The M.P.H. is an interdepartmental program. Students will take a total of 45 to 51 credits, including 6-12 credits of internships depending on the student's prior experience in public health or related fields. To download a copy of the M.P.H. Internship Handbook, which provides information on internship guidelines and procedures, click here . For related forms, click here . For students with a bachelor's degree and no graduate education or experience in the field, it is expected that at least two years will be needed to complete the program.
Students develop a concentration by taking several elective courses in that area.
Most students will have selected an area of concentration on admission, but all will be expected to choose one by the end of the first semester. The capstone experiences of the M.P.H. program are provided by internship rotations through areas of public health as practiced in state government or other health related agencies. This requirement is modeled after medical education, in which coursework is followed by rotations through various specialties, giving students the opportunity to observe and participate in the application of their theoretical knowledge in the real world. All students will be expected to do at least one internship, and will do two or three if they have not had previous experience relevant to public health. In addition to meeting the University's general admission requirements, applicants to the M.P.H. program are expected to have an educational background sufficient to take School of Public Health courses in the areas identified above as basic to public health.