Purpose:
This concurrent degree program leads to a M.A. in Asian American
Studies and an M.P.H. in the School of Public Health with a specialization
in the Department of Community Health Sciences. It is designed
to provide students with an academic interest in Asian American
Studies with a professional career path in public health. This
program will not involve the development of any additional courses
in either Asian American Studies or the School of Public Health.
Present faculty and staff resources are adequate to support this
new program.
Asian Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing population in
the United States and almost half of that population resides in
California: currently 4% of the population and predicted to be
15% by 2020. Yet the paucity of academic knowledge about these
communities, socially and medically, restricts the ability of
community health leaders to develop and define programs to meet
the increasing health needs of this heterogeneous population.
From the Asian American Studies perspective, a concurrent degree
program provides an opportunity to combine the humanist/social
science approach and theoretical constructs with the applied field
found at the core of Public Health. From the perspective of Public
Health, a concurrent degree program with Asian American Studies
offers enrichment for its students in understanding the cultural
and social influences of health conceptualizations and behavior
to enable them to develop more relevant and effective programs
for the well-being of members of the Asian and Pacific Islander
communities.
A concurrent program enhances the potential of both the School
of Public Health and Asian American Studies Center to recruit
students who are committed to combining a strong social science
and humanist background with a commitment to a professional career
in public health. The simultaneous preparation would provide these
students with unique grounding and skills that will enhance their
learning.
The School of Public Health and the Asian American Studies Center
have numerous ties with community agencies, providing health and
social services to the Asian Pacific Islander populations in the
Los Angeles areas as well as nationally. This concurrent degree
program formalizes the existing links between the Center and the
School of Public Health. This concurrent program commences in
the Winter of 1998. The first year’s students would be drawn
from the currently enrolled students who have voiced a desire
for such a program. At this time, there are 3 students in Public
Health and/or Asian American studies interested in the concurrent
program. We anticipate that there would be up to approximately
three students per year interested in pursuing this option of
a concurrent degree.
Faculty:
Several faculty in the School of Public Health are currently on
the Faculty Advisory Council for the Asian American Studies Center.
The working relationship between the two departments is well established.
Faculty teaching the courses that are offered in the concurrent
program are also available to advise the students during the course
of study in the School of Public Health as is their current practice.
To support this endeavor for the students and both degree programs,
a joint faculty committee will provide advice and mentorship to
the students. This committee will be comprised of faculty members
from the School of Public Health and Asian American Studies who
will act as advisers to students enrolled in the concurrent program.
The Committee will provide guidance on course selection and research
development, and review student progress. Marjorie Kagawa-Singer,
Ph.D., from the School of Public Health will be Program Director.
Process
of Admissions:
Students will apply separately to the M.A. program in Asian American
Studies and the M.P.H. program in the School of Public Health
but they can write one statement of purpose. Admission to each
degree program is competitive. Acceptance into Asian American
Studies does not guarantee admittance into the School of Public
Health and vice versa. Students admitted to the concurrent Asian
American Studies/Public Health Program will be required to complete
the required course work for the Masters Degree in each of the
two programs.
In the School of Public Health, students must meet all requirements
for admission: A Bachelor’s Degree with at least a 3.0 point
average (B) and a combined verbal/quantitative score of 1100 or
greater in the Graduate Record Exam. Foreign students must have
a TOEFL score of at least 560. Prior work experience in community
health or health education is strongly considered in the evaluation
of applicants for admission.
Coursework:
Each of the programs has their own requirements that must be met.
The minimum requirements for the Masters degree in Asian American
Studies are eleven (11) upper division and graduate courses. Of
that number, seven of the minimum eleven courses must be graduate
level (200 or 500 series), and three of those seven must be the
designated core courses for the M.A., 200 A-C. Additionally, three
(3) of the seven must be from designated breadth courses that
include any graduate level Asian American Studies seminar and
the following designated interdepartmental classes: Anthropology
231, Education 204D, English M260A, History 201H, Sociology 235,
261, 263 or Law M315. Three of the remaining four (4) elective
courses can be the concurrent courses taken in the School of Public
Health, and must be approved by the faculty adviser. Two courses
in the 500 series may be applied towards the 11 courses. Only
one of the two may be applied toward the required seven graduate
courses.
The School of Public Health requires that Masters students take
a minimum of eleven full courses (forty-four units), at least
six of which must be graduate courses and at least two of which
must be 400-series courses. Only one 596 course (four units) may
be applied toward the six graduate courses; 597 and 598 courses
may not be applied toward the degree. The Department of community
Health Sciences requires a total of sixty units. There are four
required school core courses (four units each) that cover the
breadth of Public Health, and four departmental core courses,
(four units each). Students must also meet the requirements for
their specialization concentrations (sixteen to twenty-eight units),
by taking elective classes. This brings the number of units to
the departmental minimum of sixty. In addition, students are strongly
recommended to take at least three courses outside their area
of concentration.
Students enrolled in the combined Asian American Studies and the
School of Public Health Masters Program will have a maximum of
12 units (three courses) allowed for concurrent credit in Public
Health and Asian American Studies. A core of 12 units for concurrent
credit is proposed rather than the usual limit of 8 units because
both programs require many more units than the University minimum
for the Masters Degree. Two of the concurrent courses would be
selected from seven courses currently being offered in the School
of Public Health. In addition, both programs require significant
fieldwork time (the internship in Public Health, 200-400 hours,
and thesis hours in the community in Asian American Studies).
The third course would be the internship/thesis hours in the community.
Therefore, the three courses for concurrent credit appear justified.
All courses for this program are regularly scheduled within each
department, and taught each year. No new assignments or additional
course load is required of the faculty.
Summary:
Students in the concurrent degree program will have access on
a competitive basis to the grants, traineeships and fellowships
that are offered in both the Asian American Studies Center Masters
Degree Program and the School of Public Health.
Having fulfilled the course requirements in Asian American Studies
and Public Health, students enrolled in the concurrent program
would be able to obtain two masters degrees without compromising
the standard requirements prescribed for each program, but all
the courses used to fulfill the overlap are Public Health courses.
Individuals with this simultaneous training will be able to apply
their knowledge of Asian American populations and their professional
skills in Public Health to contribute to the resolution of growing
health problems in these communities.
Program
Faculty:
These faculty would be available for advising, teaching courses,
serving as thesis committee members and supervising the examinations.
Marjorie
Kagawa Singer Program Director (her appointment is jointly held
between the School of Public Health and Asian American Studies)
Public
Health
Snehendu Kar
Emil Berkanovic
Donald Morisky
Steven Wallace
Social
Welfare
James Lubben, Department Chair
Pauline Agbayani-Siewert
Mitchell Maki Psychiatry
Ailee Moon
History
Valerie Matsumoto
Henry Yu
|
Anthropology
Kyeyoung Park
Geography
Cindy Fan
Economics
Wei-Yin Hu
Psychiatry
David Takeuchi
Psychology
Cindy Yee-Bradbury
Urban
Planning
Paul Ong, Department Chair |
