Master of Public Health Programs Print
The Master of Public Health (MPH) is a 48-credit degree that trains students from diverse backgrounds to practice public health. The MPH program is carefully designed to provide a broad, but rigorous foundation in the core disciplines of public health and in-depth training in the student’s chosen area of concentration with a strong emphasis on mastery of both concepts and skills that enable our graduates to be highly effective practitioners. The Core curriculum provides a solid foundation of knowledge, concepts and skills that are further refined in concentration courses in an area of study chosen by the student; these provide depth, mastery, and strong practical skills. The broad expertise of the faculty and the freedom to choose electives from over 230 high quality courses spanning the range of public health provide flexibility and enable students to customize their program of study to suit their individual career goals. Concepts, skills, and expertise are integrated and further refined through the culminating experience and a field-based practicum which the student designs or chooses from a wide array of domestic and international public health agencies. 


This integrated approach enables our students to master both discipline-specific and cross-cutting competencies in accordance with the ASPH Core Competencies and discipline-specific competencies.  

BUSPH graduates bring a well-rounded, evidence-based approach to addressing public health problems.  They are aware of the interplay of the biological, social, economic, cultural, political, behavioral, and environmental factors that affect health, and are prepared to work in a wide array of settings to address public health problems.  They critically analyze public health literature, create innovative solutions to problems in collaboration with others, evaluate program effectiveness, and present their views clearly in both spoken and written communications.  Upon completion of the MPH degree requirements, graduates are able to:
  • Identify the determinants of health and disease;
  • Estimate the burden and patterns of disease in communities in order to prioritize health needs;
  • Use systematic approaches to develop, implement, and evaluate public health policies, programs, or services;
  • Communicate effectively to promote the health of all members of our communities, especially the disadvantaged, underserved, and vulnerable;
  • Demonstrate the ability to access and use data to identify and solve public health problems;
  • Demonstrate the ability to work independently and as part of a team, and identify effective leadership qualities and practices;
  • Make decisions that reflect ethical frameworks and respect for the values, beliefs, and practices within diverse communities and cultures; and
  • Demonstrate professional knowledge and skills for effective practice in a selected field of study.
The Culminating Experience

The MPH culminating experience options provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of core and concentration-specific concepts and skills, and to integrate these concepts and skills with other disciplines in public health. At the completion of their culminating experience, all MPH students are able to:
  • Integrate knowledge acquired in their core courses, concentration courses, and practicum;
  • Draw upon knowledge and skills learned during course work to analyze a public health problem, identify causal factors, and explain their inter-relationships;
  • Apply the basic principles, theories, and methods of public health to real world problems;
  • Conduct independent research in public health; and
  • Present information that is clear, logical, accurate, and well-reasoned.