Master of Public Health

The Master of Public Health (MPH) program in the Department of Global Health is a rigorous, 12- to 21-month program that gives students multidisciplinary, comprehensive training in global public health. All Global Health MPH students are required to complete 63 total credits, including core MPH courses (17-20 credits), global health courses (12 or more credits), a global health-related practicum, and a research or practice thesis based on original scholarly work and relating to health in developing countries. Graduates of this program will be able to approach global health issues with a solid grounding in basic public health disciplines. They will have practical experience, be skilled in applied research, and have an understanding of the sociopolitical matrix of health determinants of the developing world.

The Global Health MPH program is separated into “tracks” to complement the core curriculum and to address the distinct competency needs of our students’ career goals. The tracks include the following options:

The Department of Epidemiology also offers an Epidemiology MPH-Global Health Track. If interested in this option, please contact the Department of Epidemiology directly.

Applicants for all MPH programs must have a bachelor's degree at a minimum. Many successful applicants hold a clinical and/or a graduate degree.  For the General Track and Leadership, Policy, and Management Track, an important admissions criterion is substantial (about two years) health-related work experience in a developing country or significant health-related experience with disadvantaged communities in a developed country.

Most students complete most or all of the required courses during the first three quarters (late September – mid-June) on campus. We encourage General Track students to spend one to three quarters away from campus collecting data, and to return to UW for a final quarter to write up their thesis. In the LPM Track, an accelerated 12-month option is available for students who are able to complete their practice thesis in their fourth (summer) quarter. Peace Corps Master's International students MUST complete two years of Peace Corps service to earn their MPH degree.

All MPH students are expected to achieve core global health competencies, which were written to align with competencies [PDF] developed by the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (April, 11, 2005).

If you have questions regarding the program, please contact:

Elise Rivera
Program Assistant
Master of Public Health Program
Department of Global Health
Tel: 206.897.1804
ghprog@uw.edu

Students relaxing in India.