Program Overview
The Master of Applied Science (MAS) is a fully online, part-time degree designed for working professionals, delivered through the Online Programs for Applied Learning (OPAL). Programs focus on emergent industry sectors in public health and health care that have a need for highly skilled professionals. By building on the strengths of the School, they provide unmatched opportunities for advanced training and focus on both local and global health issues. Students are prepared to create innovative solutions through multidisciplinary approaches that apply the latest scientific knowledge. All MAS programs will culminate in a final Integrative Activity. The goal of this activity is for students to synthesize knowledge and skills obtained through coursework in a final project that demonstrates mastery of program competencies, as applied to real-world public health and health care questions. Students can complete their degree program in as little as two years, but are allowed up to four years.
The MAS program in Global Health Planning and Management builds on the Health Systems Strengthening expertise of the Bloomberg School and the Department of International Health, which provides unmatched opportunities for advanced training, focuses on both local and global issues, and prepares students to address public health problems through multidisciplinary approaches that apply the latest scientific knowledge.
The program will provide you with the skills to plan, implement, and evaluate public health programs and services in countries throughout the world. We take a systems approach to understanding how to meet the health needs of communities and local governments/districts. We hope that as a result of this course you will build skills to plan and manage health programs in non-governmental and governmental agencies serving people in under-served areas and low and middle income countries.
LinkedIn Group
We have established a LinkedIn group for each of the OPAL program areas in order to strengthen connections between current students, faculty, and alumni of OPAL programs, as well as to facilitate student-to-student peer networking.
Participation is voluntary, but we encourage you to join this professional networking community.
JHSPH OPAL Programs in Global Health
JHU OpenCourseWare
JHSPH OpenCourseWare makes JHSPH course materials used in the teaching of actual courses freely and openly available on the Web. OCW can be used to supplement learning on a particular topic, or provide background material. You are free to review the information on an OpenCourseWare Website at your own pace, free of charge.
For a brush up on statistical skills:
For a general introduction to the field of health policy and public health:
- Introduction to Health Policy
- Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation
- JHSPH Faculty Interviews
- Ethical Issues in Public Health
Additional options are available through the Open Education Global, including courses on:
- Democracy in America,
- Introduction to American Politics, and
- Introduction to the American Political Process.
MAS in Community-based Primary Health Care Programs in Global Health Contact Information
MAS Program Adviser
William Brieger, DrPH
Professor, and Program Director for Certificate and MAS programs in Global Health
Email: wbriege1@jhu.edu
For Program-wide Issues
Elizabeth Topper Golub, PhD, MEd, MPH
Director, Online Programs for Applied Learning (OPAL)
Email: egolub@jhu.edu
Program Requirements
Course location and modality is found on the JHSPH website.
The Master of Applied Science in Global Health Planning and Management is an interdisciplinary online degree. Faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health contribute to the program via course development, teaching, and advising students. Courses equip students with the necessary skills to develop sustainable solutions to advance health initiatives throughout the world. Students are trained in epidemiology and statistics, form practical skills derived from workshops in professional development, and learn to understand critical issues facing the global health field.
Students will complete 51.5 credits to graduate. The program is designed to be completed in 8 academic terms - two academic years (Sept-May). In addition to the coursework, students must complete an Integrative Activity, where newly acquired knowledge and skills are used to create an applicable activity, with a final paper that describes the methodology used and the final assessment. Students can complete their degree program in as little as two years, but are allowed up to four years.
If the 2-credit Professional Development Workshop courses are not included in the required curriculum, students are still welcome to take them, in addition to the required degree courses outlined below. Current offerings include Effective Online Searching and Writing for Results. OPAL scholarship funds will apply towards these credits. Students should refer to the online course directory (www.jhsph.edu/courses) for additional details.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
The OPAL Office expects students to maintain satisfactory academic progress for the duration of the degree program. For the MAS program, satisfactory academic progress is defined as follows:
Maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 and grades of C or better in all required courses. Grades of P are sufficient in courses that are graded as Pass/Fail. Students falling below this minimum should consult with the OPAL Program Office and their Academic Adviser in order to develop a course plan to allow them to raise the GPA above 2.75 as soon as possible, in order to return to good academic standing.
Failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by any of the criteria above may be grounds for dismissal from the program, and financial aid status will be affected. Full details of the School's Satisfactory Academic Policy can be found here.
Program Plan of Study
Students should follow the plan outlined below if they wish to complete the MAS program in two years. This plan will also allow students to maintain minimum credits needed for financial aid eligibility each term, and to follow any prerequisite sequencing. Courses can be taken at a slower pace if needed, so long as course prerequisites are met.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Term | Credits | |
| PH.550.860 | Academic & Research Ethics at JHSPH | |
| PH.600.601 | Seminars in Public Health | 2 |
| PH.606.601 | Fundamentals in Global Health Practice | 4 |
| PH.552.603 | The Role of Qualitative Methods and Science in Describing and Assessing a Population's Health May be taken during any term offered | 0.5 |
| Credits | 6.5 | |
| Second Term | ||
| PH.604.603 | Ethics in Global Health Practice | 2 |
| PH.604.621 | Design and Planning of Primary Health Care Projects | 4 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Third Term | ||
| PH.600.701 | Introduction to Epidemiology | 4 |
| PH.604.604 | Global Epidemiology Policies and Programs | 3 |
| Credits | 7 | |
| Fourth Term | ||
| PH.600.709 | Statistical Concepts in Public Health 1 | 3 |
| PH.604.771 | Social & Cultural Basis for Community and Primary Health Programs | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Term | ||
| PH.607.701 | Health and Safety Preparation for Global Health Assignments | 1 |
| PH.608.705 | Emerging Trends in Pharmaceutical Systems Strengthening | 3 |
| PH.608.712 | Frameworks and Tools for Health Systems in Global Settings | 3 |
| Credits | 7 | |
| Second Term | ||
| PH.608.725 | Quality Management Concepts and Tools for Healthcare in Low and Middle income Countries | 4 |
| PH.602.721 | Organizing for Public Health: A Systems Approach | 2 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Third Term | ||
| PH.600.612 | Professional Development: Writing for Results (608.736 Strengthening Health Information in Low and Middle-Income Countries (4 credits) also required, under development) | 2 |
| Credits | 2 | |
| Fourth Term | ||
| PH.608.771 | Non-Governmental Organizations and the Administration of Global Health Programs | 3 |
| PH.608.880 | Integrative Activity in Global Health Planning and Management | 4 |
| Credits | 7 | |
| Total Credits | 47.5 | |
Integrative Activity
Online Programs for Applied Learning (OPAL) Integrative Activity: Human Subjects Research and Other Activities
This culminating experience will provide Master of Applied Science students with the opportunity to synthesize lessons learned via the application of concepts and techniques. Please note that individual degree programs may have specific guidelines related to their particular Integrative Activity course including, but not limited to the format, presentation, and composition of final course deliverable.
As you begin planning the research for your Integrative Activity within the MAS program, please review the information below and proceed accordingly. Regardless of whether IRB review is required, all OPAL students should apply ethical principles in their interactions with humans and/or their data. Please follow the JHSPH Ethical Code for Student Activities that Involve Human Interactions.
- As long as the project is limited to the context of the course, or courses if components of the Integrative Activity is spread among more than one course, there is no need for IRB approval, even if the project involves human subjects research. These types of student projects are considered learning exercises when there is no plan to disseminate beyond the class, School, or affiliated agency.
- If you do wish to publish your project while you are a student, you will need to test to see if you are conducting Human Subjects Research (HSR) which would necessitate IRB approval. You can test your project for HSR by using the IRB worksheet or consulting the IRB guidance flowchart. You will need to go to IRB for official/final determination before beginning your research in order to be approved for publication. All student-initiated research projects which you intend to publish must have a preliminary review by the IRB Office to determine whether they are human subjects research requiring IRB oversight, unless: (1) the student is working with a Principal Investigator (PI) from another institution, or (2) the PI is adding you as a student investigator to an existing, IRB-approved study. If you are using human subjects data, you must obtain a determination from the JHSPH IRB. If you are collecting primary new data, complete the IRB Office Determination Request Form for Primary Data Collection, or if you are using existing data, complete the IRB Office Determination Request Form for Secondary Data Analysis in collaboration with your adviser and submit it to the JHSPH IRB Office e-mail address jhsph.irboffice@jhu.edu. Be sure to include your adviser in your e-mail submission.
- If you do not intend to publish the project while you are a student, IRB approval will not be required. However, if you would be interested in publishing it after graduating from JHU, you should note that the project must meet the ethical standards of your institution and that many institutions will not allow you to present/publish human subjects research without having prior IRB approval. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you consult your organization now if you think that you may wish to publish in the future.
PROGRAM COMPETENCIES
The Master of Applied Science (MAS) in Global Health Planning and Management curriculum is delivered entirely online and designed for working students. Courses equip students with the necessary skills to develop sustainable solutions to advance health initiatives throughout the world. Online students are trained in epidemiology and statistics, form practical skills derived from workshops in professional development, and learn to understand critical issues facing the global health field.
By the end of the program, students should be able to:
A. Core Global Health Practice Competencies
- Apply capacity building processes to global health programming in low and middle-income countries.
- Identify and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders whose active participation is required for successful global health programming at community, sub-national, national and regional levels.
- Apply ethical reasoning to the policy and programming decisions needed for designing and implementing global health programs in low and middle-income countries.
- Exhibit a health equity and social justice lens in the design and conduct of global health programs.
- Apply appropriate management processes in the design, implementation and evaluation of global health programs.
- Demonstrate social, cultural and political awareness of the context in which global health programming takes place.
- Conduct strategic analysis of factors that influence the success of global health programming.
B. Global Health Planning and Management Competencies
- Apply frameworks, tools, strategies and models to improve the planning and management of global health programs and organizations in low- and middle-income countries.
- Identify and apply principles and practices of total quality management methods for health systems in developing countries.
- Utilize systems thinking to determine how societies organize themselves to achieve collective health goals and contribute to policy outcomes in global settings.
- Demonstrate skills for managing non-governmental organizations in the health sector in LMICs.
- Utilize appropriate evaluation designs and approaches for public health programs in LMICs and advocate the uptake of program results by policymakers.
- Conduct a detailed analysis of the demographic, epidemiological and social aspects of a major health need in a low- or middle-income country.