The Main Public Health Association (MPHA) is dedicated to improving and sustaining the health and well-being of Maine residents, and the results are impressive: According to the 2015 America’s Health Rankings, Maine is now the 15th healthiest state in the nation, up from 20th in 2014. Significant improvements in childhood immunization rates reveal the great strides public health policy specialists and program administrators have made in recent years. In fact, up-to-date immunization rates among Maine children (19 to 35 months) increased from 68 percent to nearly 85 percent, while rates of pertussis decreased from 55 to 25 cases per 100,000 during the same period.
The MPHA advocates for evidence-based policy and prioritizes legislation based on evidence/data, organizational and partner capacity and expertise, available funding, and the political climate.
Public health officials in Main utilize a combination of advocacy, public education, community organizing, policy development, and coalition leadership to accomplish initiatives like these:
- The Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of Maine
- Let’s Go!
- Maine Youth Overweight Collaborative
- Maine Newborn Hearing Program
- Desert Visiting Nurses Program
- United Somali Women of Maine
- Diversion Alert Program
- Healthy YOU
Public health leaders, program directors, administrators, and educators, among countless others with a graduate-level education obtained through multidisciplinary public health programs, ensure that Maine’s programs and initiatives protect the state’s most vulnerable populations.
Earning a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Maine
Individuals interested in pursuing or advancing a public health career know that a post-secondary degree is a must. Although public health degrees are available at all levels, the gold standard continues to be the Master of Public Health (MPH).
The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) recognizes the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) as the sole accrediting agency for both schools of public health and public health programs in the U.S.
MPH Program Structure, Content and Competencies
Accredited MPH programs provide students with a multidisciplinary, graduate-level education that prepared them to communicate effectively across multiple audiences, identify the determinants of health and disease, apply ethical and legal principles to public health practice and policy, and work with diverse groups and communities.
All accredited MPH programs adhere to the ASPPH’s MPH Core Competency Model, which outlines the skills students should possess upon graduation. The competencies encompass five, traditional core areas of public health, as well as seven interdisciplinary/cross-cutting areas:
Traditional Core Competencies of Public Health:
- Environmental Health Sciences
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Biostatistics
- Health Policy and Management
- Epidemiology
Interdisciplinary/Cross-Cutting Areas of Public Health:
- Diversity and Culture
- Program Planning
- Leadership
- Professionalism
- Public Health Biology
- Systems Thinking
- Communications and Informatics
Admission Requirements
Admission into an MPH degree program requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Although it is commonplace for students of these graduate programs to possess undergrad degrees in healthcare administration, public administration, or in a clinical healthcare discipline, most programs accept students from a variety of disciplines, provided they have completed math, health science, and biology prerequisites.
Executive programs require candidates to possess relevant work experience and a resume for admission, while most MPH programs require candidates to possess:
- Minimum standardized test score (GRE, MCAT, etc.)
- Letters of recommendation
- Admissions essay/statement of purpose
- Minimum undergraduate GPA
Program Options
Accredited MPH programs encompass a similar core to give sufficient attention to all areas within the MPH Core Competency Model. However, the structure and design of these programs may vary to accommodate the needs and wants of today’s students:
Executive MPH Programs
Executive MPH degree programs appeal to public health professionals interested in advancing their education to pursue leadership roles. Executive MPH programs, which generally require candidates to possess some experience in public health, may offer students a number of flexible scheduling options, such as part-time programs and online study.
Online Programs
Many MPH programs offer either fully or partially online programs, thereby eliminating the need to travel to and from campus-based classes.
Accelerated MPH Programs
Accelerated MPH programs are relatively new offerings that allow students to complete their MPH in just one year through a more demanding course schedule.
Focus Areas
The core of an MPH program is rather similar from one program to the next. However, most programs allow students to customize their program to fit their personal and professional goals by choosing one or more focus areas, which encompass a handful of courses totaling between 10 and 15 credits.
Although each MPH program’s focus area offerings vary somewhat, many include the following focus areas:
Health Communication
An ecological model of health is the basis for health communication, which includes utilizing communication and marketing as strategic tools for influencing people, places, and environmental conditions.
For example, Maine public health professionals have implemented health communication as part of their Let’s Go! childhood obesity prevention program. Let’s Go! partners with schools, childcare, healthcare practices, and community organizations to reach families where they live, learn, work, and play, with the ultimate goal of reinforcing the importance of healthy eating and physical activity.
Coursework in a health communication focus area includes:
- Leadership seminar
- Social marketing
- Marketing and research for public health
- Preventing health disparities
Health Policy: Health policy involves advancing health policy education, research, and services designed to improve public health services and programs, both domestically and globally.
An example of health policy is Maine’s Community Health Promotion Program (CHPP), which works with local and state programs to help communities increase their ability to conduct community-based health promotion for all populations and settings. The focus of CHPP is on cross-cutting health promotion and social determinants and disparities in population health and comprehensive health planning and improvement processes, among others.
Coursework in a health policy focus area includes:
- Public health and law
- Global health diplomacy
- Leadership seminar
- Qualitative research methods in public health
Program Planning and Evaluation: Program planning and evaluation involves planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating programs and research aimed at health promotion and/or disease prevention.
An example of program planning and evaluation involves the members of the Obesity Policy Committee, who have been collaborating for more than a decade to improve the health and well-being of the citizens of Maine through public policy initiatives designed to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and prevent obesity.
Courses in this focus area include:
- Qualitative research methods in public health
- Researching violence against women and girls
- Social marketing
- Marketing research for public health
Global Health: Global health within public health focuses on the importance of addressing contemporary, global issues. Global health professionals work to develop, implement, and evaluate policies at the local, national, regional, and international levels.
A few examples of organizations involves in global health initiatives and programs include WHO, the Global Health Council, the United Nations, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Coursework in this focus area of public health includes:
- Global health diplomacy
- Environmental and occupational epidemiology
- Preventing health disparities
- Global health communication intervention
Job Growth Projections and Salaries for Public Health Professions in Maine that Require a Master’s Degree
It’s an exciting time to be involved with public health in Maine. Cannabis testing, food security, and disease surveillance are all hot issues right now that fall squarely within the purview of Maine’s public health professionals.
Ever since adult cannabis was legalized in Maine the duty of ensuring a relatively safe product has fallen to state regulators who rely on the expertise of food and consumer safety public health experts. Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy raised an eyebrow when biologists at Nova Analytics Labs, a state-licensed cannabis testing facility, found that over one-fifth of the cannabis samples it tested had unacceptable levels of pesticide contamination.
Right now cancer is the leading cause of death in Maine. Approximately 33% of the state’s population will eventually hear this scary diagnosis. And while this figure is grim, Maine’s public health sector is doing everything it can to mitigate the consequences.
It’s thanks to statisticians that we know what kind of cancer numbers to plan for. Social and community service program managers play a vital role in public education and connecting the people who suffer from cancer with support networks. Due to this kind of support many manage to overcome their battle with cancer, and in these cases rehabilitation counselors are standing by to help smooth the transition back into full-time work.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the following annual salaries for master’s-prepared professionals in Maine public health as of 2023:
- Social and Community Service Specialists: $71,220 – $94,830
- Social Scientists: $69,100 – $114,900
- Rehabilitation Counselors: $53,190 – $92,320
- Biological Scientists: $83,870 – $124,870
- Microbiologists: $64,230 – $115,640
- Statisticians: $81,060 – $135,960
2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures (median to 90th percentile) shown for Rehabilitation Counselors, Social Scientists and Related Workers-All Others, Epidemiologists, Biological Scientists-All Other, Microbiologists, Statisticians, and Social and Community Service Managers. 2022-2032 Job growth projections are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed October 2024.
Career Opportunities for Maine’s Master’s-Prepared Public Health Professionals
Maine is rich in opportunities for public health professionals, whether they work in health communication, health policy, global health, or program implementation and management.
Although the following job descriptions are intended for illustrative purposes only and do not guarantee employment, they do provide a glimpse into just a few of the many opportunities for master’s-prepared public health leaders in the Pine Tree State:
Director of Grant Services Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Bangor
- Responsibilities:
- Provides leadership to and overall management of EMHS Grant Services
- Partners with a broad range of constituents to identify and respond to grant development needs
- Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) in related field
- At least 10 years of experience in successful grant proposal development, writing and grants management, preferably within a healthcare setting
Program Manager, Portland Public Health, Portland
- Responsibilities:
- Oversees projects focusing on obesity prevention, tobacco cessation, lead poisoning prevention, and substance abuse prevention
- Includes program planning, program development, supervision of multidisciplinary public health professionals, grant writing, policy development, and program evaluation
- Requirements:
- Master’s degree in public health, health management, or a related field
Director of Programs and Operations, Consumers for Affordable Health Care, Augusta
- Responsibilities:
- Directs the operations and programs of an organization working to ensure that all Maine citizens can get quality, affordable healthcare
- Oversees and/or conducts external communication activities
- Requirements:
- At least eight years of combined education and experience in program management, administrative work, organizational development, fundraising, and grant writing
