Master of Public Health (MPH)

At the completion of the Chamberlain MPH program, the graduate will be able to:

1. Articulate the history and philosophy of the professional discipline of public health relative to its core values, concepts, functions, and leadership roles.
2. Utilize quantitative methods and epidemiologic tools to assess, monitor, and review the health status of populations and their related determinants of health and illness.
3. Apply evidence-based reasoning and health informatics approaches to the process of program planning, development, budgeting, management, and evaluation in public health organizations and public health interventions to improve community health outcomes.
4. Specify approaches for assessing, preventing, and controlling environmental hazards that pose risks to human health and safety.
5. Apply theoretical constructs of social change, health behavior and social justice in planning public health interventions.
6. Develop public health programs and strategies responsive to the diverse cultural values and traditions of the communities being served.
7. Practice systems thinking techniques and problem solving to understand and respond to the dynamic interactions among sectors, organizations and public health professionals in improving public health.
8. Demonstrate leadership abilities as effective collaborators and coordinators within and across organizations and as members of interdisciplinary and inter-professional teams.
9. Communicate public health messages to a variety of audiences using public health specific communication and social marketing, including technical and professional writing and the use of mass media and electronic technology.
10. Identify and apply the ethical, legal, economic, and regulatory dimensions of health care and public health policy as well as the roles, influences, and responsibilities of the different agencies and branches of government to developing, evaluating and advocating for public health policies.

The generalist focus of the MPH degree program is designed to prepare public health practitioners for a variety of roles working with communities and populations throughout the world to promote healthy living and prevent community health problems such as disease, poverty, health access disparities and violence.

Graduates are prepared to be leadership change agents improving health outcomes at the population and community level.

Student Services will support you throughout the entire program. A faculty mentor will also be assigned to you during your Applied Practice Experience and Integrative Learning Experience courses. 

No, however, you can transfer a maximum of six qualifying semester credit hours into the MPH degree program. Transfer credit will be awarded for applicable courses with a grade of “B” or higher. Coursework must have been completed within the past 10 years to be considered for transfer. Students in a master’s degree program must fulfill a residency requirement of 36 semester credit hours completed at Chamberlain.

You may expect to complete the MPH degree in as few as two years with full-time study comprised of one course (three credit hours) per eight-week session or two three credit courses per semester. The last semester includes two classes per session. There are three semesters in a year and the program is six semesters in length. The MPH program is taught through the entire year.

The MPH degree program is flexible and can be completed in as few as three and a half semesters by choosing accelerated study. Accelerated full-time study is comprised of two courses (six credit hours) per eight-week session, six sessions per year, for a total of seven sessions. The ability to accelerate may be impacted by course offerings. This is an intense and rigorous option.

A minimum of 42 credit hours is required to graduate and earn a Master of Public Health degree.

Chamberlain has several resources that can help you become acclimated to the online classroom. Once you apply you will have access to Chamberlain Care Student Success Strategies, which provides information on time management, scholarly writing, using the library and more. You can also ask your admissions representative for a personal tour of the online environment in which you will be taking classes or you can view the Online Classroom Demonstration Video Series to learn about what you can expect when you log into your class.

We are dedicated to supporting you throughout your educational journey. To further support your success, a Student Online Readiness Assessment is designed to help assess the skills needed for success in online courses. You will see the assessment listed as a task in the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) course.

Since an MPH degree program does not lead to licensure, employment in the public health field may not necessarily be affected if you graduate from a program that is not yet accredited. However, please keep in mind that:

• Some employment is only open to graduates of CEPH-accredited units. The U.S. Public Health Service, some U.S. military public health jobs and some state and local government agencies require that MPH-level jobs be filled with graduates of CEPH-accredited schools and programs.
• Some fellowships are only available to students attending CEPH-accredited schools and programs that are also members of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). Chamberlain’s MPH degree program is a member of ASPPH.
• Attendance at a CEPH-accredited unit provides a pathway to eligibility to sit for the Certified in Public Health exam and obtain the CPH credential, although there are other defined pathways to eligibility that are based on public health work experience. The exam and credential are administered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE).