Masters in Public Health (MPH) Degree Programs

Masters in Public Health Programs: Basics

Masters in Public Health, or the MPH Degree, is a professional graduate degree. It focuses on public health practice and current issues. Public health professionals may pursue the MPH to prep for their roles. Like, potential leadership career paths in public health.

You may find Master of Public Health Programs in many places. Like a school of medicine or school of public health. These programs cover emerging areas of public health. A few of these are environmental health, biostatistics, community health, and epidemiology.

Masters in Public Health Programs help prep students to make a difference. This could be at a local or global level. The goal is to find out where there are public health needs. Then, provide help through education. Or in some cases, intervention. A Master of Public Health student may learn to advocate for healthcare equity. They could learn to promote child health. Or help stop the spread of disease. Perhaps most importantly, they could learn to improve wellbeing for individuals and communities.

DID YOU KNOW? Most epidemiologists have a master’s degree in public health (MPH). Or, a related field. Some have earned a doctoral degree in epidemiology or medicine (BLS).Click To Tweet

Admission to Public Health Graduate Programs

Admission to an MPH program calls for a bachelor’s degree. Most schools also call for a minimum GPA. And you may need a certain amount of work experience in the field of public health, too.

Master’s programs usually take about two years of full-time study to earn. (Or longer, if you’re a part-time student.) They usually call for about 42-80 credits of coursework. Along with that, you may have to do a capstone or related project. This gives MPH students the chance to apply the skills they’ve learned. And in many cases, you’ll need to do an internship or practicum. This could range in length. (Many take a semester or a year.) It could be a chance to pursue real-world public health experience.

Master’s Degrees in Public Health: MPH vs. MSPH

In some countries, the MPH program is only available to physician graduates. (Like MBBS, MD, DO). Don’t have a medical degree? You could pursue a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH). Or, a Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH). In the US, this isn’t an issue. A student with an undergrad degree can pursue either the MPH or MSPH.

Master of Public Health Degree Focus Areas

Typically, the Master of Public Health degree features 5 core disciplines:

• Biostatistics
• Epidemiology
• Environmental Health
• Health Policy and Health Administration
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

Master of Science in Public Health Degree

The MSPH Degree is similar to an MPH. That said, it’s an academic degree. So, it focuses on scientific methods. Also, research in the field. If that aligns with your public health career goals, consider the MSPH.

Required MSPH coursework may be similar to the MPH. But, it’s likely to include research methods. Not just competencies for public health practitioners. Usually, you’ll need to do a thesis or research project. Extra coursework and research may call for another year of study. (Compared to what MPH graduates complete.)

Potential Master in Public Health Curriculum

Public health tends to be interdisciplinary. In other words, it includes many areas of the health sciences. Also, areas like public health policy. Expect to dive into epidemiology, biostatistics and health services. You’ll need all that knowledge to understand and address public health issues. Some subfields of public health include:

• Environmental health
• Community health
• Behavioral health
• Health economics
• Public policy, health care systems
• Insurance medicine
• Mental health
• Occupational safety
• Vaccination development
• Infectious disease control

Jordan Cooper Health Policy Professional

Expert Insight

How has earning a MSPH Degree helped you forward your career and even run for office:

Earning a MSPH in Health Policy prepared me to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and to gain the expertise necessary to run on a healthcare campaign for a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates.

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Which MPH Degree is Perfect for You?

Are you interested in scientific study? How about an administrative or educator path? That can help determine which program to pursue. Check out our sponsored listings on GradSchools.com. We’ve made it easy to fine tune your search. And you can even find MPH programs with LOW GRE required. You can review master’s programs in:

• Bioethics
• Epidemiology
• Health Education
• International Health
• Occupational Health and Safety

Bioethics

Bioethics is concerned with ethical issues in health. These may arise from advances in biology and medicine. As the field changes, policy is needed to address new issues.

Epidemiology

Epidemiology is all about how diseases spread. In this area, you’ll look at patterns and causes of health issues. Like outbreaks.

Health Education

Health education is so important today. It involves teaching about how to live a healthier life. Topics to teach include environmental health, physical health, social health, and more.

International Health

This is also known as global health. It’s a field in health care that deals with health across borders. Think, travel medicine. Or using immunizations.

Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational health involves health and safety in the workplace. It focus on preventing hazards to keep workers safe.

Choosing a Campus or Online MPH

Choosing between online programs or campus programs depends on your life. Today’s grad school often has both formats. So if you live too far to commute, distance learning may be perfect. In some instances, online study is more flexible. Especially for working professionals! After all, you just need a computer and reliable Internet. On the other hand, being on campus offers more social learning. And some students prefer to take classes in person.

Decided on the type of master’s degree in public health that’s perfect for you? You can search by location to find grad schools by city, state or country. Once on a listing, click through to request info.

Some of the choices you may find could include:

• MS in Health Education
• Master of Public Health – Public Health Services Administration
• MS in Public Health and Master of Public Health
• And many more

Accreditation

In the US, look to the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). This is an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. It accredits schools of public health and programs of public health through a formal review process. The CEPH has two corporate partners. These are the American Public Health Association (APHA). And the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). Both support efforts to further public health education.

GradSchools.com offers 317 Masters in Public Health