program will culminate in an original thesis demonstrating mastery of competencies for the program.

Program objectives

The objectives of the program are reflected in the competencies below:

• Understand fundamentals of population health science and the contribution to improving health and health care
• Apply evidence-based approaches for knowledge acquisition in population health science, including the ability to:
  • Critique the literature, summarize evidence, and synthesize knowledge
  • Analyze and interpret primary and secondary population-level data to reach valid conclusions about the health of populations
  • Design and execute appropriate research studies to identify clinical and non-clinical determinants of health, distribution of health outcomes, and health disparities
  • Conduct community health needs assessment, including information about health status, multiple determinants of health, and community assets and resources
• Practice mechanisms for knowledge translation and exchange
• Apply knowledge of the organization, financing, delivery, and value of health care to the design of interventions to improve health outcomes for clinical, organizational, and geographical populations
• Conduct thesis research with real world application to improving health or healthcare for a defined population

Students must complete a minimum of 43 credit hours to graduate from the program. All students must complete a directed research course. Students interested in a thesis-option must seek approval from an advisory committee, the Program Director and the Departmental Chair. In addition, students eligible for the thesis-option must successfully complete PHS 744 (Bioethics and Society), and propose and defend their thesis topic, in a public forum. The candidate’s advisory committee will oversee the thesis process. Further details about the thesis are provided on the SOPH Dissertation and Thesis website.