Tuition and Fees

Students enrolled in the program will pay graduate student tuition and fees. Click here for additional information.

Financial aid is available to students enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours.  Please contact Mrs. Vera Miles-Heath for additional information.  She can be reached at (410) 651-6172 or via email at vmheath@umes.edu.

Certificate Requirements

Students are required to complete four, 3-credit hour courses.  The required courses are listed below.  With the exception of RUHD 504, courses in the certificate program can be taken in any order. However, students must successfully complete RUHD 501, 502, and 503 in order to enroll in RUHD 504.

In order to receive the certificate, students must complete the program with an overall grade point average of 3.0 (B).  Students are allowed to make a grade of C in one course while enrolled in the program.

• RUHD 501: Foundations of Rural Health, Health Disparities, Social Inequities, and Health Behaviors (3 credits) – This course will explore the landscape of rural health in America, define key terms and topics related to rural health, explore critical issues in rural health disparities and social inequities, and introduce health behavior theories and models. It will also examine factors including cultural influences, racism, and health disparities that result in poor health outcomes within rural, medically underserved populations. (No prerequisite)
• RUHD 502: Advancing and Advocating for Rural Health Policy and Program Development (3 credits) – This course will explore today’s major rural health policy issues in historical, economical, social, and political contexts within local, national, and international scenarios. It will equip students with tools to conduct needs assessments, analyze policy as well as plan, implement, and evaluate programs through an interdisciplinary approach. Students will gain the skills for engaging rural community stakeholders. (Prerequisite: RUHD 501)
• RUHD 503: Achieving Rural Health and Social Equity – Strategies for Addressing Social Determinants of Health, Contributing Factors, and Key Diseases (3 credits) – This course will examine rural health disparities, discuss the constructs and significance of social determinants of health (SDOH), assess the range of barriers and enablers that contribute to key disease states in rural areas, and explore the strategies for addressing the SDOH. (Prerequisite: RUHD 501)
• RUHD 504: Rural Health and Health Equity Capstone Project (3 credits) – The course will provide students with real-world experience that applies the content areas from the program to develop, implement, and evaluate a program aimed at addressing social inequities and achieving rural health equity as part of the capstone project. It will integrate critical thinking skills, cultural competence training, research strategies, applications of public health functions and services, as well as health behavior theories and models in a final capstone project. (Prerequisites: RUHD 501, RUHD 502, RUHD 503)