Public Health Degree Programs Offered at South Dakota State University
South Dakota State University appears in our ranking of the 10 Most Affordable MPH Degree Programs Online.
South Dakota State University offers two degrees in public health. The first is a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Community and Public Health that accepts dozens of undergraduate students every year. It includes internship opportunities for students to gain more experience as they work for organizations that include Corporate Wellness and the Sioux Falls government. Students can also join an organization called Helping Everyone Reach Optimal Health (HEROH), which allows them to work on special projects in the local community.
Undergrads need to take a class called Love, Life and Money that prepares them for the future. They learn how to budget their money, pay off their student loans, handle personal issues they face and lead a healthy life. Majors also need to take 60 credits of major courses, including Human Anatomy and Physiology, both of which feature a lab. Other courses can help them succeed in their graduate studies. Those courses include Epidemiology, Medical Terminology, Public Health Law, Exercise Physiology, Health Communication, Health Psychology and Food, People and the Environment.
The university now offers a Master of Public Health (MPH), which is a joint program with the University of South Dakota. Students can take classes online and on the campus of either university to study the five key areas of public health: biostatistics, health service administration, epidemiology, environmental health, and social and behavioral health. They need to take 11 set classes, some of which are offered by both campuses. Biostatistics for Public Health, Environmental Health, and Program Planning and Evaluation are among those classes.
Fieldwork plays a key role in the MPH program. Students can work for organizations and centers across South Dakota and make arrangements with the university to do their work in other states. They will take three courses called Public Health Applied Practice Experience, which awards them one credit per class. After doing three experiences, they can complete the Public Health Integrative Learning Experience. This requires that they spend more time in the field and helps them earn six credits towards their MPH degrees. The university allows students to take other classes there and at the University of South Dakota such as Public Policy and Addiction, Maternal and Child Nutrition, Occupational Health and Advanced Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations.
About South Dakota State University
South Dakota State University is a research and public university that also serves as the oldest university in SD. Founded in 1881, it originally used the name of the Dakota Agriculture College because South Dakota was still a territory and not a state. After it became a state, the college became the South Dakota State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, which it kept until 1964 when it adopted the South Dakota State University name. Also known as SDSU and South Dakota State, it has a West Campus and East Campus in addition to the main campus in Brookings. Several regional centers across the state offer classes for students too. SDSU now ranks as the 272nd best university in America and the 135th best public college in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
South Dakota State University Accreditation Details
Both the MPH and other degree programs available at SDSU have accreditation from the same board that awarded the university regional accreditation, which is the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The HLC affirmed the accreditation of the university for the 2019-2020 school year and will not look at its accreditation again until the 2029-2030 academic year. With HLC accreditation, students have the right to seek financial aid and use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to get support from the university and the federal government as well as the state government.
South Dakota State University Application Requirements
Undergrads can apply to SDSU anytime but need to apply by the middle of December for the university to consider them for any academic scholarships. There is also a March first deadline for students using the FAFSA to get financial aid. High school graduates need a minimum score of 18 on the ACT or 950 on the SAT. SDSU also guarantees admissions to those with a high school grade point average of 2.6 or higher and those who ranked in the top 60% of their classes. Students should send their transcripts and request that the testing board send their scores to the university after they finish the application.
SDSU has a final application deadline for its graduate school in the middle of April. It will hold any applications received after this deadline until it reviews them in the middle of October for the spring semester. Students need to apply online and pay a $35 application fee. They can then send their transcripts to the Graduate School at South Dakota State University. The minimum requirements for incoming students include a bachelor’s degree in a health or science field and immunization records that show the student received at least two vaccinations. The MPH program asks for a GRE score also.
Tuition and Financial Aid
At SDSU, undergrads pay $4,560 each semester as a South Dakota resident. Students who are children of alumni and those who qualify for the South Dakota Advantage program pay the same rate. The university offers a discount for students from Minnesota that lets them pay $4,845 per semester. Students from all other states pay $6,285 per term. Undergrads pay close to $2,600 a semester for their room and board packages and $351.25 per credit hour for online classes. MPH students pay $465.80 per credit hour. Those who work for the state government and students who take classes at regional centers pay $294.50 per credit.
SDSU has assistantships for online MPH students that allow them to take classes and get paid for their offline and online work to reduce what they owe. They need to apply for those jobs and meet certain requirements every semester. Graduate students can get loans too. SDSU undergrads qualify for academic scholarships if they apply by the December deadline and can get scholarships based on their financial needs later in the year. The university has work-study opportunities for undergrads and can award them grants and help them get loans too. Students in the public health degree programs at South Dakota State University can use external funding sources too.