Maternal and Child Health, Certificate
The MCH Certificate provides students an opportunity to expand their knowledge and increase their comprehension of mothers, children, and their families to improve their health and well-being. Through course content and faculty mentorship, you will learn about:
- MCH foundational knowledge, research and practice
- How theories and evidence translate into policy
You will develop skills necessary to
- Communicate with all persons from diverse groups
- be leaders in the MCH workforce
Certificate Requirements
The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Certificate is 15 credit hours. Students are required to take three core courses (9 credits) and two electives (6 credits) which are selected from an approved list. Students currently enrolled in another degree program at USC may share up to 12 credit hours between both programs. The MCH Certificate Program Director and your faculty mentor will assist you in elective course selection and course sequencing.
Admissions Requirements
- A four-year baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution
- Grade point average 3.00/4.00 or higher
- GRE scores – not required
- For international applicants, a satisfactory score of one of the following is needed (this requirement may be waived for applicants that have earned a prior degree from a US institution):
- TOEFL – minimum score of 90
- IELTS- minimum overall band of 7.0
Degree Requirements (15 Hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| EPID 765 | Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology | 3 |
| or EPID 865 | Methods in Reproductive & Perinatal Epidemiology | |
| HPEB/WGST 621 | Maternal and Child Health | 3 |
| HSPM 702 | Maternal and Child Health Programs and Policies: Past, Present, and Future | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select two courses from two different topic areas: | 6 | |
Life Course: | ||
| Nutrition Through the Life Cycle (alternate year) | ||
| Nutrition and Public Health | ||
| Exercise and Childhood Obesity | ||
| Psychology of Child Development | ||
| Psychological Problems and Resilience | ||
| HIV/STI Prevention | ||
| Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health | ||
| Women’s Health and Physical Activity | ||
Theories, Program Planning and Administration: | ||
| Public Health Surveillance Systems | ||
| Social Epidemiology 1 | ||
| Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs | ||
| Behavioral Economics in Public Health | ||
| Social Determinants of Health | ||
| Advanced Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs 2 | ||
| Social and Physical Environment Interventions in Health Promotion 2 | ||
| Approaches and Concepts for Health Administration | ||
| Perspectives in Rural Health | ||
| Health Economics | ||
| Managerial Epidemiology and Statistics in Healthcare | ||
| Economic Evaluation and Policy Analysis of Health Services | ||
| Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management II | ||
| Principles of Human Diversity 2 | ||
| Perspectives in Public Health | ||
| Social Structures and Inequality 2 | ||
| Medical Sociology | ||
| Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families and Small Groups | ||
Research Methods and Data Analysis: | ||
| Practical Methods for Secondary Data Analysis | ||
| GIS and Public Health Applications | ||
| Research Methods and Design for Exercise Science | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health | ||
| Theory-Driven Analysis 2 | ||
| Health Services Research Design | ||
| Selected Topics in Demography | ||
| Advanced Methods and Analysis in Nursing Science 2 | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
- 1
Taught with a focus on the social determinants of health.
- 2
With instructor permission.