Skip to main content

Master of Public Health

Course Registration

1. Before your academic advising meeting each term:

  • Review your progress toward completing the MPH course requirements by logging in to YES and accessing your Academic Record or Degree Audit. For instructions on how to do this, see the relevant YES User Guides.
    • Note: The MPH course of study and sequence of courses is has been developed in a deliberate way to maximize competency in the core areas of public health, while allowing for flexibility to pursue individual areas of interest. Students should follow the Typical Course of Study and register for the classes in the order they are listed. Exceptions are dual degree students and those with a pre-approved modified course of study. These students should follow their individualized course of study or contact their academic adviser for guidance.
  • If  your schedule allows for electives, look over the list of Examples of Elective Courses and get advice from your academic adviser and other MPH students.
  • Research course options in YES, prioritizing required MPH courses before adding electives. Electives must meet the following criteria:
    • Must be a professional- or graduate-level course
    • No scheduling conflicts with required MPH courses (or other courses you are registered in)
    • The student must have taken any pre-requisites
    • Must enhance student’s public health training
  • ​In YES, place the courses you are interested in taking in your cart. You may place both PUBH courses, as well as courses with other course codes (such as MGT, HOD, ECON, etc), in your cart at any time during the registration process.
  • Note: At the beginning of the registration period, all MPH students have an Adviser Hold on their account in YES. This will allow you to place courses in your cart, but you will not be able to complete or finalize the registration until your academic adviser has removed the hold following your academic advising meeting. After the hold is removed, you must log back in to YES to finalize the registration.

2. During the academic advising meeting, discuss the courses in your cart with your academic adviser. They will approve your course requests, or suggest suitable alternatives. Once your academic adviser approves the courses in your cart, he or she will remove the Adviser Hold from your account in YES.

3. After your academic advising meeting, take the next steps to finalize your registrations:

  • Courses with PUBH course codes – log in to YES and open your cart to finalize the registrations for PUBH courses (follow steps in the YES User Guide for Enrollment)

Non-PUBH course registration process

  • Courses with course codes other than PUBH – students can use YES to register for courses in their own degree program (MPH students can use YES to register for PUBH courses). MPH students interested in taking a course offered by a different program or department must complete a non-PUBH course registration request form.
    • This course does not require a non-PUBH course registration request form or written instructor approval:
      • HOD 6200 Program Evaluation

      To register in this course, first verify that there are no scheduling conflicts with your other courses, then send Annie Smart an email. Students will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis.

    • Note: Once registered in a non-PUBH course, you are committed to completing the course. Unlike elective PUBH courses, dropping a non-PUBH course is not permitted, except in cases with extremely extenuating circumstances. Before submitting this form, you should discuss your workload and obligations for the term with your academic adviser and plan accordingly.

4. In the weeks before the start of the new term, verify in YES that your course registrations are correct.

5. If you have any changes to make to your registered PUBH courses, be sure to do so before the end of the drop/add period. The drop/add period is typically the first ten days of the academic term. The dates for the drop/add period are listed in YES and they can be found here.

  • To make changes to PUBH course registrations during the open registration period or drop/add period, log in to YES and follow the instructions found in the YES User Guide for Enrollment.
  • After the drop/add period, a course withdrawal requires assistance from Annie and written approval from the course instructor. A grade of W (withdrawal) will be noted on the student’s transcript next to the course if the change is requested after the course’s mid-point.

For full-time student status, a student must be enrolled in:

  • 8 or more academic credit hours during the fall and spring terms
  • 6 or more academic credit hours during the summer term

One academic credit hour represents at least three hours of academic work per week, on average, for one term.

Students registered in the following courses are automatically considered full-time students:

  • PUBH 5599 Thesis Research I
  • PUBH 7999 Thesis Research II
  • PUBH 5531: MPH Capstone ePortfolio Development Part 1
  • PUBH 5532: MPH Capstone ePortfolio Development Part 2

Students pursuing the thesis for their culminating experience take a series of thesis-related courses according to their track:

Epidemiology Track

  • Year 1 Spring: PUBH 5527-01 Protocol Devt. I (1 hr)
  • Year 1 Summer: PUBH 5530-01 Protocol Devt. II (1 hr)
  • Year 2 Fall: PUBH 5599-01 Thesis Research I (2-4 hrs)
  • Year 2 Spring: PUBH 7999-01 Thesis Research II (2-4 hrs)

Global Health Track

  • Year 2 Fall: PUBH 5527-02 Protocol Devt. I (1 hr)
  • Year 2 Fall: PUBH 5599-02 Thesis Research I (2-4 hrs)
  • Year 2 Spring: PUBH 7999-02 Thesis Research II (2-4 hrs)

Health Policy Track

  • Year 2 Fall: PUBH 5527-03 Protocol Devt. I (1 hr)
  • Year 2 Fall: PUBH 5599-03 Thesis Research I (2-4 hrs)
  • Year 2 Spring: PUBH 7999-03 Thesis Research II (2-4 hrs)

Students pursuing the thesis may receive a maximum of 10 credit hours for the sum of their thesis-related courses.

Protocol Development I and II each carry 1 academic credit hour. Thesis Research I and II carry a variable number of credit hours ranging from 2 to 4. When registering for Thesis Research I and II, you should register for the number of credit hours that most closely corresponds to the amount of time and effort you will spend on your thesis during the term.

  • 2 academic credit hours = an average of 6-8 hours of academic work per week of the term
  • 3 academic credit hours = an average of 9-11 hours of academic work per week of the term
  • 4 academic credit hours = an average of 12+ hours of academic work per week of the term

Students registered in PUBH 5599 Thesis Research I and PUBH 7999 Thesis Research II are automatically considered full-time students, regardless of the number of credit hours associated with these courses.

Students pursuing the capstone for their culminating experience take the following courses:

  • Year 2 Fall:  PUBH 5531-01: MPH Capstone ePortfolio Development Part 1 (0 hrs)
  • Year 2 Spring: PUBH 5532-01: MPH Capstone ePortfolio Development Part 2 (1 hr)

Both courses are taken in the student’s final year of MPH training and they carry a full-time course load. In other words, when registered in either PUBH 5531 or PUBH 5532, students are automatically considered full-time students, regardless of the number of credit hours associated with these courses.

Students also take 9 credit hours of additional courses in the focus area of their choosing. Both the focus area and the specific courses are reviewed and approved by the capstone adviser. This selection is made in the Spring term of the first year of training. Examples of capstone focus areas can be found here

Degree-seeking students in the MPH Program who wish to take a course offered in a different program or department must submit a non-PUBH course registration request form.

Non-PUBH Course Registration Process

Non-PUBH Course Registration Request Form

Examples of MPH Electives

Non-PUBH Course Requests Submitted by Previous MPH Students

This course does not require a non-PUBH course registration request form or written instructor approval:

  • HOD 6200 Program Evaluation

To register in this course, first verify that there are no scheduling conflicts with your other courses, then send Annie Smart an email. Students will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Before completing the non-PUBH course registration request form, review the process to register in courses offered outside the MPH Program and complete Steps 1-3 first.

In order to submit your registration request, you will need to upload two documents:

  1. Written approval from the instructor
    • This should be an email exchange between you and the course instructor, saved and uploaded as a PDF file.
    • The course instructor’s name is listed in YES and their email address can be found in PeopleFinder.
  2. Your current Sorted Courses Report
    • This is a PDF file downloaded from YES showing all courses you have taken toward the MPH degree.
    • Log in to YES using your VU student VUnetID. From the student landing page, click on Academic Record. In the Careers tab, the link to download your Sorted Courses Report is on the right side of the screen.

After completing the form, you will receive a confirmation email and your request will be sent to your academic adviser for review. Your academic adviser will review the information you provided and choose one of three options:

1. Approve. If your academic adviser approves of the course, you will receive an email notification and your registration request will be processed. Not all Vanderbilt schools and colleges have the same registration windows. The request will be processed when the registration window opens for the school or college in which the course is offered. These dates may be listed in YES and/or the Enrollment Bulletin.

Once registered, you will see the course listed in YES under Academic Record > Academic Detail. If you do not see the course listed within 7 days and you have confirmed that registration for the course is open to students from other programs, then please contact Annie Smart.

2. Request for more information. If your academic adviser requests edits or additional information, you will receive an email notification with a link to your form so that you may make the changes and resubmit the form.

3. Deny. If your academic adviser denies the registration request, you will receive an email notification and can discuss additional courses with them before using this link to submit a new registration request.

NOTE: Once registered in a non-PUBH course, the student is committed to completing the course. Unlike elective PUBH courses, dropping a non-PUBH course is not permitted, except in cases with extremely extenuating circumstances. Students should discuss their workload and obligations for the term with their academic adviser and plan accordingly.

If needed, you can save your work and return to the form by clicking on the Save and Return Later button.

Dropping a non-PUBH course is not permitted, except in cases with extremely extenuating circumstances, such as prolonged illness or parental leave. To request to drop a non-PUBH course, send an email to Annie Smart describing your situation. Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. A registration change made after the course’s mid-point will result in a “W” as a final grade in the course.

There is an adviser hold on my account preventing me from registering. What should I do?

Your academic adviser will remove the adviser hold after you have met for your academic advising meeting. If your meeting has taken place and the adviser hold remains on your account, contact your academic adviser and ask that they remove the hold.

Why won’t YES allow me to register for a course offered in another school or program?

MPH students can use YES to register in courses offered in the MPH program (i.e. courses with a PUBH course code). In order to register in a course offered by another school or program (“non-PUBH courses”), you must complete a non-PUBH course registration request form.

This course does not require a non-PUBH course registration request form:

  • HOD 6200 Program Evaluation

Written instructor approval is not required. To register in this course, first verify that there are no scheduling conflicts with your other courses, then send Annie Smart an email. Students will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Once registered in a non-PUBH course, the student is committed to completing the course. Unlike elective PUBH courses, dropping a non-PUBH course is not permitted, except in cases with extremely extenuating circumstances. Students should discuss their workload and obligations for the term with their academic adviser and plan accordingly.