Appendix D: Recommended electives for the MPH degree

Students are expected to use their electives in a thoughtful way to strengthen their programs and are encouraged to consult with their advisors for this purpose. In addition to those offered in the college, there are many appropriate electives elsewhere in the university. 

Please note the following points:

1. Any graduate course in the university is a potential elective, subject to two conditions:
   1. The student’s ability to meet the course prerequisites.
   2. If not on a student’s curriculum guide as a pre-approved elective, the course must have faculty advisor’s approval that it contributes to the degree program. An elective approval petition form (found in Appendix J) will need to be submitted by the student which will then be electronically routed to their advisor for review.
2. Some courses that appear to have relevant titles are in fact not appropriate, which is why they are not listed. Generally, this is because the course is at a lower level than similar offerings in the college.
3. Courses numbered below 6000 may have mixed graduate and undergraduate enrollment. As a general rule, the lower the class number, the larger the class size is likely to be (e.g., 1000s are likely to be bigger than 4000s, etc.) If these courses or sections of these courses are listed in the schedule of classes for undergraduate credit only, then they cannot count toward the MPH. The restriction usually means the instructor will be a teaching assistant rather than a regular faculty member, and thus graduate students are not permitted to enroll.
4. Students are responsible for checking whether there are any prerequisites for a course and obtaining any necessary permission to enroll. It sometimes happens that the registration system will not permit students to enroll in a course for which they have met the prerequisite. This is usually because the prerequisite was taken somewhere other than Ohio State, and students will need to provide evidence to the department offering the course to obtain permission to enroll.

Departments may change the terms in which courses are offered from time to time, so it is necessary to verify the actual offerings each term by checking the online schedule of classes.