Curriculum
The Penn MPH curriculum ensures all students master essential public health skills and concepts within the core coursework, but empowers students to leverage the flexibility and integrative nature of the program and customize their plan of study, guided by specialized, cross-cutting, or interdisciplinary competencies. All MPH students have the same overarching requirements: 6 required core courses, two semesters of Capstone Seminar, and Required Applied Practice Experience (APE).
Customizing Your MPH
Students take 6 electives based on their chosen track: Generalist, Global Health, One Health, or Epidemiology. As part of their choice of electives, students on the Generalist, Global Health, and One Health Tracks can take up to 3 graduate-level public health courses from anywhere across the University while the remaining 3 electives must carry a PUBH prefix. Additionally, students on these three tracks can complete the degree on a full-time (2 years) or part-time (3 years) basis. Epidemiology Track students must complete the degree on a full-time basis. All MPH students have an assigned Academic Advisor to help them navigate their plans.
Key Curriculum Facts
6Core Courses
2Capstones Seminar Courses
6Electives Chosen in Consultation with Academic Advisor
MPH Core Curriculum Requirements
| MPH Required Courses | Course Units |
|---|---|
| MPH Required CoursesPUBH 5010 Introduction to Biostatistics | Course Units1.0 |
| MPH Required CoursesPUBH 5020 Introduction to Epidemiology | Course Units1.0 |
| MPH Required CoursesPUBH 5040 Public Health Theories & Frameworks | Course Units1.0 |
| MPH Required CoursesPUBH 5050 Public Health Policy & Administration | Course Units1.0 |
| MPH Required CoursesPUBH 5060 Methods for Public Health Practice | Course Units1.0 |
| MPH Required CoursesPUBH 5070 Public Health Law & Ethics | Course Units1.0 |
| MPH Required CoursesPUBH 7080 Capstone Seminar I | Course Units1.0 |
| MPH Required CoursesPUBH 7090 Capstone Seminar II | Course Units1.0 |
| MPH Required CoursesElectives | Course Units6.0 |
| MPH Required Courses125 Hours Required APE | Course Units0.0 |
| MPH Required CoursesTotal | Course Units14.0 |
4 Routes to the MPH Degree
All MPH students take the same six core courses and two capstone courses. The six core courses cover fundamental public health topics: Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Theories and Frameworks, Policy and Administration, Methods, and Law and Ethics. The two capstone courses facilitate students’ culminating masters project. Students then use their remaining six elective courses to delve into their public health interests and goals. Each track has a different set of elective requirements, listed below.
The Generalist Track offers students the opportunity to develop an individualized program of study in their six elective courses. The flexibility of this track allows students to focus on the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities they seek from a broad and deep set of electives, Applied Practice Experience (APE), and Capstone Project. Students on the Generalist Track can explore different public health topics in their training, including public health policy, applied or social epidemiology, public health nutrition, mental health, LGBTQ+ health, substance use, policing and carceral spaces, environmental health, and more.
Total Elective Course Units: 6.0 CU
Generalist Required Track Elective (3.0 CU)
Select three courses from the following:
- PUBH 5190 Foundations of Global Health
- PUBH 5880 Advanced Leadership Skills in Community Health
- PUBH 6040 Qualitative Research in Social Sciences
- PUBH 6050 Epidemiology & Control of Infectious Diseases
- PUBH 6070 Advanced Local Policymaking
- PUBH 6080 Behavioral Economics & Health
- PUBH 6100 Mathematical Models for the Control of Infectious Diseases
- PUBH 6210 Program Evaluation in Public Health
- PUBH 6370 Advocacy & Public Health
Select three additional course units in consultation with Academic Advisor
The Global Health Track allows students to specialize in the theory and practice of global public health through their six electives, Applied Practice Experience (APE), and Capstone Project. The Global Health Track works closely with the Center for Global Health, which offers a vast network of faculty and facilitates connections for students to explore global experiences that could satisfy APE or Capstone.
Total Elective Course Units: 6.0 CU
Global Health Required Track Elective (3.0 CU)
Select three courses from the following:
- PUBH 5190 Foundations of Global Health
- PUBH 5250 Health & Human Rights
- PUBH 5510 Global Health Policy and Delivery
- PUBH 6400 Global Reproductive Rights
Additional Electives (3.0 CU)
Select three additional course units in consultation with Academic Advisor
The One Health Track is designed specifically for students who are interested in the intersection between animals, humans, and the environment, which they explore through their six electives, Applied Practice Experience (APE), and Capstone Project. Key strengths of this track are the close ties between the MPH program and the School of Veterinary Medicine, who are leaders in the field of One Health.
Total Elective Course Units: 6.0 CU
One Health Required Track Electives (2.0 CU)
Must take the following course (1.0 CU)
- VPTH 5500 One Health Study Design Seminar
Select one additional course from the following One Health RTEs (1.0 CU)
- PUBH 5310 Public Health Nutrition
- PUBH 5530 Science & Politics of Food
- VMED 6190 Emerging Exotic Diseases
- VSCN 6570 One Health & Global Food Security
Additional Electives (4.0 CU)
Select four additional course units in consultation with Academic Advisor
The Epidemiology Track offers a curriculum designed specifically for applicants with career goals in epidemiology research. This small and highly competitive track was created in partnership with the Division of Epidemiology within the Perelman School of Medicine’s Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics. Students on this track must complete the MPH full-time. The admission requirements and curriculum for the Epidemiology Track differ from the other three Penn MPH program tracks, so interested applicants should read thoroughly about this track below. This track is newly launched in the 2024 Admission Cycle and only available to applicants in the 2024 cycle and onward.
Read More HereCompetency-based Training
In 2016, the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) adapted a competency-based model for accredited public health training. Competencies are a way to measure the mastery of public health skills or content areas; they are the integral tools and concepts underlying public health practice. There are 22 foundational competencies that ground all accredited MPH programs. In addition to these foundational competencies, each track in our program has its own unique set of competencies tied to a track elective.
Non-MPH students interested in public health
We welcome students from outside the MPH program interested in public health to explore taking public health classes to broaden their training! As an interdisciplinary profession, public health benefits from diverse perspectives, in and outside the classroom.
Non-MPH students must request a permit to enroll in PUBH-prefix classes. There is no guarantee a specific class will have room in any given semester. Non-MPH students must maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of a ‘B’ / 3.0 or above in current graduate level public health coursework to continue taking PUBH-prefix classes. For non-MPH students interested in taking more than one PUBH-prefix class in a given semester, please connect with an MPH team representative to discuss your academic goals.
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