MPH Option for University of Massachusetts Medical Students

MPH Option for University of Massachusetts Medical Students

UMMS medical students who are interested in obtaining an MPH degree have the opportunity to complete the degree in the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences Worcester Campus MPH Program (WCMPH). UMMS medical students take a 1-year leave of absence from the Medical School and enroll as graduate students in the WCMPH. The MPH degree is granted by the University of Massachusetts/ Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Medical students work with the WCMPH Program Director, Jacalyn Coghlin-Strom MD, MPH, to develop a course of study that meets their career interests.  The courses are taught online through the UMass Amherst Public Health Practice (PHP) Program.  The cost per 3-credit course is $1860 with a $60 registration fee each semester. Students may apply for student loans to cover the cost of the MPH; no other financial aid is available.

Click here to reach the Worcester Campus MPH Program website

42 credits are required to earn the MPH degree and the breakdown is as follows:

Required Courses – 21 credits

SPHHS 605 - Health Equity & the Foundations of Public Health Practice
SPHHS 606 – Leading Change: Policy, Advocacy, and Ethics
SPHHS 615 - Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Part A: Description, Estimation, and Exposures
SPHHS 616 - Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Part B: Evidence, Threats and Action
EHS 565 - Environmental Health Practices
HPP 624 - Research Methods
HPP 642 - Leadership in Public Health

Also required:

Practicum experience:  A three credit practicum experience is developed on an individual basis to provide students with the opportunity to work in public health agencies and community-based organizations.

Culminating experience: A three credit MPH project provides students with the opportunity to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom. Each student works with a faculty advisor to identify a project of interest.

Elective Courses – 15 credits

Sample Schedule for One-Year Curriculum in the Worcester MPH Program