Maternal and Child Health, M.P.H.

Saint Louis University has been designated as a Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science, and Practice by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). As a Center of Excellence, Saint Louis University’s maternal and child health program aims to strengthen and diversify the maternal and child health workforce through enhanced academic, research, leadership and practical training and to equip them to address the complex public health problems unique to women, children and their families.

With an emphasis on social justice, graduates of SLU’s maternal and child health program develop and promote access to improved prenatal care and birth outcomes, particularly in underserved communities where the need is greatest.

Program Highlights

SLU's strong job placement rates are based largely on its competencies-based training, collaborative faculty and team-based experience. Students in SLU's maternal and child health M.P.H. concentration, are able to:

  • Describe the history and characteristics of health in populations of mothers and children
  • Communicate clearly to a variety of audiences, e.g., professional, lay, from various cultural and ethnic groups
  • Use data to identify issues related to the health status of a population of mothers and children
  • Develop cultural sensitivity
  • Plan and evaluate maternal and child health policies and programs

Curriculum Overview

Learn to investigate and address the complex public health problems unique to women, children and their families.  Students in the M.P.H. maternal and child health concentration develop skills to improve health delivery systems through advocacy, health education, program development and management, researching best practices and promoting access to improved prenatal care and birth outcomes, particularly in underserved communities where the need is greatest. Joint concentrations in epidemiology (MCH/EPI) and global health (GLOH/MCH) are also available for just an additional six credits.

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

SLU's strong job placement rates are based largely on its competencies-based training, collaborative faculty and team-based experience. As part of the maternal and child health concentration, you will be able to:

  • Describe the history and characteristics of health in populations of mothers and children
  • Communicate clearly to a variety of audiences, e.g., professional, lay, from various cultural and ethnic groups
  • Use data to identify issues related to the health status of a population of mothers and children
  • Develop cultural sensitivity
  • Plan and evaluate maternal and child health policies and programs

SLU's M.P.H. program is designed to give students the practical skills needed for any public health career. Over 50% of M.P.H. students work on research projects with faculty outside of a class requirement.

Students complete an internship after their first year of study to gain practical experience in their chosen career path. Students have interned in a variety of settings from local nonprofits to academic research centers, state and federal agencies and multilateral institutions. Students work with the M.P.H internship coordinator and their faculty advisor to identify an appropriate internship in St. Louis, nationally or across the globe.

Students in SLU's maternal and child health program have held internships at organizations including CityMatCH, Generate Health, Missouri Department of Health and Human Services, City of St. Louis Department of Health and St. Martin de Porres Parish (Belize). They’ve gone on to secure jobs such as project managers, community health educators and outreach specialists.

Careers

With a concentration in maternal and child health you can improve health delivery systems through advocacy, health education, program development and management and researching best practices. 

You’ll find excellent opportunities to work at the local, state, national and international levels in governmental agencies and health departments, health care systems, clinics and a variety of NGOs.

SLU’s public health graduates are employed at federal, state and local health agencies; consulting firms; consumer advocacy organizations; community-based organizations and health care centers; hospitals; research centers; and universities.

Within the first year of graduation, the vast majority of M.P.H. graduates are beginning their careers, participating in fellowships or furthering their graduate education.

Tuition

Tuition Cost Per Credit
Graduate Tuition $1,310

Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:

Net Price Calculator

Information on Tuition and Fees

Miscellaneous Fees

Information on Summer Tuition

Scholarships and Financial Aid

The College for Public Health and Social Justice offers several ways to help finance graduate education.  Opportunities include a limited number of merit-based scholarships and graduate research assistantships.  Awards are made to applicants with the highest combinations of GPAs and test scores who complete their applications by the priority deadlines.

For more information, visit the student financial services office online at http://finaid.slu.edu.

Accreditation

Saint Louis University's College for Public Health and Social Justice is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). To see our most recent accreditation documentation, please visit the College for Public Health and Social Justice website.

CEPH-Seal

Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health

  • Graduates will be able to apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.
  • Graduates will be able to select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
  • Graduates will be able to analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate.
  • Graduates will be able to interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice.

Public Health and Health Care Systems

  • Graduates will be able to compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings.
  • Graduates will be able to discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and systemic levels.

Planning and Management to Promote Health

  • Graduates will be able to assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health.
  • Graduates will be able to apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique of public health policies or programs.
  • Graduates will be able to design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention.
  • Graduates will be able to explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management.
  • Graduates will be able to select methods to evaluate public health programs.

Policy in Public Health

  • Graduates will be able to discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence.
  • Graduates will be able to propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes.
  • Graduates will be able to advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.
  • Graduates will be able to evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.

Leadership

  • Graduates will be able to apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue.
  • Graduates will be able to apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges.

Communication

  • Graduates will be able to select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors.
  • Graduates will be able to communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
  • Graduates will be able to describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.

Interprofessional Practice

  • Graduates will be able to integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health.

Systems Thinking

  • Graduates will be able to apply a systems thinking tool to visually represent a public health issue in a format other than a standard narrative. 

Admission Requirements

A bachelor’s degree with a 3.00 grade point average in a biomedical or social science is preferred, but other majors will certainly be considered. 

Application Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until classes are full. Apply using the centralized application service SOPHAS

Review Process

All applicants are considered using a holistic application review process, including an in-person, phone or Zoom interview with the graduate admissions director.

Application Requirements

  • Application form and fee
  • Transcript(s)
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Résumé/curriculum vitae
  • Professional goal statement

Apply using the centralized application service SOPHAS.

Requirements for International Students

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students. International students must also meet the following additional requirements:

  • Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
  • Financial documents are required to complete an application for admission and be reviewed for admission and merit scholarships. 
  • Proof of financial support that must include:
    • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the student's time at Saint Louis University
    • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of the student's study at the University
  • Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include:
    • Courses taken and/or lectures attended
    • Practical laboratory work
    • The maximum and minimum grades attainable
    • The grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations
    • Any honors or degrees received.

WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Program Requirements

Required Core Courses
HCE 5020Ethical Issues in Public Health3
or PUBH 5020 Ethical Issues in Public Health
PUBH 5010Mission and Practice of Global Public Health2
PUBH 5030Methodological Approaches to Understanding Population Health3
PUBH 5040Generating Evidence from Public Health Data3
or BST 5020 Theory of Biostatistics
PUBH 5050Health Care Across the Life Course: From Policy to Practice3
PUBH 5060Environmental and Biological Determinants of Health3
PUBH 5070Translating Evidence and Theory for Community Practice3
or BSH 5400 Assessment, Intervention Development, and Evaluation I
PUBH 5910Practice Experience in Public Health1
PUBH 5950Special Study for Examinations0
PUBH 5960Capstone in Public Health Practice3
Concentrations
Select one of the following:
Maternal and Child Health24
Maternal and Child Health / Epidemiology Joint30
Total Credits48-54

Maternal and Child Health Concentration

Required core courses listed above and the following:
BSH 5000Behavioral Science and Public Health3
BSH 5410Assessment, Intervention Development, and Evaluation II3
MCH 5000Foundations in Maternal Child Health3
MCH 5010Programs, Policy and Advocacy in Maternal and Child Health3
MCH 5020Maternal Child Health Leadership Excellence and Development3
EPI 5220Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology3
or EPI 5280 Perinatal Epidemiology
ElectiveElective chosen in consultation with mentor6
Total Credits24

Maternal and Child Health / Epidemiology Joint Concentration

Required core courses listed above and the following:
BST 5030Statistical Programming and Study Planning: SAS3
BST 5100Introduction to General Linear Modeling3
BST 5210Categorical Data Analysis3
EPI 5020Epidemiology Methods II3
EPI 5220Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology3
or EPI 5280 Perinatal Epidemiology
MCH 5000Foundations in Maternal Child Health3
MCH 5010Programs, Policy and Advocacy in Maternal and Child Health3
MCH 5020Maternal Child Health Leadership Excellence and Development3
ElectiveElective chosen in consultation with mentor6
Total Credits30

Continuation Standards

Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in all graduate/professional courses.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Maternal and Child Health Concentration

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
FallCredits
Critical course:  BSH 5000 Behavioral Science and Public Health 3
Critical course:  BSH 5400 Assessment, Intervention Development, and Evaluation I 3
Critical course:  MCH 5000 Foundations in Maternal Child Health 3
Critical course:  PUBH 5010 Mission and Practice of Global Public Health 2
MPH Professional Development Series: Completion of 6 sessions required during Year 1 (prerequisite for PUBH 5910).  
 Credits11
Spring
Critical course:  BSH 5410 Assessment, Intervention Development, and Evaluation II 3
Critical course:  MCH 5010 Programs, Policy and Advocacy in Maternal and Child Health 3
PUBH 5020 Ethical Issues in Public Health 3
Critical course:  PUBH 5030 Methodological Approaches to Understanding Population Health 3
Critical course:  PUBH 5040 Generating Evidence from Public Health Data 3
MPH Professional Development Series: Completion of 6 sessions required during Year 1 (prerequisite for PUBH 5910).  
 Credits15
Summer
Critical course:  EPI 5220
Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology
or Perinatal Epidemiology
3
Critical course:  PUBH 5910 Practice Experience in Public Health 1
 Credits4
Year Two
Fall
Critical course:  PUBH 5060 Environmental and Biological Determinants of Health 3
Critical course:  MCH 5020 Maternal Child Health Leadership Excellence and Development 3
ElectiveElective chosen in consultation with mentor 3
 Credits9
Spring
Critical course:  PUBH 5050 Health Care Across the Life Course: From Policy to Practice 3
Critical course:  PUBH 5950 Special Study for Examinations 0
Critical course:  PUBH 5960 Capstone in Public Health Practice 3
ElectiveElective chosen in consultation with mentor 3
 Credits9
 Total Credits48

Maternal and Child Health / Epidemiology Joint Concentration

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
FallCredits
Critical course:  MCH 5000 Foundations in Maternal Child Health 3
Critical course:  PUBH 5010 Mission and Practice of Global Public Health 2
Critical course:  PUBH 5030 Methodological Approaches to Understanding Population Health 3
Critical course:  PUBH 5040 Generating Evidence from Public Health Data 3
Critical course:  PUBH 5070 Translating Evidence and Theory for Community Practice 3
MPH Professional Development Series: Completion of 6 sessions required during Year 1 (prerequisite for PUBH 5910).  
 Credits14
Spring
Critical course:  BST 5030 Statistical Programming and Study Planning: SAS 3
Critical course:  BST 5100 Introduction to General Linear Modeling 3
Critical course:  EPI 5020 Epidemiology Methods II 3
Critical course:  MCH 5010 Programs, Policy and Advocacy in Maternal and Child Health 3
MPH Professional Development Series: Completion of 6 sessions required during Year 1 (prerequisite for PUBH 5910).  
 Credits12
Summer
Critical course:  EPI 5220
Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology
or Perinatal Epidemiology
3
Critical course:  PUBH 5910 Practice Experience in Public Health 1
 Credits4
Year Two
Fall
Critical course:  BST 5210 Categorical Data Analysis 3
Critical course:  MCH 5020 Maternal Child Health Leadership Excellence and Development 3
PUBH 5020 Ethical Issues in Public Health 3
Critical course:  PUBH 5060 Environmental and Biological Determinants of Health 3
 Credits12
Spring
Critical course:  PUBH 5050 Health Care Across the Life Course: From Policy to Practice 3
Critical course:  PUBH 5950 Special Study for Examinations 0
Critical course:  PUBH 5960 Capstone in Public Health Practice 3
ElectiveElective chosen in consultation with mentor 3
ElectiveElective chosen in consultation with mentor 3
 Credits12
 Total Credits54

Apply for Admission

For additional admission questions, please contact:
Bernie Backer
Director of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions 
bernard.backer@slu.edu 
314-977-8144