Graduate Certificate in Maternal and Child Health

Public health students who complete the Maternal and Child Health Graduate Certificate (MCHGC) will understand how the health of women, children, and families is impacted by several factors, including public health efforts, applicable policies, availability of resources, the health practices of individual groups, and the social determinants of health. Furthermore, they will learn how to effectively identify and use data to determine needs and positively affect those needs, and evaluate the effectiveness of public health interventions. Collectively, the MCHGC will allow students to gain the skills necessary to be effective leaders in the maternal and child health workforce and field.

Because four of the five MPH foundational core courses are required by or prerequisite to this MCHGC program, most MCHGC students are also MPH students or graduates. MPH students may apply to enter the MCHGC program upon entry into their MPH program or anytime thereafter, however, students hoping to earn the MCHGC certificate should gain entry into the program before taking the MCHGC core courses and applied practice experience.

While most students who complete the MCHGC program are public health graduate students, specifically students completing the MPH degree, maternal and child health leaders will come to the program from a variety of disciplinary areas, including but not limited to pediatrics, nutrition, nursing, psychology, counseling, social work, family, self-advocacy, etc.