MPH: Global Health Concentration

The Master of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to work effectively in overseas settings and with diverse populations in the US. Students have the flexibility to combine coursework to gain skills in program design, management, evaluation, and research, along with core global health knowledge to address the social, cultural, and epidemiological challenges that affect the global burden of disease. Graduates are equipped to assume careers in relief and development, consulting, and research, as well as government service, both domestically and abroad, or to pursue further study.

Concentration Requirements

All concentrators must meet the School-wide core requirements. In addition, they must take at least 16 Global Health concentration credits. A minimum of 8 of the 16 credits must be from Global Health-designated courses. Global Health-designated courses that count for concentration credit are any GH courses numbered 700 or above, except GH 704 and GH 720, as well as the following courses: PH 740 Pharmaceuticals in Public Health: An Introductory Course and PH 825 Analysis of Emerging Infections Using the One Health Approach. Because GH 704 and GH 720 count as core course credit, they cannot be applied toward GH concentration credit.

Additionally, GH concentrators must take at least one of the following GH courses, and are strongly recommended to take all four: GH 702, GH 703, GH 704, or GH 720.

The following courses outside of the Department of Global Health carry Global Health concentration credit. A maximum of 8 credits from this list may be counted toward the 16 required Global Health concentration credits:

  • EH 735 Environmental Determinants of Infectious Disease
  • EH 745 Wastewater and Health/Sustainable Sanitation
  • EH 749 Global Environmental Health
  • EH 750 Water and Public Health
  • EH 780 Great Calamities and Their Consequences in Public Health
  • EP 755 Infectious Disease Epidemiology
  • EP 764 Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in the Developed/Developing World
  • EP 784 The Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in the Developed and Developing World
  • LW 740 Health and Human Rights
  • MC 730 Leading Teams to Face Challenges and Achieve Results in Public Health
  • MC 786 Immigrant and Family Health
  • MC 802 Implementing Community Health Initiatives: A Field-Based Course in Leadership and Consultation
  • PM 721 Organizational Behavior and Health Management
  • PM 735 Health Care Finance
  • PM 736 Human Resource Management in Public Health
  • PM 740 Comparative Health Systems and Policy in Industrialized and BRIC Countries
  • PM 807 Introduction to Cost Effectiveness Analysis
  • PM 832 Operations Management in Healthcare
  • GMS MA 622 Religion and Public Health

The Department of Global Health believes that students should graduate with basic analytic and public health skills (addressed by the School’s core courses) and with sufficient in-depth knowledge to be employable in a global health program. Students are encouraged to focus their course of study and work with their advisor in selecting courses each semester.

Culminating Experience

All students must complete a Culminating Experience (CE). The CE provides students with an opportunity to synthesize and integrate core public health skills taught in the global health curriculum and to demonstrate application of a broad range of core skills from across the curriculum. Students may begin the Culminating Experience once they have successfully completed 25 credits.

Students are expected to complete their Culminating Experience in the same semester in which they finish their coursework. Students must submit a Culminating Experience Contract and Problem Purpose Statement/Project Proposal via the online form at the beginning of the semester in which they start their CE. Students may continue work on their CE into a second semester if necessary, and will be required to register for an extension.

International students must be in compliance with visa regulations and any student who will not finish his/her paper in time should speak with the academic services coordinator as soon as possible.

The department offers three options for completing the Culminating Experience: a policy analysis, a journal article, and an independent project. Students must sign a contract regarding the choice of Culminating Experience and submit the contract, PPS/Project Proposal, and drafts according to deadlines listed in the Global Health Culminating Experience Guidelines, also available on the GH Blast website. All work will involve a multi-draft process, with review by the advisor or another faculty member. Up to four drafts are often necessary to complete the Culminating Experience.

Students can access detailed information and the most current CE guidelines on the GH Blast website under the CE tab. All students working on a CE are required to register for it. Students wishing to take the CE for 0 credits will register for GH 950. Students completing the CE for 1 or 2 credits will register for GH 943. Students enrolled in SPH GH 777 will be considered registered for the CE and do not need to complete any other registration. If a student needs more than one semester to finish the CE, he or she must register for GH 951. Students may register only once for GH 951 in order to complete the CE. In the event a student needs more than one extra semester, he or she should contact the Academic Coordinator as soon as possible.