University of Sourthern California

MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH) ONLINE

Faculty-Led Trips

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Students in the USC Master of Public Health Online program are encouraged to participate in our unique faculty-led international trips (usually two weeks). These opportunities offer hands-on public health experience in clinics, government organizations, non-governmental organizations, research institutes, and in communities around the world. Students can earn course credit for the two-week faculty-led trip and, if desired, set up a practicum and extend their time in the country.

Group of people smilingThrough our expert faculty, opportunities have been made available to students to work in Costa Rica, Switzerland, India, Ghana, Honduras, Mozambique, Mexico, Chile, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Japan, and more. As an example, our course in Geneva investigates the way health is organized and administered at the global level by integrating students directly into the World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, and exposing them to the inner workings of key global health organizations.

Geneva, Switzerland

Global Health Governance & Diplomacy in Practice in Geneva at the World Health Assembly

Course Description: This course investigates the way health is organized and administered at the global level by exposing students to the inner workings of key global health organizations and integrating them directly into the World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organization. At the WHA, delegates from WHO Member States determine WHO policies for the year, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the program budget for WHO. Students will engage with the diverse organizations, consortia and networks engaged in global health, and be directly integrated into the international diplomacy processes governing health and global health funding. This course will allow students to apply the knowledge and skills from their MPH coursework to engage in and analyze global policy processes. In addition, students will interact with global health organizations in Geneva to learn about their programs and operations. This will provide students with a deeper understanding of the work of diverse organizations involved in health globally and the various opportunities for future careers in global health.

MPH Online Student Spotlight Webinar about faculty-led trips to the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland and to Costa Rica.

At the 65th World Health Assembly, Kathleen Sebelius, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, gives USC Master of Public Health students an exclusive interview on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Costa Rica

Health & Sustainable Development in Costa Rica

Course Description: The course explores how climate change, biodiversity loss, migration, sustainable development, and human rights relate to health among populations in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Global HealthThe group stays in three different locations in the country and visits local health clinics, a public health research institute, governmental public health agencies, NGOS, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the national children’s hospital, a palm oil plantation, Ministry of Health, the Panama border, and indigenous communities.