Online public health education growing in popularity in U.S.: More students forgoing classrooms
===============================================================================================

* Kim Krisberg

When Mary Casagrande was teaching seventh-grade students in East Palo Alto, Calif., she always found a way to incorporate her passion for health into the lessons. Eventually that passion led her to become a community health advocate, but she still felt like something was missing.

The missing piece was the knowledge and skills gained with a master’s of public health degree, which she received last summer through San Jose State University’s MPH Distance Education Program. Casagrande completed the graduate degree program almost entirely online, save for a few days each year when she was required to visit the San Jose campus. The online program was a perfect fit for Casagrande, who needed a flexible degree program that let her continue working full time.

![Figure1](http://www.thenationshealth.org/http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/nathealth/42/6/1.3/F1.medium.gif)

[Figure1](http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/42/6/1.3/F1)

Aja Holmes of Raleigh, N.C., studies for her online college classes at the University of Phoenix in 2009. The number of people pursuing public health degrees online is growing.

Photo by Jim Bounds, courtesy AP Images

“When I was growing up, we always had healthy foods and lived in areas with sidewalks,” said Casagrande, who is now a projects manager for employee wellness at Kaiser Permanente. “Then as an adult I realized that not everyone has those opportunities. That’s why I was so excited to learn more about public health.”

Casagrande is one of many students whose interest in public health, coupled with job, family or geographical limitations, led them to pursue their education online. It is a demand that more schools of public health are working to meet. According to Allison Foster, MBA, CAE, deputy executive director of the Association of Schools of Public Health, more than half of schools that are accredited via the Council on Education for Public Health offer some type of online education, from master’s and doctoral degrees to public health certificates. Some schools offer a general master’s of public health online, while others offer more specialized degrees, such as those in occupational or environmental health.

According to the association, public health education is quickly growing in popularity: Overall annual applications to schools of public health have increased from about 20,000 in 2000 to more than 49,000 in 2010.

![Figure2](http://www.thenationshealth.org/http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/nathealth/42/6/1.3/F2.medium.gif)

[Figure2](http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/42/6/1.3/F2)

Travis Johnson, of St. Paul, Minn., works on his business administration degree online in January 2010. Johnson is one of the many students turning to the Internet for studies.

Photo by Tim Post/Minnesota Public Radio, courtesy AP Images

“I’d say the demand (for online public health education) is increasing due to a general increase in interest for formal public health training,” Foster said. “More folks seem to understand what public health is, and we’ve seen application numbers go up every year. When you graduate from an online program, your diploma looks like everyone else’s. Distance learning programs at accredited schools have outcomes that are just as good as their more traditional programs.”

At the University of South Florida College of Public Health, enrollment in online public health degree programs has more than doubled since the middle of the last decade. The university was one of the first to offer distance-based public health education. It began in 1993 with satellite-delivered courses to 33 health departments across Florida, said APHA member Deanna Wathington, MD, MPH, associate dean for academic and student affairs at the College of Public Health. Today, the college offers three master’s degrees and eight graduate certificates online.

“I think the economy is one of the factors that drives people back to school,” Wathington told *The Nation’s Health*. “Also, organizations see value in their employees possessing the degree that goes with their experience.”

The school’s first master’s degree to go fully online was in public health practice, which was specifically designed for working health professionals with a few years of experience. The online program most quickly growing in popularity is the master’s in global disaster management and humanitarian relief, Wathington said.

“(The online environment) has a unique dynamic and it’s something that instructors have observed and really appreciate,” said Sandhya Srinivasan, MPH, MEd, director of the college’s Office of Educational Technology and Assessment. “For example, one of our students (who was working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) was able to give up-to-date information when an instructor didn’t have it. Having that well-informed, educated official in your course enhances the experience for everyone.”

Online education is also gaining in popularity at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, said Lori Peterson, MS, the school’s academic director for continuing education programs. The online master’s of public health program, which began in 2001, has graduated about 355 students, Peterson said. The program, which is 100 percent online and includes a practicum and capstone, requires that applicants have a few years experience in the health field. About 60 percent of Amherst’s online MPH students are practicing medical professionals, such as nurses, doctors and researchers, who join the program “to further their careers and gain a better understanding of community health,” Peterson said.

Amherst was the first to offer a general MPH degree online, said Dan Gerber, EdD, MPH, associate dean for academic affairs and director of the online MPH program. He estimated that about 90 percent of online students are not looking to switch careers, “but came to the conclusion that there’s a gap in their education…and it’s a public health education that was missing.” And because many online students continue to work full time as they study, they put their education into practice right away, he said.

“Students discover that their colleagues are really fascinating people,” Gerber told *The Nation’s Health*. “The depth of conversation can be so much greater online because these people are already doing incredible things.”

Gerber said that experienced health professionals often benefit most from the online environment.

In 2010, U.S. News & World Report said that Walden University, a fully online university, had the largest online graduate public health program by enrollment. APHA member Jorg Westermann, PhD, MA, associate dean of Walden’s School of Health Sciences, said what impressed him upon joining Walden was how much effort went into building the curriculum.

He said the university works particularly hard to meet the changing demands of public health practice, convening a summit of public health experts about every five years to determine the kinds of emerging competencies and skills students need to succeed in the field. The average age of the school’s students is about 39.

“We attract a different kind of student,” he said. “They come in with life experiences and they bring it to the classroom.”

At San Jose State University, online public health students participate in live weekly classes, which is “a key difference between us and other distance programs,” said APHA member Daniel Perales, DrPH, MPH, coordinator of the university’s MPH Distance Education Program. During the live online classes, students can raise their hands by clicking on an emoticon, chat with each other and even move into virtual breakout rooms to work on group presentations. The program has graduated about 85 students since it began in 2007.

“It’s fun and students don’t feel so alone,” Perales said. “The technology allows us to have the essence of what we do in the classroom.”

The great benefit of online programs is the ability to bring public health education to those who would otherwise have no access, which has the “potential to really improve public health practice across the country,” said Kaye Bender, PhD, RN, FAAN, who teaches online courses for the University of Mississippi’s School of Nursing and is chair of APHA’s Education Board.

When considering online public health education, Bender said people should first check whether the program is accredited. Potential students should also seek advice from former professors as well as peers — “somebody who can give them honest advice about their learning styles,” she said.

“Students need to do the same kind of homework when considering an online program as they would if they were going to a bricks-and-mortar school,” Bender said.

For Divia Forbes, MPH, going the online route meant she could continue to work and take care of her family and ailing parents. She began her master’s of public health studies at age 48 at Walden University while she was already working at CDC. Going to school online meant she could turn around and put lessons into practice right away. Today, Forbes is a CDC public health analyst focusing on tuberculosis.

“I knew I wanted to do more in public health and pursue a degree but because (of family issues), my education took a step backward,” she said. “But once I learned there was online education, I thought, ‘I can do this.’”

To learn more about online public health education, visit [www.asph.org](http://www.asph.org). For more information on accredited public health programs, visit [www.ceph.org](http://www.ceph.org).

*   Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association