MPH Curriculum

The curriculum for the MPH degree is competency-based in order to comply with current national efforts to improve the quality and accountability of public health training programs. The Graduate Program in Public Health faculty developed the required MPH Core Competencies, using the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) Master’s of Public Health Core Competency Development Project as the starting point.

To ensure that all students have a broad understanding of the basic areas of public health, every student is required to complete all MPH Core courses satisfactorily. Students receive training in the five basic, discipline-specific, competency areas of public health:  biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, health policy and management, and the social and behavioral sciences.  Students also receive core competency education in informatics and communication, professionalism, systems thinking, research methods, and problem solving.  The Evaluative Sciences, Public Health Practice, and Community Health concentrations have concentration-specific competencies.  The Program’s success in transmitting the competencies to students is measured before and after completion of the Program (Orientation and Graduation Competency Assessments), as well as before and after each Core course (Pre/Post Course Competency Assessments).  A table with the complete list of MPH Core and Concentration Competencies is on the Graduate Program in Public Health website.  

MPH Core (24 credits)

HPH 500   Contemporary Issues in Public Health (2 credits)
HPH 501   Introduction to the Research Process (2 credits)
HPH 506   Biostatistics I (2 credits)
HPH 507   Biostatistics II (3 credits)
HPH 508   Health Systems Performance (3 credits)
HPH 514   Epidemiology for Public Health (3 credits)
HPH 516   Environmental & Occupational Health (3 credits)
HPH 523   Social & Behavioral Determinants of Health (2 credits)
HPH 562   Data Management & Informatics (2 credits)
HPH 563   Cost Benefit & Cost Effectiveness Analysis (2 credits)

MPH Culminating Experience (6 credits)

HPH 580   Practicum (3 credits)
HPH 581   Capstone Seminar: Population Health Issues  (3 credits)

MPH Concentration (15 credits)

For more information please click on the specific concentration.
Community Health
Evaluative Sciences
Public Health Practice (Management Focus)

Total Credit Hours for MPH Program (45 credits)

In addition to the MPH program, the Graduate Program in Public Health offers a variety of combined and concurrent degree programs. For more information, click here.