Newswise — The University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health has launched the Midwest's first online Doctor of Public Health degree -- only the second such program in the U.S.
The doctoral-level, distance-based program will allow public health professionals to pursue their DrPH with minimal disruption to family and work life and without having to travel to campus.
"This is not the traditional, do-it-at-your-own-pace type of distance learning," said Patrick Lenihan, clinical associate professor of community health sciences and director of the DrPH program at UIC. "We're using synchronous technology to create a virtual classroom experience" that includes audio, video, and application-sharing during scheduled courses, he said.
The program is designed for mid-to-senior-level professionals with some management experience who want to take on leadership roles in public health practice, said Lenihan. Students are strongly encouraged to maintain their full-time jobs and complete the program part-time if necessary.
"Our big difference is that we're offering a complete doctoral degree online," said Lenihan. "Not just a few courses."
The only other school to offer a DrPH degree online is the University of North Carolina.
The UIC School of Public Health has offered a traditional DrPH program for more than three decades. Beginning with the Fall 2010 semester, students may choose to pursue the degree by attending classes on campus or through distance learning.
Nationally, there is a need for public health leadership and change, said Lenihan, but public health has had a very difficult time finding people who could step into those roles.
Lenihan believes there is pent-up demand for a distance learning program that offers flexibility to students locally and nationally and serves as a concentrated training-ground for future leaders in public health.
For more information about UIC's DrPH program, visit www.uic.edu/sph/academics_drph_fall2010.html
UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 26,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.
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