Thesis or Project Option Comparison
ExDP MPH program students have the option of completing either a thesis or agency-related project.
All MPH degree program students take an applied community research course (HSERV 520) their first year to help them work through the beginning steps of their thesis or project.
In some ways the thesis and project option are similar. Both follow the same basic outline and represent a scholarly effort of high quality. Clarity of thought process is an expected measure of quality for both.
The thesis should answer a question that contributes to new knowledge and is generalizable beyond a single setting.
The project may answer a question of practical importance, or develop, test, and evaluate an intervention, curriculum, or protocol for application within a particular agency or community setting. An additional measure of quality for a project is whether it effectively contributes to meeting the goals and objectives of the agency where the project was conducted.
