Executive Master of Public Health

The Executive Master of Public Health program is designed for mid-career professionals from a wide range of fields including government agencies, hospitals, consulting firms, pharmaceutical corporations, insurance companies, finance, foundations, and other health care enterprises. The program can be tailored to build on experiences that individuals bring and to provide skills needed for effective public health leadership. The 42-credit degree can be completed in an accelerated 12-month, full-time format or over two years part-time, through a combination of on-campus and project-based learning in the field. Applicants may begin the program in summer, fall, or spring.

Program Requirements

All students gain a comprehensive understanding of key public health concepts, as well as the fundamental knowledge and skills required of 21st-century public health professionals through tailored core course offerings. Students then choose courses in key skill bases that reflect the interdisciplinary needs of today’s public health workforce. These skill bases include: Research Methods, Community Assessment, Management, Program Design & Evaluation, and Policy & Advocacy. After two semesters of coursework, students fulfill their Advanced Field Experience requirement, engaging in extensive fieldwork to gain practical public health experience and synthesizing skills and knowledge gained throughout the degree program (2 credits).

Foundations of Public Health

Effective public health requires expertise from many disciplines, and students need to have a broad foundation of knowledge across these diverse disciplines in order to collaborate effectively with other health professionals.

SPH PH 700 Foundations of Public Health (0 credits) is an online course designed to provide students with foundational knowledge in the profession and science of public health and factors related to public health. PH 700 meets the foundational knowledge criteria (as outlined by CEPH) for all SPH students.

Integrated Core Courses*

  • PH 717 Quantitative Methods for Public Health (4 cr)
  • PH 719 Health Systems, Law, and Policy (4 cr)
  • PH 720 Individual, Community, and Population Health (4 cr)
  • PH 715 Communication and Collaboration for Public Health Leaders (4 cr)

*Core courses may be waived if student has fulfilled the requirement from previous courses or work experience. Waivers will be approved by BU SPH faculty with expertise in the respective areas.

Interdisciplinary Skill Bases

Students complete 24 credits from the list below. Students must complete at least 4 credits in each category.

Research Methods

  • BS 723 Introduction to Statistical Computing (4 cr)
  • BS 730 Intro to R (4 cr)
  • EH 730 Methods in Environmental Health Sciences (4 cr)
  • EH 811 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Public Health (4 cr)
  • EP 721 Survey Methods for Public Health (4 cr)
  • EP 770 Concepts and Methods of Epidemiology (4 cr)
  • GH 811 Applied Research Methods in Global Health (4 cr)
  • SB 740 Applied Research Methods for Social Determinants of Health (4 cr)
  • SB 818 Qualitative Research Methods (4 cr)

Community Assessment

  • MC 802 Implementing Community Health Initiatives: A Field-based Course in Leadership and Consultation (4 cr)
  • PH 801 Community-Engaged Research: Theory Methods and Applications (4 cr)
  • SB 820 Assessment and Planning for Health Promotion (4 cr)
  • SB 821 Intervention Strategies for Health Promotion (4 cr)

Management

  • GH 773 Financial Management for Health Programs
  • MC 820 Managing Public Health Programs and Projects (4 cr)
  • PM 827 Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations (4 cr)
  • PM 832 Operations Management in Health Care (4 cr)
  • PM 835 Lean Management in Health Care (4 cr)

Program Design and Evaluation

  • GH 744 Program Design (4 cr)
  • GH 745 Monitoring and Evaluation of Global Health Programs (4 cr)
  • GH 887 Planning and Managing MCH Programs in Developing Countries (4 cr)
  • SB 822 Quantitative Methods for Program Evaluation (4 cr)

Policy & Advocacy

  • MC 763 Maternal and Child Health Policymaking (2 cr)
  • LW 740 Health and Human Rights (4 cr)
  • PM 760 Health Law, Policy, and Policymaking (4 cr)
  • PM 850 Consumer Organizing & Advocacy for Health System Change (2 cr)
  • SB 860 Strategies for Public Health Advocacy (4 cr)

Executive Field Experience

  • PH 945 Advanced Field Experience (2 cr)