Master of Public Health – Generalist
Summary
The online MPH Generalist is designed for full-time working professionals around the globe who want to gain the skills they need to address current and future public health challenges.
This 45-credit, part-time MPH program offers students a rigorous educational experience while giving them the flexibility needed to pursue a degree while working full-time. Questions about the program? Contact mphgen@hsph.harvard.edu.
About
The unique part-time, online Master of Public Health – Generalist offered at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health consists of asynchronous courses that allow students to complete weekly classes on their own schedule.
This online MPH coursework is complemented with optional synchronous sessions, where students are encouraged to learn from each other’s real-time work experiences and better understand how the concepts they have been exposed to in class apply to real-world problems.
Attracting professionals from all over the world, each cohort provides a diverse mixture of U.S. and international students working in an array of industries.
Under a combination of group and individualized mentorship by Harvard faculty members, each student designs and implements an Applied Practice Experience (“practicum”) to gain field-based learning. The practicum provides students with the opportunity to apply their skills, address a health-related issue of interest, and showcase what they have learned.
Online (Fall start) • Part-time (2 years)
Curriculum
MPH Generalist Field of Study Courses:
- ID 290: Emergency Response, Disasters, and Public Health
- ID 252: Ethical Basis of the Practice of Public Health
- ID 256: Evaluating Today’s Complex Public Health Initiatives
- ID 227: Health Justice – Perspectives on Politics, Power, and the Environment
- ID 562: Narrative Leadership – Using Storytelling to Mobilize Collective Action in Public Health
Applied Practice Experience (Practicum) and Integrative Learning Experience:
- ID 946: Applied Practice Experience for MPH Generalist
- ID 275: MPH Generalist Integrative Learning Experience
MPH Core Courses:
- ID 100: Foundations for Public Health
- ID 201: Core Principles of Biostatistics and Epidemiology for Public Health Practice
- MPH 101: Qualitative Methods for Public Health
- MPH 102: Health Systems
- MPH 103: Leadership and Communication
- MPH 104: Social, Behavioral, and Structural Determinants of Health
- MPH 105: Public Health Policy and Politics
Students can choose from a variety of electives during their second year in the program. Below is a small sample of the electives offered.
- HPM 260: Health Economics with Applications to Global Health Policy
- ID 224: Survey Research Methods for Public Health
- ID 514: Organizational Behavior
- ID 255: Public Health Leadership
- ID 273: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Healthcare
- ID 218: Financial Transactions and Analysis
- ID 257: An Introduction to Implementation Science
- ID 523: Investigating Outbreaks
Students have the option to pursue the following certificates in conjunction with their degree.
Healthcare Management Certificate
The Healthcare Management Certificate offers students the opportunity to gain selected practical management skills that will improve their understanding of the management of healthcare systems and healthcare organizations, complement their public health training, and enhance their career opportunities.
Applied Data Analysis Certificate
The Applied Data Analysis Certificate provides students the opportunity to gain skills for analyzing and interpreting public health data using a variety of statistical techniques.
| Semester | Course | Modality |
| Year 1: Fall | ID 201: Core Principles of Biostatistics and Epidemiology | Online |
| Year 1: Fall 1 | ID 100: Foundations for Public Health | Online |
| Year 1: Fall 2 | MPH 101: Qualitative Methods for Public Health Practice | Online |
| Year 1: Fall 2 | MPH 105: Public Health Policy and Politics | Online |
| Year 1: Winter Session | MPH 104: Social, Behavioral and Structural Determinants of Health | Online |
| Year 1: Spring | ID 256: Evaluating Today’s Complex Public Health Initiatives | Online |
| Year 1: Spring | ID 946 A: Applied Practice Experience | Online |
| Year 1: Spring 1 | ID 290: Emergency Response, Disasters, and Public Health | Online |
| Year 1: Spring 2 | ID 252: Ethical Basis of the Practice of Public Health | Online |
| Year 2: Fall | ID 227: Health Justice – Perspectives on Politics, Power, and the Environment | Online |
| Year 2: Fall | ID 946 B: Applied Practice Experience | Online |
| Year 2: Fall | Electives | Online |
| Year 2: Fall 1 | MPH 102: Health Systems | Online |
| Year 2: Fall 2 | MPH 103: Leadership and Communication | Online |
| Year 2: Spring | ID 275: Integrative Learning Experience | Online |
| Year 2: Spring | Electives | Online |
| Year 2: Spring 2 | ID 562: Narrative Leadership – Using Storytelling to Mobilize Collective Action in Public Health | Online |
Competencies
- Design an appropriate response for action and recovery for a public health threat
- Formulate and evaluate population and community-based solutions to respond to community and stakeholder needs
- Apply ethical theories, principles, and/or frameworks to make a recommendation for a public health ethics dilemma
- Investigate relationships between health inequities and environmental or climate exposure
- Prepare communications that utilize storytelling frameworks to illustrate a public health challenge and persuade others for public health action
Our Community
The Harvard Chan community offers support and networking at every stage of the MPH degree program. Faculty advisors and MPH administrative staff play an integral role in advising and guiding students along their academic journey.
MPH Generalist students build community online through optional synchronous sessions with instructors, regular virtual cohort meetings and coffee hours, and group projects. Students are also invited for optional campus visits during their program to create connections with faculty and members of their cohort in person.
When you graduate, you will benefit from Harvard’s unparalleled global network of alumni leaders.
Career Outcomes
Graduates of the online MPH Generalist program will receive a well-rounded public health education, preparing them to succeed within their current professional role or progress their career in a variety of fields, including:
- Academic medicine
- Biotech/pharma
- Consulting
- Government
- Health care management
- Hospital/health care delivery
- Non-profit/Non-government organizations
- Public and private health agencies
Eligibility Criteria
In general, applicants for the MPH Generalist must have one of the following:
- A bachelor’s degree plus five or more years of relevant health experience.
- A master’s degree in a health-related field—for example, MSN, MSW, MBA. (The strongest applicants will have at least two years of relevant work experience following completion of the degree.)
- A prior doctoral degree—for example, MD, DO, DMD, DDS, PhD, SD, JD—or equivalent.
Current medical and dental students are not eligible for the MPH Generalist program.
Application Requirements
All applications must be submitted through SOPHAS – the centralized application for schools and programs of public health. In addition to the application, applicants must submit:
- Statement of purpose
- Standardized test scores (optional)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Resumé/curriculum vitae
- Post-secondary transcripts or mark sheets (World Education Services credential evaluation for applicants with degrees from outside of the United States.)
- English language proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo English Test), if applicable
Application Deadline: December 1
Applicants may apply to only one degree program for either full- or part-time status. Applications are reviewed in their entirety and decisions are released via email in late February/early March. Decisions are not released until all application components are received.