Culminating Experience

Gillings MPH students are approved to complete an approved thesis substitute called the Integrated Learning Experience/Culminating Experience. This experience is captured in a 3-credit 992 course taken in your final term in the program.  The Culminating Experience fulfills the CEPH accrediting agency requirement that MPH students produce a high-quality written product that is completed near the end of the program of study. In the written product, students will be assessed on their attainment of four competencies, two foundational and two concentration specific.

Students will then upload their final products to the Carolina Digital Repository (CDR)

In order to register for a 992 course, students are required to complete all practicum hours (200) and submit practicum deliverables/products PRIOR TO registering for their Culminating Experience (992) course in their final term.  Likewise, all IN (Incomplete) grades must be resolved (replaced with a permanent grade) before the beginning of the 992 course.  It is strongly recommended to have all concentration courses completed before beginning the 992 course.  If a concentration course must be taken concurrently with 992, only the following courses are approved to be concurrent with 992:

Nutrition and Nutrition/RD: NUTR 765 Nutritional Epidemiology
Health Policy: HPM 730 (PUBA 731 & HPM 745 equivalent) – Leadership & Workforce Management Strategies
Leadership in Practice: PUBH 781 – Community Engagement and Leadership in Health
Applied Epidemiology: EPID 759 – Field Epidemiology