The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health announced two major expansions to its undergraduate curriculum, both open to students across the university: a new interdisciplinary public health minor offering students the freedom to design their own program of study around their interests and specialties, and extended eligibility of its dual degree M.P.H, programs to students in all B.A. and B.S. programs at GW.
Other new offerings from the school include a B.S. to M.S. program in health data science and a “MicroMasters” program in Maternal and Child Health. The MicroMasters allows students to count elective credits toward an MPH and also functions as a standalone credential.
The new offerings will allow students to take advantage of the overlap between their fields and the world of public health, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education Sara Wilensky said—overlap that exists in nearly every arena, from computer science to the performing arts.
“Public health by its nature is interdisciplinary,” Wilensky said. “Everything we do is connected with other systems, whether it be policy, law, engineering or anything else. We are creating opportunities for students in every discipline who develop an interest in public health to maintain their own specialties and build on them here at the Milken Institute SPH.”
Students minoring in public health will be introduced to a wide range of public health topics—including epidemiology, health management and policy, global health, health behavior, and environmental and occupational health—while also aligning their curriculum with their particular areas of interest, as each student will design their own 18-credit slate of classes within the program’s guidelines.
The minor provides a foundation both for careers in public health and for continued education in other advanced degree programs, including law, business, engineering or international affairs, said Elizabeth Gray, public health program director and teaching assistant professor of health policy and management.
“We find that students who are interested in public health tend to have a wide range of interests,” Gray said. “This minor gives them the option to really examine the ways public health interacts with the field they’re majoring in and deepen their understanding of both.”
Before this semester, only the dual degree in environmental and occupational health was open to students outside Milken Institute SPH. Now, any student with a 3.5 or higher GPA at the end of their sophomore year may apply to any of the school’s dual degree programs. Applicants will receive an admissions decision by the end of July and can start taking graduate credits in the fall semester.
A dual degree M.P.H. offers the opportunity to obtain an advanced degree in less time and for a lower cost, Gray said. Undergraduate students may take as many graduate credits as fit into their schedule, with 12 graduate credits counting toward both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Any graduate credits taken while in undergrad are covered by the student's undergraduate tuition payment. That also means much of the cost of graduate education can be covered by undergraduate tuition.
“In a shifting economy and unpredictable job market, we want to open our advanced degree programs so as many students as possible can further their education with strong, flexible credentials,” Gray said. “That’s so important, especially for students who want to pursue graduate education but are trying to figure out how that could even be possible.”