We’ve developed COMPASS — Core Online Modules to Promote and Accelerate Student Success — to ensure you have the skills and background you need to hit the ground running on your first day of your MPH degree program.

This is a required, self-paced course that takes approximately 20 hours to complete, so we recommend getting started as soon as you have access to Digital Campus.

The MPH@UNC COMPASS course was designed with new students in mind. It will provide you with the relevant information you need to know and understand before you begin the program. It houses important content and required assignments on writing, citing, efficiently using the library and quantitative skills. You will be asked to document that you completed COMPASS during your first core course (SPHG713) and submit the quantitative skills test during your second core course (SPHG712).

You will have access to the COMPASS course in Digital Campus as soon as you receive your Digital Campus credentials (Your ONYEN must be created in order to receive access to Digital Campus). A number of resources are available in COMPASS as well, including a section introducing you to STATA, the statistical software used in Data Analysis (SPHG 711).

While you will have access to this course throughout the entirety of the program, completing the required assignments prior to the start of the first term is a program requirement. The CITI Human Subjects Training (linked in COMPASS) is required prior to the start of the second term in the program.

COMPASS includes the following modules:

We find that many students need help developing two core skills vital to success in the MPH degree program: quantitative and writing skills. These two modules are some of the longest. They will help you identify places where you can improve your skills and point you toward helpful resources along the way.

Ethics and justice are cornerstones of our MPH degree program. Additionally, leadership and teamwork are key competencies for MPH graduates. You’ll build on the topics in these modules in your first MPH courses.

Our technology orientation modules provide you with resources to help you navigate your online degree as well as free access to CITI Research Ethics certifications, which are required to do any research that involves people.

Many assignments in COMPASS are due in the first week of your first semester.*

These assignments carry points, which apply toward your final grade in the courses. We strongly encourage you to complete these assignments ahead of time; they will contribute to some of the work you’ll be asked to do in your courses, and advanced preparation will reduce your workload in the first week of classes.

*You may be asked for a COMPASS “Completion Certificate” in your SPHG 713 course. Your professor will provide a form to check off all modules, but there is no physical certificate.