Prevention Science M.S.

Program Requirements

Step 1: Major in the B.A. in Health Sciences and take M.S. courses senior year

The B.A. in Health Sciences requires the completion of 60 credits in the major and 120 credits in the college (including general education requirements and electives).

In order to complete the B.A. and begin the M.S. while an undergraduate, students should take the following courses, which will “double count” towards their B.A. and M.S. degrees:

• Introduction to Prevention Science (fall semester, senior year, 3 credits)
• Applied Statistical Programming (fall semester, senior year, 1 credit)
• Social Determinants of Health (spring semester, senior year, 3 credits)
• Design for Causal Analysis (spring semester, senior year, 3 credits)
  Students must have earned an A in undergraduate research methods and statistics courses to take this class.
• Current Topics in Prevention Science (both fall and spring semesters, senior year, 1 credit each)

Any of the above courses that are 3 credits will be allowed to count towards the required three electives to complete the Health Sciences degree. Other credits may count towards general education electives. Prevention Science courses can be taken with the permission of the instructor, the director of the Prevention Science graduate program, and the chair of the Health Sciences Department. To indicate your interest in the B.A./M.S. degrees in Health Sciences and Prevention Science, you should email the chair of Health Sciences, Dr. Markey, at chmarkey@camden.rutgers.edu and the director of the Prevention Science graduate program, Dr. August at kristin.august@rutgers.edu. These courses will be charged at the undergraduate price.  Some funding may be available to support the completion of the M.S. program.

Step 2: Apply to the Prevention Science graduate program

Students should apply for admission into the Prevention Science M.S. program during the spring of their senior year.  The grades they earn during the fall of their senior year in Prevention Science courses will be weighed heavily in their application. Successful applicants will have a G.P.A. of at least a 3.3. Completion of the Prevention Science courses does not guarantee acceptance into the M.S. program.

Step 3: Complete the Prevention Science graduate program

Students who take the above courses in Step 1 while an undergraduate can follow this schedule to complete their M.S. in Prevention Science upon being accepted into the graduate program.  It is possible to finish the M.S. in one year but will take longer if students do not complete all of the above courses while an undergraduate and/or need more time to complete their final project.  Students are expected to be full-time and able to take courses during the day and engage with community organizations during regular working hours as a part of their action research project.