The Keck School of Medicine at USC has begun accepting applications for a newly created online public health graduate program - the first of its kind at the medical school.

The program, which combines online coursework and a practicum, is set tobegin in the spring of 2013 and is the first fully online graduate program offered at the medical school.

It can be completed in two years and students receive the same degree as those who complete the program on campus.

The approach will allow the school to admit and graduate more students. It also opens up the program to working professionals and those who live out of state or in other countries, the university said in a news release.

The program was "developed to address the growing need for educated public health professionals in the U.S. and worldwide," Louise A. Rohrbach, an associate professor and director of the Masters in Public Health program, said in a statement.

Students will take core courses and choose between three different focuses, biostatistics and epidemiology, global health leadership and health education and promotion. The school has plans to add a focus on health policy in the future.

"We have developed a program with a flexible format that offers a rigorous learning experience, state-of-the-art educational technology and instructional techniques, and personalized mentorship," said Shubha Kumar, director of the online program and assistant professor of clinical preventive medicine.

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USC medical school launches fully online graduate program