Feasibility of an extended MPH degree program for fully employed practicing health professionals

This report describes the first four years of operation of the Extended MPH Degree Program of the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine and the features that might explain its initial success. The format of the curriculum is radically different from the traditional two-year program of studies leading to the master of public health degree. Over a three-year span of intensive, on-campus courses and seminars, students are able to fulfill all academic and institutional requirements necessary for the MPH degree. Many more applicants have enrolled for the Extended Degree Program than for the regular MPH program. The 94 students who have matriculated into the program are employed mainly in government agencies in eight western states and British Columbia; most have their prior professional training in nursing and medicine with a median of nine years professional experience. The academic performance of these students is comparable to that of regular full-time MPH program students. The administrative, fiscal, and instructional problems raised by such a transformation have been overcome and the demand for the program and our experience to date suggest that extended MPH degree programs are both feasible and desirable.