The Zilber College of Public Health offers a Certificate in Maternal and Child Health (MCH). The satisfactory completion of a sequence of courses will lead to a certificate in this national and global growing area. Preparation includes development of a strong foundation in MCH policy, programs, advocacy and interventions, and program planning and evaluation among other skills.

Admission Requirements

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines vary by program, please review the application deadline chart for specific programs. Other important dates and deadlines can be found by using the One Stop calendars.

Application

  • Students wishing to obtain this certificate must declare their intention by applying to the program office or director.
  • All graduate certificate applicants—even those already enrolled in a UWM graduate program—must apply to the Graduate School through the Panthera Admission Application.
  • Graduate degree and previously admitted graduate non-degree students who decide to pursue a certificate program must submit the Panthera application before completing 6 credits in the certificate sequence.
  • Applicants must possess a baccalaureate degree and have a minimum 2.75 cumulative undergraduate grade point average to be admitted into a certificate program.

Credits and Courses

The certificate in Maternal and Child Health consists of 17-18 credits, with the following courses (or equivalents) required:

Required Courses
PH 730Overview of Children with Special Health Care Needs3
PH 790Field Experience in Public Health1-2
PH 820Maternal and Child Health Foundations, Policy and Practice3
PH 830Leadership and Advocacy in Maternal and Child Health1
PH 831Community Engagement and Participatory Research Approaches in Public Health3
Electives (see table below)6
Total Credits17-18

Electives  

Content Electives
Select one of the following courses:
PH 708Health Systems and Population Health3
PH 725Theories and Models of Health Behavior3
PH 752Public Health and Mental Health3
PH 781Public Health Administration3
SOC WRK 630GFamilies and Poverty3
SOC WRK 771Development of the Family Over the Life Span3
SOC WRK 774Trauma Counseling I: Theory and Research3
SOC WRK 932Theories and Research on Behavior Change3
NURS 708Global Maternal and Child Health: From Evidence to Action3
NURS 763Issues in Women's Health and Development3
ED PSY 640GHuman Development: Theory and Research3
Applied Methods Electives
Select one of the following courses:
PH 702Introduction to Biostatistics3
PH 704Principles and Methods of Epidemiology3
PH 726Community Health Assessment3
PH 727Program Planning & Implementation in Public Health3
PH 728Program Evaluation in Public Health3
PH 729Survey Research Methods in Public Health3
PH 777Quantitative Research Methods for Public Health Policy3
PH 779Public Health Policymaking and Policy Analysis3
GEOG 726Geographic Information Science4
SOC WRK 750Social Welfare Policy Development and Implementation3
Other courses as approved by advisor.

Some of the courses required for the certificate (e.g. PH 704) may have prerequisite or other requirements that are not counted in the 17 credits. Additional MCH population focused electives may be allowed with permission from the program director.

Field experience (PH 790) requirements may vary based on student’s background program, prior experience in MCH and permission from the program director. Students in the certificate program with two years of MCH public health experience in a government or non-profit setting will complete a one-credit practicum for 80 hours, while students with no experience will have a two-credit practicum, for 160 hours.

Additional Requirements

Transfer Credit

A minimum of 15 credits must be taken at UWM. Transfer courses to the MPH program do not double count for the certificate program. Relevant certificate course work may be applied towards the MPH degree.

Grade Point Average Requirement

A minimum cumulative 3.00 grade point average in certificate courses taken at UWM is required.

Articulation with Degree Programs

  1. Credits and courses required for a certificate may double count toward meeting UWM graduate degree requirements subject to the following restrictions:
    • Degree programs must approve the courses from certificates that can double count toward the degree.
    • All credits taken in completion of certificate requirements may count towards a UWM graduate degree as long as they do not contribute more than 90% of the total credits needed to obtain the degree. (Note: Students in PhD programs must still complete the minimum residency requirements)
    • Certificate courses used toward meeting degree requirements must be completed within the time limit for transfer credit.
  2. Courses completed for a degree may be counted toward a subsequent certificate, subject to all certificate policy requirements.
  3. A course may count toward no more than one certificate and one degree.
  4. Students may not earn a certificate subsequent to a concentration in the same area.

Time Limit

Certificate program time limits shall be established as follows:

  • 18 or fewer credits/Three years from initial enrollment in the certificate sequence.
  • 19 or more credits/Four years from initial enrollment in the certificate sequence.

For certificates that are designed as add-ons to degree programs and are awarded concurrent with the degree, the time limit shall be the same as that of the degree program.