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Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Heritage Hall, Athens, OH 45701
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D.O./M.G.H.

Dual-Degree Programs

Master of Global Health

Students admitted to the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine are eligible to apply to the D.O./M.G.H. program. This dual degree program is designed for medical students interested in developing skills to work with multicultural, low resource, and vulnerable populations. Graduates with a D.O./M.G.H. can take a broad range of career paths including permanent or temporary involvement in groups such as Doctor’s Without Borders, Partners in Health, WHO, CDC and similar organizations. This dual degree also provides a focused competency to physicians working with immigrant/migrant populations.

Students applying to the D.O./M.G.H. program must also meet the admissions requirements for the M.G.H. program at Ohio University. All applicants must submit an application to the Office of Advanced Studies (OAS), which will be evaluated by the Heritage College Advanced Studies Advisory Committee (ASAC) and the MGH Admission Committee. The prerequisites for the Master of Global Health, as part of the dual degree, are the same as those for the Heritage College.

Students in the D.O./M.G.H. program will complete the majority of the M.G.H. courses during the third year of the five-year program while enrolled solely in the College of Health Sciences and Professions. However, students in good academic standing may take one MGH course in the second semester of the first year and in each semester of the second year of medical school. Students in the fourth and fifth years of the dual degree program are enrolled full-time in the Heritage College, but time will be available during those years for the M.G.H. practicum experience.

Following admission to the D.O./M.G.H. program, students will meet with the OAS and an assigned faculty mentor, to map out a sequence of courses and create an individualized development plan for their dual degree. Course work is subject to change, based on course availability and satisfactory student performance.

Curriculum and program structure

For current information on the curriculum of the M.G.H. program, visit the College of Health Sciences and Professions Master of Global Health web page.

The curriculum includes a series of online classes and a scholarly project that requires an in-depth focus on working in low resource areas. The project can involve designing and implementing community based programming or global health research. Students can take advantage of a variety of global health experiences throughout the five year curriculum.

The M.G.H. requires a total of 38 credit hours, of which 21 are core curricular, 5 are devoted to the scholarly project (IHS 6932) and additional 12 are electives. The core courses are:

  • IHS 5210 Fundamentals of Global Health (3 credits)
  • IHS 6210 Globalization and Health (3 credits)
  • Research Methods (3 credits)
  • IHS 5222 Comparative Health Systems (3 credits)
  • HLTH 5120 Global Health Programming (3 credits)
  • IHS 5521 GH Research and Service (3 credits)
  • IHS 6931 Scholarly project prep course (3 credits)

Electives can be selected from collaborating OHIO graduate degree programs including African Studies, Communication and Development Studies, International Development Studies, Latin American Studies, Linguistics, Modern Languages, Nursing, Political Science, Public Health and Public Administration. Up to 9 credits from the medical curriculum can count towards electives.

A sample of activities along the five years of the D.O./M.G.H. is the following:

MGH Dual Degree Curriculum 2020

Application Process

Students wishing to participate in the dual degree D.O./M.G.H. must submit their application by Jan. 15 of their first year in medical school.

D.O./M.G.H. Program Application

Applications are reviewed by faculty from both colleges. Candidates seeking admission are evaluated based on academic and personal accomplishments, emphasizing demonstrated leadership, managerial potential, motivation and capacity to pursue a rigorous management graduate program. Professional development, diversity of background and outside interests, depth of self-appraisal and commitment are especially valued. Students will be notified of their application status in March.

Upon acceptance to the dual degree, admission to the M.G.H. will be deferred until completion of the second year of medicine, and will be contingent upon remaining in good academic standing while in medical school. Accepted students will meet with the director of the Office of Advanced Studies to create an individualized development plan for their dual degree program.

Disclaimer

The D.O./M.G.H. program guidelines are continuously updated and are subject to change based on university or program recommendations and policy requirements.