Program Overview

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Master of Public Health

The Master of Public Health (MPH) program is designed to increase knowledge and skills in the areas of systems thinking, evidence-based public health, leadership, program management, public health systems, communication, and interprofessional practice. The program prepares students for a wide variety of in-demand and rewarding careers in the global health industry.

Program Summary

The MPH program focuses on providing students with a comprehensive understanding of public health principles and practice. The program includes coursework in public health sciences, health systems, and global health, as well as a capstone project and internship experience.

Application Deadline

The application deadline for the MPH program is February 15 to start August 24.

Credits and Costs

The MPH program requires 42 credits, with a cost of $1,037 per credit.

CEPH Accredited

The MPH program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

Gain Skills to Become an Authority in Global Health

The program provides students with the skills to analyze and address public health practice challenges, apply social justice and human rights principles to public health policies and programs, communicate to culturally diverse audiences, and identify the relationships among patterns of morbidity, mortality, and disability with demographic and other factors shaping the circumstances of a population.

Courses that Can Provide Practical Global Health Experience

The program includes coursework that provides practical global health experience, including a 3-credit internship course and a 3-credit capstone course.

Course Availability

The program offers a variety of courses, including:

• global health promotion
• global disease and prevention
• major contemporary global health issues and initiatives
• political, social, economic, cultural, and environmental determinants of health
• the role of global health players and how they interact to improve health

Required Courses (18 credits)

The program requires the following courses:

• PHS 504: Behavioral Health Intervention Strategies (3 credits)
• PHS 520: Principles of Biostatistics (3 credits)
• PHS 539: Qualitative Health Research Methods (3 credits)
• PHS 550: Principles of Epidemiology (3 credits)
• PHS 571: Health Services Organization and Delivery (3 credits)
• PHS 809: Principles of Public Health (3 credits)

Required Internship Experience (3 credits)

The program requires a 3-credit internship experience, which provides students with hands-on, real-world experience in the practice of public health.

Global Health Track (9 credits)

The program includes a global health track, which requires the following courses:

• PHS 803: Principles of Global Health (3 credits)
• PHS 804: Integrating Systems Thinking in Global Health (3 credits)
• PHS 557: Global Impact of Infectious Diseases (3 credits)

Culminating Experience (3 credits)

The program requires a 3-credit capstone course, which provides students with the opportunity to design, carry out, and present a scholarly project.

Electives (select 9 credits)

The program offers a variety of elective courses, including:

• AFAM 409: Racial and Ethnic Inequality in America (3 credits)
• BBH 432: Biobehavioral Aspects of Stress (3 credits)
• BBH 451: Pharmacological Influences on Health (3 credits)
• CEDEV 500: Community and Economic Development: Theory and Practice (3 credits)
• CEDEV 505: Leadership Development (3 credits)
• CEDEV 575: Methods and Techniques for Community and Economic Development (3 credits)
• EMGT 820: Environmental Law and Policy (3 credits)
• GEOG 591: GIS for Health Analysis (3 credits)
• HPA 503: Health Services Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
• PADM 500: Public Organization and Management (3 credits)
• PADM 502: Governmental Fiscal Decision-Making (3 credits)
• PADM 504: Data Analysis for Policy and Administration (3 credits)
• PADM 505: Human Resources in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors (3 credits)
• PADM 506: Management Information Systems for Public and Health Administration (3 credits)
• PADM 507: Introduction to Public Policy Analysis (3 credits)
• PADM 510: Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
• PADM 516: Strategic Planning (3 credits)
• PADM 518: Nonprofit Organizations: Management and Leadership (3 credits)
• PADM 519: Nonprofit Organizations: Resource Development and Management (3 credits)
• PADM 800: Foundations of Public Administration (3 credits)
• PHP 410: Public Health Preparedness for Disaster and Terrorist Emergencies I (3 credits)
• PHP 510: Public Health Preparedness for Disaster and Terrorist Emergencies II (3 credits)
• PHP 527: Public Health Evaluation of Disasters and Bioterrorism (3 credits)
• PHP 810: Non-Medical Obstacles to Public Health Responses (3 credits)
• PHP 830: Critical Infrastructure Protection of Health Care Delivery Systems (3 credits)
• PHP 831: Public Health Preparedness and the Emergency Operations Plan (3 credits)
• PHP 832: Fundamentals of Biorisk Management (3 credits)
• SOC 404: Social Influence and Small Groups (3 credits)
• SOC 409: Racial and Ethnic Inequality in America (3 credits)
• SOC 573: Demographic Techniques (3 credits)
• STAT 480: Introduction to SAS (1 credit)
• STAT 481: Intermediate SAS for Data Management (1 credit)
• STAT 482: Advanced Statistical Procedures in SAS (1 credit)
• STAT 484: The R Statistical Programming Language (1 credit)
• STAT 485: Intermediate R Statistical Programming Language (1 credit)

Advance Your Career

The MPH program can lead to careers in a wide variety of settings, including local, state, and federal government agencies, health care settings, health insurance industry, health services networks, nonprofit organizations, and pharmaceutical industry.

Job Titles Related to This Degree

The following roles are often held by people with this type of degree:

• Clinical Director
• Community Health Program Director
• Public Health Advisor
• Public Health Educator
• Public Health Policy Analyst

Employment Outlook for Occupational Fields Related to This Degree

The employment outlook for occupational fields related to this degree is positive, with growth rates ranging from 7% to 28.5% over the next 10 years.

Costs and Financial Aid

The program offers a variety of financial aid options, including scholarships, grants, and payment plans.

Graduate Tuition

The graduate tuition rate is $1,037 per credit, with a total program cost of $43,554.

Financial Aid and Military Benefits

The program offers financial aid and military benefits to eligible students.

Learn from the Best

The MPH program is taught by experienced faculty members who are experts in their fields.

Faculty

The program faculty includes:

• Djibril M. Ba, Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences
• Wenke Hwang, Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences
• Michelle LaClair, Instructor of Public Health Sciences
• Carol LaRegina, Associate Director of the MPH Program and Senior Instructor of Public Health Sciences
• Julie Lentes, Global Health Program Manager
• Casey Pinto, Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences
• Heather L. Stuckey, Associate Professor of Medicine, Humanities, and Public Health Sciences
• Kristin K. Sznajder, Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences
• Donalee Ünal, Part-time Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences
• Abebayehu N. Yilma, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences
• Junjia (Jay) Zhu, Associate Professor of Biostatistics

Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate Program Option

The MPH program offers an integrated undergraduate/graduate program option, which allows students to earn both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in approximately five years.

Learn Job-Ready Skills with an Internship and Capstone

The program includes a 3-credit internship experience and a 3-credit capstone course, which provide students with hands-on, real-world experience in the practice of public health.

Set Your Own Pace

The program offers a flexible schedule, allowing students to take one or two courses per semester.

Convenient Online Format

The program is offered online, providing students with the flexibility to study from anywhere.

A Trusted Leader in Online Education

Penn State has a history of more than 100 years of distance education, and World Campus has been a leader in online learning for more than two decades.

Information for Military and Veterans

The program offers a variety of resources and benefits for military and veteran students, including education benefits and financial aid.

How to Apply to Penn State

The application deadline for the MPH program is February 15 to start August 24. To apply, students must submit a SOPHAS application and meet the admission requirements.

Admissions Help

The program offers admissions help and support to students throughout the application process.

Contact Us

The program offers a variety of contact options, including phone and email, for students who have questions or need more information.