Public Health Degrees Increase in Canada
Universities Rush to Offer Masters in Public Health
Aug 10, 2009
All Canadian universities who either currently offer, or plan to begin, masters in public health degrees are part of a national effort in the country to build health human resources around the critically important issues of public health.
These issues are made more relevant by the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak that hit hard in the province of Ontario in 2003 and the Walkerton tainted water crisis of 2000.
People who earn a masters of public health often work in public health agencies at all levels of government as highly trained managers and public health planners. Some Canadian universities offer masters of public health degrees through schools of public health while others provide the degree through a health related department or center at the university.
University of Waterloo Offers Masters of Public Health Through Distance Education
At the University of Waterloo, the next generation of public health professionals receive advanced training for the skills needed to prevent disease and protect and promote population health around the world.
Waterloo offers a distance education masters of public health (MPH) through its health studies and gerontology department. Students take most courses online with short periods of time on campus and a 12 to 16-week practicum to work as a public health professional.
At Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, students can take a MPH, MPH with a specialization in gerontology or a MPH with a graduate diploma in health services and policy research.
Public Health Education Focus for University Programs
Lakehead focuses its curriculum on graduates understanding the health related decision-making at the level of the individual, population and government. Lakehead allows students to complete studies through the use of web-based, interactive audio and video streaming and print resources.
At Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, the MPH program is a 16-month professional degree designed to promote the health of populations and prevent physical and mental health challenges that occur from social, cultural, and environmental risk factors.
Queen’s also focuses on the importance of students developing an awareness about ethical and cultural issues pertaining to public health research and practice. Its students complete a four-month practicum placement at a public health related workplace.
Public health degrees continue to grow as universities in Canada offer advance degrees to meet the population’s need for good public health planning to address societal issues. With the rise in the number of degrees and flexibility for working professionals, masters in public health will continue increasing in popularity among students.
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