In conjunction with the University of Illinois School of Public Health in Chicago, the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford offers a course of study leading to a Master of Public Health degree. The Rockford program is designed as a Professional Enhancement Program (PEP) specifically targeted to individuals who already have three or more years of medical, public health or other health-related experience or students who are currently enrolled in medical school. Courses are available to degree and non-degree students.

Public Health is a diverse field, which includes health promotion, disease prevention, health education and environmental protection. These areas have an ever-increasing role to play in maintaining and improving the health of both individuals and communities. Specialized training in public health greatly increases the effectiveness of providers who seek to explicate problems and produce solutions to deal with the health needs of their patients.

Courses are taught by a variety of public health professionals, including faculty from the University of Illinois's School of Public Health and the College of Medicine's Department of Family and Community Medicine. Classes are held in the evenings at the College's Parkview building or through videoconference and online through the Internet.

The 42 semester-hour program consists of eleven required courses, an elective, a field practicum and a capstone paper.  The required eleven courses include:

• Public Health Concepts and Practice
• Principles of Epidemiology
• Biostatistics 1
• Principles of Management in Public Health
• Principles of Environmental Health Sciences
• Behavioral Sciences in Public Health
• Analytic Methods in Public Health
• Health Education and Health Promotion

• Community Health and the Media

• US Health and Public Health System
• Public Health Ethics and Law

For more information about enrolling in classes contact: