The Master of Public Health(MPH), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), International Masters for Health Leadership (IMHL) are interdisciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health. The MPH degree focuses on public health practice, as opposed to research or teaching. Master of Public Health programs are available throughout the world in Schools of Public Health, Programs in Public Health, Medical Schools, and Schools of Public Affairs. MPH degrees, in addition to including a core curriculum, will usually also let students pursue a specialization in a specific field, such as epidemiology, biostatistics, or health management.
A professional degree is one that, based on its learning objectives and types of positions its graduates pursue, prepares students with a broad mastery of the subject matter and methods necessary in a field of practice; it typically requires students to develop the capacity to organize, analyze, interpret and communicate knowledge in an applied manner. [1]
In some countries the MPH program is only available for physician graduates (MBBS, MD, DO, or equivalent). In those countries, individuals without a medical degree may enter a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) or Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) programs.
The traditional MPH degree is designed to expose candidates to five core discipline areas of public health: [2]
The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree is for those who intend to pursue or advance a professional practice career in public health and for leaders and future leaders in public health practice. They face the particular challenge of understanding and adapting scientific knowledge in order to achieve health gain and results. This degree leads to a career in high-level administration, teaching, or practice, where advanced analytical and conceptual capabilities are required. The usual requirement for entry into this program is a master's degree in Public Health (MPH). The DrPH program develops in its candidates all competencies included in MPH programs, with increased emphasis on high-level skills in problem-solving and the application of public health concepts.
In India, the MPH degree course is a two-year full-time postgraduate course or a postgraduate diploma of one year (DPH), approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which is open to candidates with a bachelor's degree in any discipline of arts, commerce or science from a recognized university, with at least 50% marks. [3]
Initially students from health science backgrounds would opt for MPH course, but post COVID-19 the job markets have opened up where students from any discipline are encouraged and there's growing avenue for jobs across sectors. [4] Online Masters of Public Health ( MPH) is banned and not recognized as per UGC in India. [5]
In Malaysia, the first MPH programme started in 1973 by the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Malaya. It was in response to an acute need of the Ministry of Health Malaysia for Medical Offices of Health to serve in the then fast expanding rural health services. The first batch of specialist graduated in 1974. Thus the programme during the first decade of its existence was aimed at producing competent public health specialist to serve the rural areas.
Currently, universities in Malaysia that offer the master programme in public health are the University of Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UniMAS), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Perdana University, International Medical University, RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus (formerly known as Penang University), University of Cyberjaya, MAHSA University, Lincoln University, and Monash University Malaysia.
The programmes include Master of Public Health, Master of Medical Science in Public Health, Global Public Health, and Master of Science in Public Health (Global Health). The duration of the programmes is between 1 and 1.5 years full-time, and for part-time students, the duration will be longer. The entry requirement for the Master programme in Public Health in Malaysia is a medical, dental or pharmacy undergraduate degree, or any other science degree, and with the relevant working experience.
The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree programme is the highest professional degree for individuals focusing on Public Health practice. It is intended for leaders and future leaders in public health who want a flexible career which combines high-level leadership, management and research. Their career pursuits may include applied research, teaching and/or practice in the field of health services and public health administration. In Malaysia, the DrPH programme is available from the University of Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UniMAS), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
The public health medicine specialists are medical specialists in the field of public health registered with the Malaysian National Specialist Registry (NSR). The prerequisites for registration is the process of a medical degree who is registered with the Malaysian Medical Council, a Master of Public Health degree, and either a Doctor of Public Health degree or a Doctor of Philosophy degree from a medical or public health school, and with six months to one-year postgraduation working experience in Public Health.
In the United Kingdom, the MPH or MSc in Public Health is usually a one-year full-time program. Taught modules typically account for two-thirds of the MPH and a project one third. Students may be medical or non-medical graduates. Degrees vary in their content, but most cover similar areas of public health. Because of the key role played by public health practitioners in the NHS a UK MPH also often includes health economics.
Degrees that include a substantial epidemiological component are more selective and some require applicants to demonstrate ability before applying, by the completion of an online test MPH Selection Test. [6]
In the UK specialist accreditation in public health is provided by the Faculty of Public Health (FPH). [7] Specialist accreditation is through participation in a four-year program analogous to specialist training for doctors. Specialist trainees must pass two sets of examinations, demonstrably achieve certain skills and submit a portfolio of work. However specialist training in public health is now also open to non-doctors. The Faculty of Public Health is an autonomous joint faculty of the three Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (London, Glasgow and Edinburgh) and awards Diplomate Membership and full Membership by examination and Fellowship to those who have gained admission to the relevant professional register such as the register held by the General Medical Council.
In the United States, any person with an accredited undergraduate degree may pursue an MPH or MSPH and usually takes two-years of full-time work to complete. Based on the accreditation of the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), an MPH or MSPH is not a clinical degree. [8] However, some states in the United States recognize MPH holders as ancillary clinical professionals (and patient-facing clinical staff) especially with regard to preventive medicine, health education, and other functions in the clinical and hospital environments. In fact, most hospital systems have MPH public health staff to study disease trends and help to combat hospital-acquired infections (nosocomial infections) and immediately determine epidemiologic trends, for example, flu outbreak tendencies, etc. [9]
The Association of Schools of Public Health [10] represents schools of public health that are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). [11] Delta Omega is the honor society for graduate studies in public health. The society was founded in 1924 at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Currently, there are approximately 68 chapters throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. [12]
In the United States the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accredits schools of public health and programs of public health through a formal review process. [13]
CPH is the only public health board certification available in the United States for public health professionals. In 2008, the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE), a United States–based credentialing board, began offering the certification exam (CPH) designed to test mastery of the core competencies of the public health professionals. [14]
After candidates pass the Continuing Education for CPH [15] examination, they must maintain the certification with 30 CPH recertification credits approved by the NBPHE. [16]
The NBPHE's Board of Directors primarily represents five key collaborating organizations: the American Public Health Association, the Association of Prevention Teaching and Research, the Association of Schools of Public Health, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials. The board is dedicated to increasing recognition of the public health profession, raising the visibility of public health, and measuring and improving the competency of public health workers across the nation and around the world.
The Council of Graduate Programs in Public Health represents the accredited and emerging graduate programs across the United States that grant public health degrees and therefore prepare students for professional careers in public health. [17] The Council encourages, promotes and supports universities, schools and colleges in developing, maintaining, and advancing graduate programs in the disciplines of preventive medicine, social medicine, community health and public health. The council is sponsored by the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research. [18]
Topics covered during the course include Social Epidemiology including Chronic and Infectious disease Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health, Gender Issues in Health, Health Policy Analysis and Health Administration, Social and behavioral sciences, Health System Management, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Health and Development, Health Economics, Public Health Nutrition, National Health Programs, Medical Anthropology, Research Methodology, Public health Ethics and Law. [19]
The Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU), formerly Ponce School of Medicine & Health Sciences, is a private, for-profit university in Ponce, Puerto Rico and St. Louis, Missouri. It awards graduate degrees in Medicine (MD), Clinical Psychology (PsyD and PhD), Biomedical Sciences (PhD), Medical Sciences (MS), and Public Health (MPH and DrPH). The university has 360 students in its medical school and, as of 11 February 2019, was authorized to increase the student body at the medical school to 600 which, when fully in place, will make it the largest private medical school in Puerto Rico and one of the largest under the American flag.
The University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, also called Berkeley Public Health, is one of fourteen schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. The school is currently accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
The University of Washington School of Public Health is the public health school at the University of Washington in Seattle. It is also the only public health school in the Northwestern United States.
The College of Public Health (CPH) is a college within the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia, United States.
Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1976, the School offers master's- and doctoral-level programs in public health. It is located in the heart of Boston University's Medical Campus in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The school has more than 8,900 alumni, 267 faculty, and 227 staff; its students hail from more than 43 countries, and its total research portfolio is worth more than $180 million.
The Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) was founded in 1915 by Charles-Edward Amory Winslow and is one of the oldest public health masters programs in the United States. YSPH is both a department within the school of medicine as well as an independent, CEPH-certified school of public health.
The Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health is one of the eight colleges of Georgia Southern University, located in Statesboro, Georgia, in the United States.
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health and public health programs offered in settings other than schools of public health. The council's headquarters are in Silver Spring, Maryland. These schools and programs prepare students for entry into careers in public health. The primary professional degree is the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), but other master's and doctoral degrees are also offered, such as the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH).
Opened in 1984, the University of South Florida College of Public Health, offers master's degrees in Public Health (MPH), a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) which is a more academic and research oriented master's degree, and a master's degree in Health Administration (MHA), along with a doctorate (PhD) in Public Health and several dual degrees in collaboration with other colleges- most notably the dual PhD/MPH program in Applied Anthropology. The MHA in Public Health Practice is an innovative program for health professionals which can be attained through weekend executive or distance learning format.
The Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is part of Tulane University, located in New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice was founded in 2013 by the combining of the School of Social Work, founded in 1930, the School of Public Health, established 1991, and the program in Criminology and Criminal Justice. The College has as its purpose to improve the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable.
The Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health is a part of the Drexel University Health Sciences network of schools. The Dornsife School of Public Health was located in downtown Philadelphia from its inception until December 2013. It has since re-located to the University City Campus.
The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy is a public American research and professional college within the City University of New York (CUNY) system. The graduate school is located at 55 West 125th Street in New York City.
The Milken Institute School of Public Health is the school of public health of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC. U.S. News & World Report University Rankings ranks the Milken SPH as the 11th best public health graduate program in the United States.
The Colorado School of Public Health is an accredited, collaborative school of public health representing three Colorado public educational and research institutions: the University of Colorado, Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado. The school is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The school operates on three university campuses: the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado.
The Graduate School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of San Diego State University within its College of Health and Human Services. Located in the College Area neighborhood of San Diego, California, it is part of the Association of Schools of Public Health and is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
The West Virginia University School of Public Health is a school of public health located in the United States city of Morgantown in the state of West Virginia; the WVU School of Public Health is the only School of Public Health in the state of West Virginia.
The University of Kentucky College of Public Health is a school of public health at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, United States.
The Hudson College of Public Health is one of the seven colleges of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center--the health sciences branch of the University of Oklahoma.
The Brown University School of Public Health is the public health school of Brown University, a private research university in Rhode Island. It is located along the Providence River, down the hill and about a quarter mile from Brown's central campus on College Hill. The School of Public Health grew out of the Department of Community Health at Brown's Alpert Medical School and was officially founded in 2013 as an independent school.