Oct 12, 2024  
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Public Health Certificate


Return to: 8000 School of Public Health  

The Graduate Certificate in Public Health (GCPH) is a 16-credit hour program of study. The content includes three core courses taught in the Master of Public Health degree program and two electives. All courses have been specially designed and developed for students currently working in public health or related field who seek to maintain, upgrade, or advance their public health knowledge and skills.

The Graduate Certificate in Public Health will offer strong foundations in public health theory, research, and practice, for example:

  • Community Health Practice and Research
  • Program Planning, Management, and Evaluation
  • Human Communication
  • Health Promotion and Education
  • Environmental Health
  • Health and Human Rights
  • Health Policies

Certificate Requirements (16 Hours)


Transfer credits and the time limit on enrollment in the Graduate Certificate program

A student may apply a maximum of four (4) semester credit hours transferred from another institution or used in another graduate program toward fulfilling the GCPH requirements. Transfer credits are approved by the corresponding Department Chair that houses the Georgia State University-equivalent course and processed by the OAA. Courses must be from a CEPH-accredited program.

Credits earned at Georgia State University in either transient, non-degree, or other-Georgia State University-degree status: A student may apply a maximum of four (4) semester hours of applicable Georgia State University course credit earned prior to GCPH program admission (while taking public health courses as either transient, non-degree, or other-Georgia State University-degree or program status) toward fulfilling GCPH degree requirements. All Georgia State University credits presented for the GCPH degree must have been earned within three calendar years of the date of certificate conferral. Courses taken at Georgia State University that were applied to another Georgia State University graduate certificate or degree program may not be applied to the GCPH degree; instead, a student should seek a GCPH course waiver for these courses already applied to another Georgia State University graduate certificate or degree program. Courses must be from a CEPH-accredited program.

GCPH Course Waivers: GCPH students may be granted a course waiver for any GCPH course already completed as part of another Georgia State University graduate certificate or degree program. Students are still expected to take the minimum number of credit hours expected for the GCPH program at Georgia State University (sixteen (16) credit hours), but when granted a course waiver, the student may complete a different graduate level course (usually higher-level), substituted into their GCPH program in order to complete the total sixteen (16) credit hour requirement of their GCPH program. Waivers and course replacements are decided by the corresponding Department Chair that houses the GCPH course being requested for replacement.

Time Limits. The time limit for completing the GCPH program is three (3) years from the term of entry.

Applying GCPH credit hours to Public Health Graduate degree programs.

Students who wish to change from GCPH enrollment to graduate degree seeking status must file an application for the graduate program desired and provide all supporting documents by the appropriate deadline for the semester for which admission is sought. Further information on application procedures for admission to degree programs in the School of Public Health may be obtained from the Office of Academic Assistance: publichealth.gsu.edu/academic/apply/.

GCPH credit hours may apply to School of Public Health graduate degree programs. However, all credits, including GCPH-earned credits, presented for the Master’s degree must have been earned within six calendar years of the date of Master’s degree conferral, and all credits presented for the Doctoral degrees must have been earned within nine calendar years of the date of Doctoral degree conferral. Grades from all attempts at all Georgia State University courses that are taken at the graduate level will become part of the student’s GPA.

Required GCPH Elective Courses (6 Hours)


  • Select at least two electives in consultation with either the SPH Graduate Advisor in the Office of Academic Assistance (OAA) or a faculty mentor. Electives must be approved, in writing, by OAA and should be geared toward maintaining, upgrading, or advancing public health knowledge and skills related to the student’s current or future career. Students considering in pursuing the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at GSU should select the following courses as their GCPH electives: