Homeland Security (Emergency Management and Public Health)

The mission of the Master of Public Health Degree program is to enhance the health and welfare of the general public through education, research, and service by way of excellence in the education of public health practice leaders.

The Master of Public Health program curriculum is intended to prepare students to be public health practice leaders for advancement in their organizations or for transition into new fields. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the program provides students with a foundational understanding of the five core disciplines of public health: biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health policy and management, and social and behavioral sciences. It is designed to develop students as leaders in public health, as well as provide a professionally focused understanding of global public health issues.

Degree Program Goals

• Education: To foster an innovative learning environment for graduate students to study foundational concepts in public health for the necessary achievement of their career roles in public health.
• Research: To actively encourage and promote faculty and student research in the field of public health in order to enhance the skills, knowledge, and expertise of faculty and students.
• Service: To promote faculty and student involvement in the public health community in order to learn from and to support the development of public health policy, high quality collaborative research with the public health community, and support the ongoing development of the public health workforce.

Degree Program Values

• Lifelong Learning - commitment to life-long professional and personal development
• Compassion - promote empathy and concern for the well-being of others
• Critical Thinking - foster purposeful reflective judgment.
• Diversity - promote student and faculty populations regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or identity, or social standing
• Innovation - seek imaginative and effective solutions to challenges
• Professionalism and Integrity - adhere to professional codes of conduct
• Respect - commitment to the overarching principles of the dignity and worth of individuals

Core Requirements

• PBHE501Public Health in America
• PBHE502Health Policy
• PBHE520Biostatistics with Lab
• PBHE526Public Health and Environment
• PBHE527Social and Behavioral Aspects of Health
• PBHE531Public Health Program Planning and Evaluation
• PBHE532Ethical Issues in Public Health
• PBHE540Emergency Management Health and Medical Issues
• PBHE550Research Methods in Public Health
• PBHE601Health Care Administration
• PBHE607Epidemiology
• PBHE697Public Health Practicum

Our university welcomes international applicants from many countries around the world. We are an online university and students are not required to enter the U.S. Therefore, we do not issue I-20 or DS-2019 forms for the F-1 or J-1 student visas.

In addition to the admission requirements for undergraduate or graduate study, we may require additional documents related to residency, English proficiency, and educational background. Our institution maintains the right to require this documentation when needed.Master's degree and graduate certificate students with graduate-level credit to transferBachelor's degree verification required as noted above.

Students wishing to transfer credit to their master's degree or graduate certificate must submit a Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) application. The TCE is optional at the graduate level. Only graduate-level courses are eligible for transfer at this level of study.

Those that earned their graduate-level credit at a CHEA or AUCC accredited institution must provide an official copy of their transcript for the TCE. Those that earned their graduate-level credit at a non-CHEA or non-AUCC accredited institution must have a course-by-course evaluation for U.S. equivalency conducted by an APUS-approved agency for the TCE.

Applicants residing in the U.S. are required to have a current U.S. residency card, appropriate current Visa, or Social Security Number card and are required to submit that documentation to APUS for record retention.

Depending on the country of citizenship applicants may be required to provide documentation of English proficiency before being able to register for class.

Non-U.S. Transcripts

As an international student, you must have your non-U.S. college and university transcripts (those not accredited by CHEA or AUCC) evaluated by a credential evaluation agency, listed below, that can interpret your educational background received outside the United States and provide statements of U.S. equivalencies.

Agency Issued Reports

Evaluation agencies will complete your evaluation in one of two ways:

Degree-only verification: Verifies the type of degree earned and whether or not the non-U.S. institution degree is equivalent to one earned at an accredited U.S. institution.Course by course evaluation: Verifies whether or not the non-U.S. institution is equivalent to an accredited U.S. institution and includes a separate report that provides U.S. semester credit, grade equivalent, and level equivalent (graduate or undergraduate) for each course. This report is used for Transfer Credit Evaluations (TCE) and three year non-U.S. bachelor degrees.

Accepted Credential Evaluation Agencies

You are responsible for contacting one of these accepted foreign education evaluation agencies to have your non-U.S. transcript evaluated, and to receive procedure and fee information:Office of International Education Services, Credentials Analysis Service at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. (AACRAO)Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). We only accept the academic report which includes the earned credential equivalency and a course-by-course report.National Association of Credential Evaluation Services National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). C

Because membership may change throughout the year, visit the NACES or AICE websites to see the most current information.Agencies Should Use the Following Address to Send Transcript Evaluations:American Public University SystemAttn: Document Services10110 Battleview Parkway, Suite 114Manassas, VA 20109Please note: Faxed evaluation reports are not considered official.

English Proficiency for International Students

Non-exempt, non-U.S. citizens must provide verification of English proficiency by submitting the results of a standardized test.The university's preference is for students to submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score, but we would accept the other standardized tests listed below as well.Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Paper Based Test-520 with TWE of 4.0 Internet Based TestReading 21 Writing 23International English Language Testing System (IELTS)-Academic VersionReading 6.0 Writing 6.0Tests Requiring University Approval FirstTo submit one of the following tests in place of the TOEFL or IELTS, contact international@apus.edu for approval.ACT EnglishSAT VerbalAdvanced Placement International English Language (APIEL)

General Certificate of Education

(GCE)International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGSCE)General Certificate of Secondary Education (GSCE)Transcripts and Other Documentation NeededThe following types of individuals are required to provide us additional documentation and should read the relevant sections below for details on the necessary documentation

Note: If you are an undergraduate student with no previous college credit, or if you are a non-degree seeking student, we will not need any transcripts.Undergraduate Students with Previous College CreditIf you are an undergraduate student with previous college credit and you have not earned a bachelor’s degree or above yet, we need:Official transcripts sent from all previous institutions

TCE application for transfer credit reviewIf the course work was completed at an institution not accredited by a U.S. recognized body, you will need to have a course-by-course evaluation completed by an international education agency. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 550

International applicants are required to pay each course in full using a U.S. credit card or money order. The Automatic Debit Plan (ADP) payment option is available when used with a credit card drawn from a U.S. institution.

Suggestions for international students seeking financial assistance to fund their studies at APUS:

• Contact their Ministry of Education - explore scholarship, grants or loan possibilities
• Contact private lenders - companies or banks
• Seek sponsorship from a personal investor

Accreditation

Accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health Accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is a voluntary, discipline-specific process. The CEPH process includes a comprehensive self-study of the entire Master of Public Health program and a site visit, the purpose of which is to evaluate the program’s compliance with CEPH standards. APUS is not currently accredited by CEPH, and our prior application for CEPH accreditation lapsed on January 1, 2013. Based on feedback from CEPH on that application and a February 2013 meeting with CEPH staff, we restarted the application process in April 2013. The governing body of the CEPH, at its June 6-8, 2013 meeting, formally approved the American Public University System’s request to begin the accreditation process for its Master of Public Health Program. Please note that the steps and timeline for the accreditation process are subject to modification, and there is no assurance that we (or for that matter any institution seeking accreditation) will achieve CEPH accreditation.