Frequently Asked Questions
A partnership between the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard School of Public Health and UNICEF will produce one of the first interdisciplinary graduate programs in child protection, which will form a sub-concentration in the HSPH Department of Global Health. The curriculum will equip talented students to perform the requisite and varied tasks involved in global Child Protection. Each course will reflect current research grounded in field-based realities, taking into account the expertise of UNICEF and external child protection experts, and will incorporate a range of disciplinary approaches to practical and theoretical aspects of child protection.
Who Is Eligible?
All Master’s degree students accepted to, and enrolled at Harvard School of Public Health.
There are currently 2 types of Master’s degrees offered, and several specialty areas in each program.
- SM (Master of Science): The 80-credit and 60-credit degrees require a prior bachelor’s degree; the 42.5-credit degree requires a prior master’s or doctoral degree.
- MPH (Master of Public Health) MPH candidates are expected to have an MD, JD, or health-related doctoral or prior master’s degree plus experience.
The Child Protection curriculum is offered by the Department of Global Health and Population, but students in any of the other academic programs are welcome to register for courses.
Individual degree programs have specific requirements. For more information, please consult the respective Department’s website. More information on the degree programs offered can be found here. The Departments affiliated with each degree program are listed here. Â
Courses are open to cross-registration for students enrolled at other Harvard graduate schools, as well as those enrolled at a small number of universities in our cross-registration consortium. More information for cross-registrants is available here.
Who Should Enroll?
Any graduate student with a professional or academic interest in the issues that affect the world’s children should register. The curriculum is of particular relevance to professional and graduate students interested in Child Protection, global public health, global Child Protection policy, humanitarian action, contemporary social justice, human rights, rule of law, international development, international program management, and legal principles of international significance.
How Do I Apply to HSPH?
Application procedures and requirements are listed here.
What are the Requirements for the Child Protection Certificate?
Students who obtain passing grades in all 5 courses will be granted a Certificate in Child Protection. Each course is 2.5 credits. Enrollees interested in the Certificate are required to take each course for credit; pass/fail status is not allowed in this case. Other students are allowed to take individual courses, with either pass/fail or ordinal status, but will not receive the Child Protection certificate.
What are the Courses on Offer?
The curriculum consists of 5 courses covering Justice for Children, Child Protection in Emergencies, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Child Protection Policy, and Human Rights Dilemmas.
Where Can I Find Syllabi?
Complete course descriptions will be posted to the University course catalog by fall 2014.
For more information, please contact the course coordinator, Krista Oehlke at koehlke@hsph.harvard.edu.