Program Overview
The mission of the Master of Public Health program is to advance the health and well-being of diverse populations, particularly the underserved and marginalized, through inspirational teaching, impactful research, and community-engaged service. Grounded in education of the whole person, we prepare ethical public health practitioners and compassionate changemakers to advance health equity, promote health as a human right, and collaborate with communities and stakeholders to foster conditions for everyone to flourish.
Our program offers training in one concentration area (Generalist Concentration) and it is a two-year program that is completed over 5 semesters.
Public Health, MPH Generalist Concentration
The Master of Public Health (MPH) Program prepares future public health practitioners with essential leadership and management skills necessary to navigate complex public health issues at the local, state, national, and global levels. Rooted in a commitment to community health, social justice, and care for the whole person, our interdisciplinary curriculum integrates rigorous academic coursework with hands-on applied learning experiences. Students develop a robust practice-based skill set to advance public health through innovative and evidence-based solutions, working across sectors and with diverse communities.
The curriculum, taught over 5 semesters, covers key areas including applied data analysis; program planning and evaluation; management and finance in public health and healthcare organizations; health and risk communication; health policy and systems; and environmental health. Students also learn qualitative and quantitative methods used in research methods and public health practice. This program prepares graduates to lead efforts that promote health equity and community well-being in government, nonprofit, academic, and private sectors. Students gain 180 hours of applied practice experience.
This program is offered at our San Francisco (Hilltop) Campus.
Program Highlights
- Open to students with a Baccalaureate degree in any field from an accredited institution.
- The MPH Generalist concentration requires 42 credits to graduate.
- Emphasis on practice-oriented skills and competencies to promote population health in collaboration with community partners.
- 14:1 student faculty ratio allows for you to work closely with your professors and peers in small classes and develop your professional network.
- Faculty expertise – Take classes and work with our interprofessional faculty, who include leading experts in global health, health policy, epidemiology, demography, health program planning and evaluation, community organizing and advocacy, and nursing.
Hybrid Format
Courses are offered in person year round one evening per week over the course of two years. Each course can alternate between in person and online on a weekly basis. Online, asynchronous assignments and activities are conducted during the weeks that you're not attending class in person.
Community & Public Health Practice Concentration
Starting Fall 2026, the CPHP concentration will no longer be admitting new students.
The MPH Community and Public Health Practice concentration prepares graduates to address public health issues in local and global settings using evidence-based strategies and working in collaboration with community partners. The concentration has a focus on training health professionals to design and implement community-driven and community-level strategies and interventions.
Students gain skills in project planning and management, including ways to assess community needs and assets, address environmental challenges facing disadvantaged populations, and collaborate with communities to address social determinants of health. Students learn to value and encourage meaningful community participation and engagement in knowledge generation, and to identify and challenge repressive power structures impeding community self-determination. They gain qualitative and quantitative skills in research and programmatic intervention design and assessment, including management of resources and continuous improvement. Students gain 250 hours of applied practice experience.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students in the Community and Public Health Practice concentration will acquire competencies in the following areas:
- Apply qualitative methods to assess community assets for addressing public health and environmental issues.
- Analyze how issues of power, race and ethnicity, sex and gender identity, and socioeconomic factors affect the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based projects.
- Develop a research project proposal using mixed methods to address a public health problem affecting a specific community.
- Apply participatory project management strategies to improve the quality of programs and services in public health settings.
- Identify environmental health risks in vulnerable communities and examine strategies to reduce exposures.
Offered in Main Campus.