Graduate Program Mission & Goals

Mission 

The mission of the CSULB Health Science MPH Program is to provide the best graduate education and training in a multiethnic and urban environment to develop highly competent professionals and leaders in community health education and public health. The program strives to afford excellence in teaching, conduct research and provide service to local, regional, national, and international populations living within the surrounding communities while making a significant contribution towards increasing health equity for underserved populations.

Values

Related to the missions of the University, College, and Department, the program espouses the following four values, which are announced to students upon admission and reinforced through course work, internship experiences, published materials and public statements. The values that guide the program represent the consensus of stakeholders, including faculty, students, and community members.

  • Collaboration: Forming collaborative partnerships is imperative to effectively addressing public health issues. The value of networking to form and maintain collaborations is fostered through the program’s education and training activities that promote effective communication and teamwork. Through collaborative activities, among faculty, students, and community engagement, public health services will be improved.
  • Equity: The program promotes and maintains an opportunity structure that fosters respect for others, treating all people as individuals, valuing each person’s points of view, and giving due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, and traditions of others. Welcoming ethnic, social, cultural, and socio-economic diversity among the students and faculty, and appreciating how diversity enriches public health work. The program focuses educational and research activities on achieving health equity through influencing health care quality and delivery, policy, prevention efforts, dissemination of health promotion information, and supporting individual self-empowerment to make sound health decisions.
  • Excellence: Among the most important values for the department is the creation of an excellent educational experience and continuously assessing performance. The criterion of an excellent education is one that covers a full range of up-to-date competencies that are essential to the effective practice of public health education. High-quality instruction is provided by instructors who are well-qualified in their disciplines and who maintain currency in public health activities.
  • Leadership: The program seeks to develop leadership skills for addressing crucial public health challenges. This value is demonstrated by the program’s faculty members, guest lecturers, and specific didactic content of the curriculum. Professional instruction in learning negotiation, team building, motivation and goal setting skills are also provided.