Master of Public Health

Description and Outcomes

Public health professionals are concerned with the health of a population—populations as large as several countries (i.e., international) and as small as a local neighborhood. Public health efforts involve improving population health by implementing health education programs, researching disease or injury as it relates to groups and/or geography, and promoting healthy lifestyles. Professionals in the public health field also develop health policy and legislation, manage health services and facilities, and serve as a consultant on health initiatives. The Master of Public Health program could prepare you to pursue a variety of career opportunities in the public health field and private industries.

The Master of Public Health curriculum is designed to provide you with core knowledge and skills in the foundational areas of public health. The program focuses on the public health core knowledge areas and practical skills to prepare you to enter the public health field. In addition, you will study concepts, values, research methods, and applications that could assist you as you prepare for a leadership or administrative career in public health within local, state, or federal governments as well as private industries. Core curriculum topics include: biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services administration, and social and behavioral sciences. Courses teach you to apply principles of public health to real-world situations and develop administrative, ethical, and professional skills. These skills may help you pursue leadership positions in the expanding field of population health.

You will have the opportunity to select elective courses in a variety of special topics, and may choose courses that closely align to your interests within the field of public health.

In addition, you will solidify your skills through the completion of a capstone project. The project entails analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing public health constructs within a real-world issue or scenario, without the use of human research participants. As the final course in the program, the capstone experience allows you to demonstrate readiness to enter the public health workforce.

Fieldwork Experience

You could build practical experience and strengthen your resume through fieldwork opportunities that provide onsite training. You are responsible for participating in locating, selecting, and obtaining an agreement with an appropriate site that best fits your location preferences and meets program requirements. You are required to speak with the Clinical Placement Team to determine your exact responsibilities and process for site selection.

Program Length

The Master of Public Health program consists of a minimum of 56 quarter credit hours. Upon successful completion of the program, you will be awarded the Master of Public Health degree.

Program Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate an evidence-based approach to public health practice.
  2. Leverage fundamental epidemiological concepts in addressing population health problems.
  3. Appraise current and relevant health issues and policy.
  4. Implement leadership, administrative, and communication skills through planning, organization, administration, and evaluation of public health programs and processes.
  5. Evaluate concepts and methods of social and behavioral sciences relevant to the identification and solution of public health problems.

Professional Competencies

In addition to the discipline-specific outcomes, professional competencies are integrated throughout your academic program. You can review the professional competencies associated with your academic program in the Professional Competencies section of this Catalog.

Program Availability

For program availability, please refer to the U.S. State and Other Approvals section and Program Availability Information.

Policies

Admissions Requirements

You must meet the below admissions requirements in addition to Purdue Global's general requirements.

You must have an approved criminal background check.

Progression Requirements

  1. Purdue Global does not require submission of an updated background check, immunization, or health records; however, if your selected fieldwork site requires such records, you are responsible for providing the required documentation to your chosen site. 

  2. You should be aware that health care organizations may have specific requirements regarding vaccination against communicable diseases including COVID and Influenza. Failure to comply with requirements could interfere with the opportunity to complete a required practicum, fieldwork, or internship experience, may delay graduation or lead to an inability to complete your program, and could impact future employment opportunities.

  3. If you are a graduate of a medical, osteopathic, naturopathic, chiropractic, or pharmacy program from an accredited university and hold the MD, DO, ND, DC, or PharmD degree, you may receive a block transfer of 28 quarter credits into the Master of Public Health program. The block transfer will fulfill the 16 quarter credit major electives category and the following courses:
     
    Code Title Credits
    HA535Data Analytics for Health Care Managers4
    PU520Principles of Epidemiology4
    PU535Public Health Biology - A Global Perspective4
    To receive credit, by the end of the first term an official transcript must be received from your doctoral degree-granting institution. Transcripts received after the end of the first term may be denied eligibility for an official transfer credit evaluation.
  4. You may not use credit for prior learning to fulfill PU550 Public Health Leadership and Administration. This course must be completed at Purdue Global.

Certification, State Board, and National Board Exams

Certain state certification and licensure boards have specific educational requirements for programs to lead to a license or certification that is a precondition for employment in a recognized occupation. Prospective and current students must review Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site to view program and state-specific licensure information.

Unless otherwise specified, Purdue Global's programs are not designed to meet any specific state’s licensure or certification requirements. Licensure-track programs may limit enrollment to students in certain states; please see Purdue Global’s Program Availability Information to determine enrollment eligibility.

You are responsible for understanding the requirements of optional certification exams. Such requirements may change during the course of your program. You are not automatically certified in any way upon program completion. Although certain programs are designed to prepare you to take various optional certification exams, Purdue Global cannot guarantee you will be eligible to take these exams or become certified. Your eligibility may depend on your work experience, completion of education and/or degree requirements, not having a criminal record, and meeting other certification requirements.