Masters Program in Community and Public Health
The Institute of Community and Public Health (ICPH) at Birzeit University was established first as a unit in 1978, then as a department, and finally in 1998 as an Institute. Its growth and development came in response to the Palestinian community's urgent need for independent and informed health human resource development, research and planning, model building and implementation of health care services locally.
The Institute of Community and Public Health (ICPH) at Birzeit University currently offers both Master & Diploma level programs: Post-Graduate Diploma in Primary Health Care and a Master in Public Health. The aim of the post-graduate programs at ICPH is to contribute to system building in health care by developing the existing and future capacity of human resources in public health.
The specific objectives of the programs are to:
1. Enable students to approach health-related problems with an appreciation of the broad determinants of health, including the social, political, and economic determinants in addition to the biomedical ones.
2. Provide students with a foundation of concepts necessary for rational, efficient, effective, and ethical practice of public health, which is relevant to the needs and aspirations of the Palestinian community.
3. Equip students with the analytical and technical skills necessary for identification of health-related problems, design of appropriate interventions, monitoring, and evaluation of practices.
4. Enable students to approach health conditions and services with the notion of inter-sectoral cooperation as an essential component of system-building.
Admission requirements:
Students may compete for admission to the Diploma in Primary Health Care program by completion of the BZU admission application and providing all supporting documents based upon fulfillment of the BZU criteria and the following:
- A bachelor’s degree in general medicine, dentistry, nursing, medical professions, or other specialties related to public health (such as biostatistics, social work, environmental health, education and counseling) with a “good” standing at a minimum.
- Relevant work experience.
- The student must sit for an English proficiency exam.
Program requirements:
The Master in Community and Public Health is awarded upon successful completion of 36 credit hours divided as follows:
a. Core Courses (Six courses) (16 credit hours):
ICPH623 Classical Epidemiology
ICPH627 Communication and Training Skills I
ICPH631 Primary Health Care
ICPH632 Health Planning and Management
ICPH633 Research Methods and Data Collection
ICPH634 Health Statistics
b. Elective courses (14 credit hours) from the courses listed below:
ICPH621 ommunicable and Non-communicable Diseases I
ICPH622 Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases II
ICPH624 Social Epidemiology
ICPH625 Advanced Classical and Social Epidemiology
ICPH626 Family Health
ICPH628 Introduction to Environmental Health
ICPH629 Communication and Training Skills II
ICPH635 Health Policy and Planning
ICPH636 International Health Systems
ICPH721 Health and Society
ICPH722 Gender and Health
ICPH723 Special Topics
ICPH734 Selected topics
or other elective courses listed in the BZU graduate Catalogue
To complete successfully the research component by following track “A” or “B”
A: Thesis : (6 credit hours)
A student may apply for this option ( Thesis ICPH860 ) upon completion of a minimum of 12 credit hours
B: Two Seminars (Non-thesis): (6 credit hours)
This option requires the successful completion of two seminars: ( HLTH830 ) and ( HLTH831 ) as well as passing a comprehensive oral exam.
The Institute of Community and Public Health (ICPH) at Birzeit University offers both Master’s and Diploma level programs aimed at upgrading the human resources working in the health sector. Students are admitted into the diploma level, and after successful completion of the one-year Diploma in Primary Health Care, students may become eligible, with approval of the Institute's Academic Council as well as the Dean of Graduate Studies, to continue to the Masters Program. The program allows students a choice to write a thesis, or to complete successfully two seminars in Public Health.
