The dual Master of Arts in Applied Psychology and Master of Public Health provides broad-based scholarship on health-relevant behaviors, as well as program development, evaluation, and research skills that are applicable in a wide range of public health settings.

Offered jointly with the School of Community and Global Health, this distinctive track of study explores how social science knowledge, concepts, and methods—particularly in applied psychology—impact public health practice. Students earn both an MA in Applied Psychology and an MPH, giving them the necessary expertise to conduct research concerning behavioral risk factors and to evaluate behavioral interventions to improve health outcomes among diverse populations. With emphasis in both research and practice, the program explores the political, historical, economic, and social dimensions of health promotion and health services delivery. You’ll be guided by leading faculty-scholars from the social sciences and public health sectors toward this specialized degree.

Program Highlights
  • Curriculum and graduate seminars provide students with the theoretical, methodological, and practical experience to pursue careers in academia or in a range of high-level research and consulting positions.
  • Proximity to local health departments in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties offers employment and educational opportunities.
  • Classroom discussion and projects use the latest technologies to enhance learning and presentation skills, including in-class multimedia lectures and demonstrations.
  • The SCGH Student Association provides opportunities for leadership and impact through community service, dialogue, and special events.
  • The Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences offers a certificate program and professional development workshops in evaluation and applied methods for those seeking continuing education.

Program at a Glance

UNITS
76 units

ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME*
2.5–3.5 years

*Actual completion times will vary and may be higher, depending on full- or part-time course registration, units transferred, and time to complete other degree requirements.

COURSES BEGIN
Fall | Spring

DIVISION
Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences
School of Community & Global Health

DEGREES AWARDED
MA in Psychology, Master of Public Health

Featured Courses

PSYCH 350V
Health Behavior Program Development

Considers various health behaviors that can be potentially targeted for change and reviews approaches to intervention and program development.

PSYCH 351q
Applied Developmental Psychology

Examines the applications of developmental theory and research to contemporary social issues that impact the healthy development and well-being of children and families.

PSYCH 308C
Applied Multiple Regression

Explores bivariate and multivariate correlation and regression with an emphasis on applications of multiple regression to data analysis.

CGH 310
Foundations of Global Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding key public health challenges that transcend local and national boundaries and require collaborative solutions.

CGH 314
Emerging Chronic & Infectious Diseases Worldwide

Provides an overview of the causative factors and demographic distribution of the major chronic and infectious diseases in the world, focusing on epidemiologic concepts, methods, and research design.

CGH 308
Foundations of Program Planning

Develops skills for assessing community needs for health promotion; preparing written measurable health promotion program objectives with associated methods for achieving those objectives; designing health promotion program action plans that include implementation schemes; and evaluation strategies for measuring health program process, impact, and outcome effectiveness.

Areas of Concentration

 

Clinical Experience

Gain practical, hands-on experience in public and community health through a required internship at one of many agencies and organizations, such as:

Featured Research

Action Plans & Memory Consolidation: Reducing HIV Risk in Drug Users
CGU students and faculty in the School of Community & Global Health are conducting an ongoing study that experimentally evaluates short-term prospective effects of new interventions on preventive behaviors (condom use and HIV/hepatitis testing) and underlying basic processes in a large sample of drug offenders. Drawing on a large body of basic research on memory, decision making, and neural systems, the project seeks to discover whether cognitive science interventions show superior effects on preventive behavior over more traditional interventions.

Faculty & Research

  • Stewart I. Donaldson profile image

    Stewart I. Donaldson

    Distinguished University Professor
    Executive Director, Claremont Evaluation Center
    Executive Director, The Evaluators' Institute (TEI)

    Research Interests

    Positive Organizational Psychology, Health/Well-Being & Positive Functioning Across Cultures, Program Design & Re-Design, Culturally Responsive Theory-Driven Measurement & Evaluation

    Affiliated with

    Claremont Evaluation Center

    The Evaluators’ Institute

  • Kathy Pezdek profile image

    Kathy Pezdek

    Professor of Psychology

    Research Interests

    Memory & Comprehension, Eyewitness Memory, Autobiographical Memory

  • William Crano profile image

    William Crano

    Stuart Oskamp Chair of Psychology

    Research Interests

    Social Influence, Effects of persuasive information on drug addiction and HIV/AIDS, Minority and majority relationships to health information

  • Michael Hogg profile image

    Michael Hogg

    Professor of Social Psychology

    Research Interests

    Self and Social Identity; Intergroup Relations and Group Processes; Influence and Leadership; Uncertainty, Radicalization and Extremism

  • Eusebio Alvaro profile image

    Eusebio Alvaro

    Full Research Professor

    Research Interests

    Social Influence Processes, Health Promotion, Disease Prevention & Medicine

  • Jason T. Siegel profile image

    Jason T. Siegel

    Professor of Psychology

    Research Interests

    Social Psychology, Health Psychology, Persuasion

  • C. Anderson Johnson profile image

    C. Anderson Johnson

    Professor
    Founding Dean, School of Community & Global Health

    Research Interests

    Transnational prevention of tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse, HIV-AIDS, and obesity; Community-based substance abuse prevention; Social and environmental influences on health; Community and mass media approaches to health

  • Paula Healani Palmer profile image

    Paula Healani Palmer

    Associate Professor of Community and Global Health
    Director of the PhD in Health Promotion Sciences program

    Research Interests

    Determinants of health among ethnically diverse populations; Community-based participatory research among under-served, underrepresented populations; Health of Pacific Islanders and South Asians; Technology applications for health behavior interventions; Tobacco control, mental health, disaster management, health of migrants and indigenous peoples; Maternal and child health

  • Darleen V. Peterson profile image

    Darleen V. Peterson

    Professor of Practice, Community and Global Health
    Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
    Director of the Certificate and Master of Public Health (MPH) programs

    Research Interests

    Evaluation of Health Communication Campaigns, Effects of Pro- and Anti-Tobacco and Alcohol Marketing; Public Health Education Accreditation

  • Kim D. Reynolds profile image

    Kim D. Reynolds

    Professor

    Research Interests

    Nutrition and physical activity, Health promotion and disease prevention, Diabetes and obesity

  • Alan Stacy profile image

    Alan Stacy

    Professor
    Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs

    Research Interests

    Application of theories and methods of human memory; Cognitive neuroscience and social cognition to health behavior: etiology, prevention, and media effects; Translation of basic research to field research, high-risk populations, and prevention; Validation issues in assessment

  • Bin Xie profile image

    Bin Xie

    Professor of Community and Global Health
    Director of the Applied Biostatistics (MS) program

    Research Interests

    Obesity prevention; Tobacco control; Diet, physical activity, body image in adolescents; Psychological adjustment to obesity; Diabetes and cancer; Application of statistical analysis in prevention research

Where You Can Find Our Alumni

Request information about the Applied Psychology | Public Health program

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Regina Burch

Assistant Director of Admissions
T: 909-607-9421
E: regina.burch@cgu.edu

Brittany Galvez

Assistant Director of Admissions
T: 909-607-6728
E: brittany.galvez@cgu.edu