Características y contenido de los programas de Magíster en Salud Pública en Chile

Abstract

Background: In Chile, public health training grew both in enrollment and in the number of universities offering programs on the subject. Aim: To compare the academic characteristics and the contents of the master's programs in public health offered by Chilean universities. Material and Methods: A search of all master's programs that include the word "public health" in their title was made, excluding those that did not declare current students in 2020. The academic characteristics and content of each program were compiled according to the information declared by each university. The contents were grouped according to the list of core competencies for the public health professional of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER). Results: Eleven programs were included, most of them are carried out in face-to-face modality. The academic load is expressed in Transferable Credit System credits (62-71), credits (87-125) or teaching hours (1252-2048). All programs declare to have a graduation activity, with a heterogeneous academic load. All programs have basic subjects in epidemiology and more than 60% include introductory topics in public health, research methodology, and health services management. No program declares demography or food safety as compulsory subjects. Conclusions: There is heterogeneity in the academic load and the contents between the programs. It is necessary to establish common criteria in the training of future public health professionals, at least in the compulsory subjects and the minimum academic load.