Public Health, Physical Activity Concentration, M.P.H.

Admission Requirements

Admission decisions will be made after reviewing all materials and determining the applicant’s capacity, suitability, and preparation for graduate study. Admission decisions are based upon consideration of a number of criteria which are believed to indicate a high potential in the graduate program.

 Admission to the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program requires

1. an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college. The candidate must have earned undergraduate prerequisites of at least 18 semester hours in public health or related courses or have a baccalaureate degree in an area determined by the admissions committee to be related to the competencies required in the field of physical education;
2. an acceptable grade point average (GPA) in all college work taken;
3. completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with acceptable scores. Successful applicants typically have scores on the GRE Verbal and Quantitative measures which exceed 146 and 140 respectively with a total combined score that exceeds 286. The Analytical Writing Assessment score from the GRE is also considered.

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Application deadline: Applications for Summer/Fall admission must be complete by February 1, and applications for Spring admission must be complete by October 1. Late applicants who meet the admission criteria may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants must

1. submit application with appropriate application fee (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php). Once this initial application has been accepted, the applicant will receive directions on how to enter the graduate portal to be able to submit other materials.
2. submit official scores on the GRE;
3. submit official transcripts of all previous college work;
4. provide three letters of recommendation from persons who can address their academic qualifications and potential for success in graduate study;
5. provide a 400-word statement of purpose giving their reasons for applying to the program, their academic interests, and their professional goals.

All of the above requirements must be completed.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Public Health with a concentration in Physical Activity requires completion of a minimum of 42 semester hours.

Candidate must complete either the thesis or non-thesis curriculum to meet Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) requirements.  ILE is completed at or near the end of program study (final year or semester). 

If choosing the thesis option, candidate must

1. select a thesis committee composed of two members (at least one of whom must be from the Department of Health and Human Performance); 
2. complete a minimum of six (6) thesis credit hours;
3. successfully complete an oral examination relating to the thesis.

If choosing the non-thesis option, candidate must successfully complete six (6) credit hours of internship and a related comprehensive report that meets the Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) requirement.

Curriculum: Public Health, Physical Activity

The following illustrates the minimum coursework requirements.