Why Community Health & Humanities @ Memorial?

The goal of the Division of Community Health & Humanities (CHH) in the Faculty of Medicine is to promote health and improve the quality of life in society by developing an understanding of factors that contribute to health and illness, building the capacity to create change, creating "new" knowledge, sharing and engaging in research in and with the community, and serving as a resource for the community. Programs in Community Health and Humanities draw from several disciplines including economics, epidemiology and biostatistics, health policy, history, medical ethics, public health, and the social sciences. The programs embrace the values of social justice and equity, community engagement, inclusiveness, respect for diversity, and appreciation of different types of evidence.

Graduates of the community health and humanities program will have skills and knowledge in health promotion, health care systems and policy development, research ethics, research methods, and the factors that contribute to health. They are able to critically appraise and use evidence to develop and implement interventions, and conduct research with an interdisciplinary team.

The Faculty of Medicine supports a visiting speaker program, teaching assistant (TA) opportunities, internal awards and scholarships, administrative staff support and the Office of Research & Graduate Studies dedicated to medicine graduate student matters. The Health Sciences Library is located in the Health Sciences Centre, adjacent to the Faculty of Medicine.

Description of programs

The Division offers the following thesis and non-thesis based graduate programs:

• Graduate Diploma in Community Health (non-thesis)
  
  
• Master in Community Health (thesis) – MSc (Med)
  
  
• Doctorate in Community Health (thesis) – PhD
  
  
• Master of Health Ethics (thesis and non-thesis) – MHE
  
  
• Master of Public Health - Population and Public Health Stream (non-thesis) – MPH
  
  
• Master of Public Health - Nutrition and Dietetics Stream (non-thesis) – MPH
  
  
• Master of Applied Health Services Research (thesis) – MSc (Med)

The graduate diploma is a course-based program. There is no thesis requirement and students complete 5 courses and 2 seminars. The diploma program may be attractive to students hoping to expand on their current skill set in the community health arena or wishing to learn about community health in general.

The MSc (Med) is thesis-based and designed to be completed in two years of full-time study. Students accepted to the program who surpass minimum academic requirements and are enrolled in full-time studies in the Faculty of Medicine are granted a minimum stipend for two years. Students will generally complete required coursework within the first year and execute the majority of their research thesis preparation in the second year of their degree.

The MHE program is designed to be completed in four semesters of full time study, and consists of three options: 1) thesis, 2) non-thesis, capstone project, and 3) non-thesis research papers.

The MPH program has two streams:

• The Nutrition/Dietetics stream involves courses, a research project, and an internship, and can be completed in two years of full-time study.
• The Population/Public Health stream involves courses and a capstone research project or practicum and can be completed in one year of full-time study. It is also available on a part-time basis.

The PhD program is thesis-based and designed to be completed in four years of full-time study. Students accepted to the program who surpass minimum academic requirements and are enrolled in full-time studies in the Faculty of Medicine are granted a minimum stipend for four years. Students will generally complete required coursework within the first 1-2 years and execute the majority of their research thesis preparation in the latter years of their degree. All PhD students at Memorial University are expected to complete their comprehensive exams by the seventh semester of study.

Contact a faculty supervisor

The Community Health & Humanities graduate thesis-based programs require research project supervision by a primary graduate supervisor, or through a co-supervision arrangement. Interested applicants are strongly advised to connect with a potential faculty supervisor prior to application. Visit the Community Health & Humanities website for a list of faculty members to search their key research areas of interest. You may also use the Yaffle search application to find a potential supervisor. Please note that acceptance to this program is very competitive.
The School of Graduate Studies offers advice on how to search for and contact potential supervisors. Need more help? Try attending one of our webinars and information sessions for prospective graduate students.

Minimum admission requirements

• Diploma – undergraduate degree from a university of recognized standing with a minimum average of 75% over the last 2 years of full-time study

• MSc (Med) – Bachelor's degree (minimum second class) in an appropriate area of study

• PhD – Master’s degree in an appropriate area of study

Application deadlines

Application deadliness to the Community Health & Humanities programs vary:

• January 15 – Community Health & Humanities (diploma, MSc & PhD), MPH (Population/Public Health stream) for Fall admission
• February 1 – MHE and MPH (Nutrition/Dietetics stream) for Fall admission
• March 1 – Applied Health Services Research (MSc (Med))

Applicants must hold a superior academic record and be accepted by a faculty supervisor(s) within the Faculty of Medicine.

Potential career options and outcomes

Students graduating from this program can expect to find employment within the governmental public health system at the local, national, and international level as well as the non-governmental sector. Students may work as academic faculty members (university, college or private institution) research assistants, coordinators, program planners, health promotion specialists, consultants, or find employment in managerial level positions.

Note: All figures are in Canadian dollars and subject to change. Fees are approved by the University’s Board of Regents. In the event of a discrepancy between the fees approved by the Board and those published on this website, the fees approved by the Board will prevail. Financial policies are enforced through the Department of Financial and Administrative Services. For the complete and official list of all fees and charges, visit www.mun.ca/finance/fees/.