DC/MPH

Coordinated Program OVERVIEW

The UIC School of Public Health (SPH) and the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) offer a coordinated program leading to the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) and the Master of Public Health (MPH).

Programs of study leading to coordinated DC/MPH degrees are offered by each of the following SPH Divisions:

Length of Program

Full time students may complete the programs in four and one-half years including twelve trimesters of required DC course work, concurrent UIC SPH courses and one full time semester at UIC.

Admission Requirements

Students must apply to and be admitted separately to both the School of Public Health and the National University of Health Sciences Doctor of Chiropractic degree program. The policies of each program with respect to admission requirements, degree requirements, and other academic requirements are applicable.

To be considered for admission students must take the GRE, have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, and satisfy other application requirements for each institution.

Applicants must be accepted into both schools and complete the DC/MPH application available from the NUHS Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Program Manager (Barbara M. Sullivan, PhD; 630-889-6819; bsullivan@nuhs.edu).

Program Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 42 semester hours of course work at SPH as required by the specific SPH division. Students' work at UIC may qualify for up to twelve hours of elective credit at the National University of Health Sciences, depending on the specific courses chosen and applicability to the elective credit required for the NUHS DC program. Students will be required to meet all other curricular requirements of both NUHS and the UIC SPH division. Students are strongly encouraged to begin studies at both schools in the Fall term. Students receiving financial assistance or R25 tuition support will be designated as students with NUHS as the “home” school and UIC as the “host school” through an NUHS – UIC consortium agreement.

Program Goals

The goals of this coordinated program include: (1) providing students with a core understanding of the ways in which complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), chiropractic and public health work together and can be integrated for efficient and effective health care, health policy and research, (2) enhancing the educational value of each degree by coordinating respective curricula, and (3) increasing the professional impact of both degrees by developing a well-trained group of professionals capable of integrating and addressing issues at the intersection of public health and CAM.

Advising

Students in the coordinated program have an NUHS DC faculty advisor and are mentored by the NUHS EBP Program Manager as well as UIC’s Dr. Sylvia Furner, a co-investigator on the R25 grant. In addition, the DC/MPH students will be assigned a UIC SPH division specific advisor for the MPH program, take part in the UIC SPH orientation, and complete required non-credit training.