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This page is for residential (e.g. MPH, MPP, MS) and non-degree (e.g. executive education) students. 

Course Enrollment Instructions for Residential Students

Prior to Adding an OOMPH Course:

  • First, check the Program Calendar to confirm the course start date. Some courses begin prior to campus courses. Some courses begin mid-semester.
  • Keep in mind that the add deadline is the Friday prior to the start of the course.
  • OOMPH 101 must be completed prior to requesting an add code, but you can take the tutorial at any time. You only need to complete the tutorial once. This tutorial is outside the CalNet suite. You will need to create a new account rather than logging in with your CalNet ID. 

Steps to Add an OOMPH Course:

  1. Students should first contact their Program Manager or Advisor to determine if the OOMPH course is aligned with their unit load, program requirements and academic & professional goals.
  2. Complete the OOMPH 101 tutorial
  3. Check the Class Schedule to see if seats are available.
  4. Complete the OOMPH Permission Number Request form  (*Please note: this form will be deactivated during the first week of instruction at the beginning of each semester.)
  5. At the beginning of the Phase 2 enrollment period (Fall/Spring), students will either receive a permission number or a reason why one was not generated (e.g. no available seats, request not approved).  After the beginning of the Phase 2 enrollment period, permission number requests will be processed on a rolling basis. (*Please note: students are encouraged to checked their spam folders for the auto-generated permission number response emails.)
  6. If a permission number is received, enroll in the requested OOMPH course no later than the Friday before the first day of instruction.  Permission numbers are set to expire 5 days after they are received.  If a student wishes to enroll in an OOMPH course after their permission number expires, they would need to submit a new request (i.e. Step 4).
  7. If the course is full but seats become available later, the permission number sheet will act as a waitlist.  Students will be offered seats in the order their requests were received.

Steps to Drop an OOMPH Course (after the start of instruction):

Note: the last day to drop an OOMPH course is five days after the start of instruction.

  1. After the start of instruction, students must first request approval to drop from the instructor. Evidence of the instructor’s approval (e.g. a copy of an email) must be uploaded to the form linked in step 2 below.
  2. Once approved, students must complete the OOMPH Late Drop Request for Non-OOMPH Students form for processing of the drop request.

Related Policies:

  • To be eligible to enroll in an OOMPH course, a student must:
    • be in good academic standing (3.0 and above)
    • have no more than two courses graded incomplete

Note: Undergraduate students are not allowed to enroll in OOMPH courses.

  • Permission numbers are required for all non-OOMPH students.  Reserve capacity is no longer being used to facilitate priority enrollment for certain programs.  Priority will now be managed through the Smartsheet.
  • Non-OOMPH students must complete the OOMPH 101 Tutorial (only once per student) before permission numbers can be assigned
  • Permission numbers will not be made available until the Phase 2 enrollment period
  • Approval from the BPH Dean of Students is required for BPH students to take OOMPH Breadth Courses
  • Approval from students’ Division is required for concentration requirements
  • Add Deadline for non-OOMPH Students: Friday before first day of instruction
  • Drop Deadline for non-OOMPH Students: 5 days after first day of instruction

If you have any questions or concerns about course enrollment, please email oomph_admin@berkeley.edu.

Understanding the online experience

Online learning is a great opportunity to customize one’s academic program around individual life needs, as well as connect with public health professionals globally. To be successful in the online environment, though, students must be prepared for an accelerated and demanding learning experience, with strict deadlines. Online students will work closely with group members in discussion forums and on term projects.

All students must complete the OOMPH 101 tutorial prior to enrolling in an OOMPH course. Students may enroll in OOMPH 101 at any time by clicking here and selecting “enroll.” There is no fee. Students only need to complete the tutorial once.

This tutorial course is divided into two parts, as follows, and both parts must be complete.

  1. Introduction to Online MPH: video & quizzes
  2. OOMPH Registration Policies: video & quiz

Pace, Workload, and Deadlines

Online MPH courses range in length from six to eight weeks of instruction with an additional proctored exam week. Note that some courses have a proctored midterm overlapping one of the instructional weeks.

Students can work at the time of day most convenient for them and are not ever required to be online at a specific time (though courses offer optional real-time office hours and other learning opportunities).  Online MPH courses are not self-paced. Students must adhere to structured schedules and strict deadlines.

In general, students have the weekend to work on assignments with final deliverables due the following Monday at midnight. However, many discussion forum activities have deadlines earlier in the week, so students are advised to plan accordingly.

Group Projects and Discussion Forums

As in the field of public health, team collaboration is a significant component of online MPH courses. Most courses include a group project due at the end of the term. Please check course syllabi to determine if the course includes a group project. Enrolling in a class with a group project signifies a commitment to working with the team throughout the term. Students have access to various digital tools to facilitate team collaboration. All courses involve discussion forum activities which require a first-level post and a peer response due at different times throughout the week. These deadlines are not optional.

Course Navigation

OOMPH courses follow a standard navigation scheme that differs from what campus students are accustomed to seeing in bCourses. Students who take more than one online course will appreciate the standardization of design. However, prior to taking the first online course, students will be required to complete an orientation that will introduce them to the course structure. Completing the orientation requires passing a quiz indicating an understanding of course navigation, layout of learning materials, and ability to identify weekly expectations and assignment deadlines.