Nov 21, 2024

2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Health Equity, Graduate Certificate

Department of Public and Environmental Wellness
433 Meadow Brook Rd (map)
(248) 370-3562 • Fax (248) 364-8657
https://www.oakland.edu/shs/public-and-environmental-wellness/

► Apply Online

► Class Schedule Search

► Federal Gainful Employment Disclosure

Director:
Florence Dallo, Professor
dallo@oakland.edu

Program description

The Health Equity Certificate is designed to enhance graduate students’ and working professionals’ knowledge of the impact of social justice and social determinants of health on health outcomes.

Admission terms and application deadlines

Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review. External applicants (non-OU students) must submit the required documents to the Oakland University Graduate School by the semester deadlines listed below.

The program admits students on a rolling admissions basis allowing application submissions throughout the year

International applicants

Application requirements

Internal Applicants (current OU student):

If you are an internal applicant, to be considered for graduate admissions, applicants must submit all department requirements.

Department application requirements

Overall undergraduate or graduate GPA of 3.0
Personal statement of no more than 1000 words describing the applicant’s reasons for seeking the certificate.

The internal application form can be found on the School of Health Sciences website.

External Applicants (non-OU student):

If you are an external applicant, to be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:

Graduate Application Requirements
Additional department application requirements

Official transcripts indicating a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited undergraduate institution.
Overall undergraduate or graduate GPA of 3.0.
Two (2) recommendation forms from faculty members, supervisors, or professional mentors.
Personal statement of no more than 1000 words describing the applicant’s reasons for seeking the certificate.

Admission review and assessment

Admission to graduate school at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Oakland University’s Graduate School, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses, and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.

Academic advising

Students who are considering applying for the Health Equity Graduate Certificate may contact the Master of Public Health program director to review the application and courses requirements. Upon acceptance to the program, students are assigned a faculty adviser.

Certificate prerequisites

The Health Equity Graduate Certificate program does not require any undergraduate preparatory course work and there are no required prerequisites.

Certificate requirements

The Health Equity Graduate Certificate is awarded upon satisfactory completion of the course requirements.

Course requirements

Students will be required to create an ePortfolio to highlight their skill level and deliverables from completing the certificate.
Students must successfully complete the following core courses.

Core requirements (12 credits)

PH 5100 - Principles of Community-Based Participatory Research (4 credits)
PH 5350 - Environmental Justice (4 credits)
PH 5650 - Social Determinants of Health (4 credits)

Satisfactory academic progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good academic standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. Department requirements: An overall GPA of 3.0 (B) or higher for all coursework taken in the professional program is required for graduation, and no grade below 2.7 (B-) may be applied toward this degree. For courses graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U), no coursework graded Unsatisfactory (U) may be applied to this degree.

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related program information

Plan of study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with their assigned faculty program adviser, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the faculty program adviser and submitted by the student to Oakland University Graduate School.

Master’s and graduate certificate students must submit a department-approved plan of study by the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. Doctoral students must submit an approved plan of study prior to completion of the first year of coursework. (See the Graduate Student Responsibility section of this catalog.)

Note: Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.

Time limits
All graduate certificate students are expected to complete their degree within the time limit established by the University .