Master of Science in Community Health
Cortland, USA
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
STUDY FORMAT
Blended, On-Campus
Key Summary
About: SUNY Cortland’s Master of Science in Community Health trains students to promote personal and community health with agencies like local health departments, the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society. Study full-time or part-time on campus, or part-time via combined classroom and online delivery. The programme builds research, assessment, and evaluation skills and includes culminating applied project with community agency—examples: needs assessments, teen smoking-prevention, or exercise and nutrition programs for seniors.
Career Outcomes: You’ll be ready for roles in community health departments, voluntary health agencies, healthcare facilities, and human service agencies, including health education, coordination, outreach, needs assessment, evaluation, and advocacy.
No matter your background, if you want to promote personal and community health through organizations such as local health departments, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society, and others, you should consider SUNY Cortland's M.S. in community health.
Flexible Completion Options
Pursue one of three schedules: full-time, on-campus; part-time, on-campus; or part-time, through combined classroom and online delivery methods. All will develop your research, assessment, and evaluation skills while you work closely with distinguished faculty members, professional colleagues, and community agencies.
Experience is The Best Teacher
A culminating project provides an opportunity for hands-on experience with a community agency, where you work on a special project that affords you the resources to address a health issue in depth.
You might undertake a needs assessment regarding services of the local American Cancer Society office, generate an educational program about smoking avoidance for teenagers through the local American Lung Association or create a program to help residents at a local senior center learn about exercise and nutrition.
SUNY Cortland offers a wide range of scholarships funded by the Cortland College Foundation, SUNY Cortland Alumni Association, the university, and other groups. These awards are made possible by the generous donations of alumni, faculty, staff, emeriti, philanthropic groups, corporations, and friends of the university.
Each year, SUNY Cortland provides more than $1 million in scholarship assistance to more than 1,000 students. The financial aspects of scholarships are governed by rules and regulations administered by the Financial Aid Office.
Scholarship Types
Endowed Scholarships: Students May Apply
Students may apply online for select scholarships that are based on academic performance, financial need, or other criteria determined by donors.
Merit Scholarships: Automatic Selection
Merit scholarships are awarded at the time of admission and they do not require a supplemental application. These competitive scholarships are limited in number and they are awarded to top applicants. Meeting minimum academic requirements does not guarantee to earn a scholarship.
Other Awards: Automatic Selection
SUNY Cortland automatically considers students for some financial awards in addition to academic merit scholarships. No supplemental application is required. These awards include:
- SUNY Cortland Future New Yorker Grant
- SUNY Cortland International Student Grant
- SUNY Cortland Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship
New York State Excelsior Scholarship
SUNY Cortland is proud to participate in this program, which offers free tuition to eligible students from middle-class families in New York state.
Study Abroad Scholarships
SUNY Cortland awards thousands of dollars in study abroad scholarships each year.
Non-SUNY Cortland Scholarships
There are external and private scholarship funds available to students of all qualifications, abilities, and interests. These external scholarships may be provided by private donors, foundations, businesses, and many other sources outside of the university.
International Student Scholarships
SUNY Cortland International Student Award
This scholarship is available to matriculated international undergraduate and graduate students attending SUNY Cortland. It provides financial support to reduce tuition fees at SUNY Cortland.
Undergraduate Award Amounts
The scholarship provides financial support of up to $30,000 over four years. Matriculated, full-time international undergraduate students will receive up to $3,750 per semester (up to $7,500 per academic year).
Application Requirements:
- complete the undergraduate application or graduate application and be admitted to SUNY Cortland as a degree-seeking international student.
Graduate Award Amounts
Matriculated international graduate students will receive $3,000 per semester for full-time enrollment (12 credit hours per semester). Students enrolled in less than 12 credit hours will receive a pro-rated amount. Graduate students that will be receiving a graduate assistantship (GA/TA) will only receive a pro-rate amount on the credits that are not covered by the graduate assistantship.
Application Requirements:
- Complete the undergraduate or graduate application and be admitted to SUNY Cortland as a degree-seeking international student.
Wah Chip and Yuki Chin Scholarship
This scholarship was established by Wah Chip Chin in 1998 to honor the memory of his wife, Yuki Chip, and to support student and scholar exchange between SUNY Cortland and Asian countries.
A local Cortland couple, the Chins began their support of the SUNY Cortland International Programs Office in the early 1980s after the student exchange program with Capital Normal University (then Beijing Teacher's College) began. The Chins hosted dinners for the visiting students on a regular basis and Wah Chip welcomed visiting Chinese students to Cortland at the College's welcome receptions well into his 90s.
The scholarships awarded will range from $500 to $2,000 for the semester. The student can apply for the Wah Chip and Yuki Chin Scholarship every semester, depending on funding.
Application Requirements:
- 2.7 GPA
- Complete application
- Essay (2 pages double spaced) answering the questions in the application.
Application Deadlines:
- Fall Semester: June 15
- Spring Semester: January 10
Preference in Awarding Scholarship:
- Incoming first year and transfer international students from Asia
- Returning international students from Asia
- Exchange or Visiting students from Asia who do not qualify for an Exchange Award
Additional Scholarships
SUNY Cortland offers a wide range of scholarships funded by the Cortland College Foundation, SUNY Cortland Alumni Association, the university, and other groups. These awards are made possible by the generous donations of alumni, faculty, staff, emeriti, philanthropic groups, corporations, and friends of the university.
Application Deadlines:
New students starting in Fall can apply for endowed scholarships from Jan. 15 until March 15. New students starting in Fall who earn an award will be notified prior to the May 1 admission deposit deadline. To view scholarship opportunities, students must be accepted and they must log in to myRedDragon.
Current students can apply for endowed scholarships through myRedDragon from Nov. 15 to February 1.
Program Requirements
A. Health Department Core: Nine credit hours
- EDU 632 - Seminar in Health Education
- HLH 601 - Research Methods in Health Education
- HLH 694 - Assessment and Evaluation in Health Education and Health Promotion
B. Community Health Education Practice Core: 12 credit hours
- HLH 592 - Current Issues in Community Health
- HLH 593 - Methods and Practices in Community Health Education
- HLH 598 - Applied Epidemiology
- HLH 693 - Advanced Methods and Practices in Community Health Education
C. Health-Related Electives: Six credit hours
Select six credit hours of advisor-approved courses (HLH, PSY, or SOC) at the 500 and 600 level.
D. Culminating Activity: Three credit hours
- HLH 650 - Community Health Culminating Project
- HLH 697 - Extension of Graduate Culminating Activity
Students who do not successfully complete HLH 650 must register for HLH 697 Extension of Graduate Culminating Activity (1 credit hour).
Note: In order to have a sufficient foundation in health content, the Health Department requires that students have completed a minimum of 36 credit hours of health content course work, at the graduate or undergraduate level, prior to the completion of the culminating activity. The 36 credit hours include 27 health credit hours that are part of the M.S. in Community Health. Depending on the academic background of the applicant, there may be additional requirements for the award of the degree. Any additional requirements are determined on an individual basis after a review of the student’s previous course work. This information must be ascertained by the student in consultation with the Health Department’s coordinator of graduate studies.
Culminating Experience
Your culminating project in community health will provide you with an opportunity for hands-on experiences with a community agency where you will work on a special project that affords you the resources to address a health issue in depth. You might undertake a needs assessment regarding services of the local American Cancer Society office, generate an educational program about smoking avoidance for teenagers through the local American Lung Association or create a program to help residents at a local senior center learn about exercise and nutrition.
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Assess needs, resources, and/or capacity for community health education/promotion.
- Plan community health education/promotion.
- Implement community health education/promotion.
- Plan evaluation of community health education/promotion.
- Apply models, theories, and frameworks appropriately in community health education/promotion.
- Manage community health education/promotion.
- Advocate for health, community health education/promotion, and the profession.
- Communicate and promote health using a variety of communication strategies, methods, and techniques.
- Train staff members, volunteers and others in community health education/promotion.
You can work in a wide range of settings, including community health departments, voluntary health agencies, healthcare facilities, or human service agencies. Whether you pursue a health-related major at the undergraduate level or you're looking to make a move into a new profession, you'll gain the skills that make you more marketable as a community health professional.
