The Master of Public Health (MPH) is the standard professional degree, recognized throughout the world for public health practice, both in the public sector and in emerging private sector careers related to population health. At Ohio State, the MPH is offered in two versions: (1) a full-time weekday format suitable for students from a wide variety of backgrounds and (2) the MPH Program for Experienced Professionals (PEP), which is limited to students who already have significant health-related work experience.
The MPH requires a minimum of 60 credit hours. Those credit hours include core courses, specialization requirements, a practicum and a culminating experience.
Core Courses (20 credit hours)
- Design and Analysis of Studies in the Health Sciences I
- Principles of Environmental Health
- Principles of Epidemiology
- Preventing Disease and Promoting Health through Behavioral Science
- Health Care Organization I
Specialization Requirements
Students specialize in one of six areas:
Biostatistics;
Epidemiology;
Environmental health sciences;
Health behavior and health promotion;
Health services management and policy;
Veterinary public health.
In addition, a new specialization in clinical investigation is currently available on a pilot basis.
Each field of specialization sets its own course requirements within the overall structure of the MPH degree. In addition, the student’s adviser, who comes from the field of specialization, must approve the practicum and culminating experience. The remaining credit hours are elective and selected with the adviser to complement the student’s goals and interests. One of the great advantages of Ohio State is that the College of Public Health is on the same campus as all the other health profession programs as well as the full range of arts, sciences, and other fields of study. Thus a potentially vast array of electives is possible, depending on the student’s interest and prior preparation.
Practicum (4 credit hours)
The practicum (field practice placement) is a required project that will expand your experience in the field of public health. The practicum must be at least a four-credit hour experience (more may be taken as an elective with adviser permission). Each credit hour requires 30 hours of work on site, for a minimum total of 120 hours of experience. The student, faculty advisor, and preceptor from a participating public health organization jointly define and approve the project.
The College’s Office of Practice Education and Career Services assists each student in finding an appropriate practicum site. In addition to the dozens of opportunities in the Columbus metropolitan area, practicum sites are available all over the U.S. and abroad. Some are competitively selected, while others are readily available to any interested student.
Culminating Project (2 to 4 credit hours)
Each student must undertake a final demonstration of competence. Depending upon the student’s specialization and preferences, this may be accomplished through a variety of project options or a master’s thesis.
How to apply
Click here for information on how to apply to programs in the College of Public Health.
