Graduate students from any MPH concentration or MS program at FHS who may be working to improve public health in conflict settings and humanitarian emergencies are encouraged to pursue this certificate. Applicants to the certificate should have a minimum cumulative average/GPA of 85% or 3.7 at the time of application submission. 

A limited number (to be stipulated on an annual basis) of already enrolled students will be accepted each year for the certificate. Students supported by the TDR scholarship are not allowed to apply for the certificate due to the limited funds supporting their tuition. Students on other scholarships will be allowed to apply on a case by case basis. 

All interested students must inform their academic and registration advisors about their intention of pursuing the certificate upon enrollment in order to choose the electives and the practicum site accordingly. Students enrolled in the graduate program on a full-time basis must formally apply for the certificate by the first week of January of the first academic year. Decisions should be finalized by the last week of January of the same academic year and usually before the start of the Spring semester. Part-time students must formally apply by the first week of March of the second academic year.

Decisions should be finalized by the first week of April of the same academic year. 

Applicants to the certificate should meet the following criteria:

1. Interest or experience in fields of public health in humanitarian crises and vulnerable environments (Assessed through: personal statement and letters of reference).

2. A minimum cumulative average of 85% at the time of application submission.

3. Expressed commitment to improve public health in conflict settings and humanitarian emergencies .(Assessed through Interview)

At the completion of the Public Health in Conflict and Protracted Crises Graduate Certificate Program, graduates will be able to: 

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the multidisciplinary literature on conflict and forced migration from a critical public health perspective. 

2. Apply public health tools and methods in research and evaluation in refugee and other humanitarian settings.

3. Demonstrate the capacity to plan, implement and evaluate a health intervention in a variety of humanitarian contexts. 

4. Describe the ways in which conflict, forced migration and humanitarian crises shape public health program management and coordination. 

5. Demonstrate ethical conduct in dealing with populations affected by war and forced migration 

To obtain the graduate certificate, students must successfully complete a minimum 12 hours of academic credit distributed according to the graduate program s/he is enrolled in as shown in the table below. For MPH students, their practicum and ILE would both need to be focused on relevant conflict-related topics and the practicum would need to take place in either a conflict-related site or another type of site that has conflict or refugee- related activities. Students are expected to reinforce at least one competency of the certificate in the ILE project. For MS students, their thesis or project (for MS-EH students) would need to be focused on relevant conflict-related topics. 

Students should complete the 1- credit required course “Methods in Humanitarian Settings” that will be offered as the core requirement of all students. In addition students on the certificate will need to complete two out of the three relevant 3-credit courses as part of the electives requirement for the certificate for a total of 6 credits: 

• Public Health and Armed Conflict (3 credits) 
• Forced Migration and the Humanitarian Relief System (3 credits) 
• Humanitarian Engineering (3 credits) 

Payment for additional credits of electives will depend on the enrollment term and on the total number of registered credits during that term. Please see the table below. 

In addition, students on the certificate need to complete an online course from the list of relevant online courses. They must produce the certificate showing completion of that course; to secure the certificate there is a charge depending on which online course is chosen. Further information on the online courses will be sent to students accepted on the certificate. 

Degree Requirements for Each Program

Considering the currently offered electives (of 3 credits each elective course):

1 Two extra credits of electives are to be taken on top of the four credits required for the HMP concentrators and three credits are to be taken on top of the three credits required for the EPBS and HPCH concentrators

2 One extra credit of elective is to be taken on top of the five credits of electives required for the MS-EPID program.

3 Two extra credits are to be taken on top of the 3 credits of free electives required for MS-EH students following the thesis track. Two extra credits are to be taken on top of the 6 credits of free electives required for MS-EH students following the project track.