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Degree Division
Clinical Public Health Division
Program Contact
Melissa Graham

Program Description

Similar to the MPH Family and Community Medicine (FCM) degree program, the Advanced Standing option is designed for family physicians at the frontline, identifying emerging public health problems and promoting healthy lifestyles, who are looking to enhance their knowledge of public health and system leadership.

The MPH FCM-Advanced Standing consists of a set of core courses and practicum that provide a solid grounding in public health, building on skills and knowledge acquired during medical training. This MPH will give family physicians knowledge and skills that could be employed in future professional work related to public health. The degree will also assist learners in becoming more effective educators, scholars, and leaders in their respective clinical areas.

Program Length

12 months full-time, up to 6 years part-time

Target Audience

The MPH FCM-Advanced Standing option is geared towards physicians who have acquire significant competence in concepts relevant to public health during their medical training, including medical students/graduates from Canadian medical schools, or those who have otherwise obtained a license to practice medicine in Canada.

Program Goals

  • Train family physicians and other primary care practitioners to optimize their impact on the health of their communities by applying public health-related knowledge and skills to the individuals, families, and communities that they serve;
  • Provide opportunities for learners to develop skills in primary care leadership and scholarship.

Program Objectives

Graduates are expected to play a leadership role in their professional practice environments. MPH FCM-Advanced Standing will allow learners to:

  • Understand how Canada’s health system is organized, how it is implemented and how it compares to other countries;
  • Identify process for quality improvement in current health care;
  • Demonstrate an appreciation for health care resources stewardship and skill in interprofessional collaboration;
  • Apply learned theories to local and global health care work;
  • Provide leadership in best practices in primary care, including technology, and resources to primary care colleagues and public health officials.

Career Opportunities

This degree will prepare primary care practitioners to increase their teaching, scholarly and leadership opportunities and effectiveness. Our graduates are leaders in a range of settings in academic institutions and public health agencies addressing a broad array of health related issues related to primary care.

Admission Requirements

MPH-Advanced Standing students are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) and should hold an appropriate bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a recognized university with at least a mid-B average in final year of the degree, or in the last 5.0 full course equivalents completed at a senior level. Proof of English Language Proficiency is required (See below).

Minimum Admission Requirements for MPH Family and Community Medicine – Advanced Standing

  • provide evidence of completion, in good standing, of the public health curriculum of an accredited Canadian medical school and/or meet the required examinable competencies of the Medical Council of Canada.

International applicants

No applicant will be admitted without evidence of English Language Proficiency (ELP).  As per the policy of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), the following applicants do not have to provide direct supporting evidence of ELP in the application.

  • A Canadian citizen who studied at a Canadian university where instruction is in English or French;
  • Any applicant who has obtained a qualifying undergraduate from an institution that is recognized by the University of Toronto, and where the language of instruction and examination is uniformly English.

If either criterion above is satisfied, the application can be submitted without test scores or other proof of ELP.  The ELP requirement will be waived, in the online system, when the application is reviewed.

Otherwise, an approved test of English Language Proficiency must be submitted at the time of application.  Scores must meet the minimum requirements set by SGS and must be valid (taken within 2 years of submission of the application). See SGS website for details.

Applicants who studied outside Canada must consult the School of Graduate Studies website to determine whether evidence of ELP can be waived. The SGS website lists those countries where university instruction in English will be recognized without further documentation. Click here for more information.

The SGS website also has an international degree equivalency tool that may be consulted to determine minimum admission requirements for graduates from recognized institutions outside Canada.  Admission eligibility cannot be determined until a complete application is submitted. We are not able to review or assess your academic record without an official application to a graduate degree program, including payment of the appropriate application fee.

Program Requirements

Students are required to complete 5.0 Full Course Equivalents (FCE) during the 12-month academic year (September to August).  The table below outlines the required courses and practicum.

Course/Practicum FCE
CHL5004H: Introduction to Public Health Sciences 0.5
CHL5603Y: Social, Political and Scientific Issues in Family Medicine 1.0
CHL5622H: Patient-Related Health Care and Public Policy in Canada 0.5
CHL5624H: Historical, Ethical, and Philosophical Foundations of Public Health 0.5

One research methods course selected from the following list:

CHL5601H: Appraising and Applying Evidence to Assist Clinical Decision-Making

CHL5605H: Research Issues in Family Medicine/Primary Care

CHL5613H: Leading Improvement in the Quality of Health Care for Community Populations

CHL5616H: Applied Survey Methods for Health Care Professionals

0.5

CHL6013H: Required MPH Advanced Standing Practicum 0.5
Electives 1.5
TOTAL 5.0

Practica

The MPH FCM-Advanced Standing degree required practicum provides an opportunity for learners to apply and reflect on the theory and knowledge gained in coursework by engaging in new academic projects, publications, proposals or program development in public health related endeavours.  The focus of the public health practicum is on the promotion and protection of the health of people and communities in the sphere of where they live, work and play. Learners are required to spend a minimum of 160 hours involved in an appropriate practicum to earn the 0.5 FCE credit. A short (CHL6011H) or long (CHL6012Y) extension practicum can be added to the required practicum.

Electives

Students are encouraged to take elective courses that will enhance their learning experience and/or provide focused study on a particular topic.  Please check the PHS timetable for a list of courses available each academic year.  If you have any questions about the appropriateness of a course, please speak with the MPH FCM-Advanced Standing Program Director.