The Master of Public Health degree, conferred by the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine at MSU, is a 42-credit, professional degree designed to meet the expectations of the Core Competencies of Public Health Professionals.

All courses and student advising are delivered entirely online.

Courses may be taken on a full-time or part-time basis.

Core Courses

(18 credits)

Students are required to take the six core courses (listed at right) as the foundation of the public health degree.

Elective Courses

(18 credits)

Students may choose from a variety of courses that best suit their interests and career paths

Culminating Experience Courses

(6 credits)

The Culminating Experience consists of two elements:

• Practicum/Internship (240-hour commitment); and

• Capstone paper in which students demonstrate core public health competencies and skills.

A key feature of the public health master’s degree from Michigan State University is the emphasis on applied knowledge. Public health students are engaged in coursework and practical training to obtain the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to successfully perform as a public health professional in the United States and globally. 

• Affordable, applicable, and accessible courses
• Faculty from diverse public health backgrounds provide professional expertise
• Opportunity to engage with students from across the country and across the globe
• Flexible courses that allow students with differing schedules­­— in a variety of time zones to complete coursework on their own schedule
• Online format can accommodate the pursuit of the MPH degree while dually enrolled in a second graduate or professional degree program (e.g. MD, DO, DVM, etc.) at Michigan State University

MPH Core Courses

• HM 801: Introduction to Public Health
• HM 802: Biostatistics for Public Health
• HM 803: Epidemiology and Public Health
• HM 804: Public Health Administration and Policy
• HM 805: Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health
• HM 806: Environmental Factors of Health

Click here for MPH Core Course descriptions 

In every direction around the globe, Spartans are working hard to make the world a better place.

Who will? Spartans Will.

The Michigan State University Master of Public Health program offers an online graduate certificate in the core disciplines of public health.

The courses that make up this certificate program serve as the core courses required of students who are pursuing a Master of Public Health degree from MSU.

This certificate is designed to provide students with a basis for understanding the breadth and scope of the public health field.

The practice of public health focuses on communities rather than on individuals, and focuses on early intervention.

This broad discipline has many subdisciplines and applications in many areas of health, including:

• Business
• Education
• Research
• Medicine
• Veterinary Medicine
• Social Work

Public Health in Ghana: Methods for Community Practice

This program combines classroom lectures and field practice with an in-depth exploration of quantitative and qualitative research methods for assessing community health in Ghana. The 5-week trip offered annually during the summer semester can be used as an elective or practicum experience.

The Public Health program in Ghana offers lectures about Ghana's historical, social, political, economic and cultural environment to provide a context for understanding health care beliefs and practices in Ghana. 

Awesome Things You Can Do with an MPH Degree

• Physician Researcher
• Local Health Officer
• Hospital Administrator
• Biostatistician
• Disease Ecologist
• Epidemiologist
• Infection Preventionist
• Public Health Educator
• Public Health Librarian
• Public Health Veterinarian
• Public Health Microbiologist
• Health Communications Specialist
• Disaster Preparedness Researcher