Master of Public Health – Epidemiology

About

The MPH in Epidemiology creates a cohesive, cohort-based environment for students to succeed. It is designed for students to be able to work full-time while they are in the program.

• Mostly online
• Designed for working professionals
• Cohort -based
• Two on-campus sessions
• Apply skills to real-world projects

Overview

As a student, you will complete two mandatory, three-week on-campus sessions in June of the first and second years. During the intensive, on-campus June sessions, students establish a tight-knit community, meet faculty, and build the foundation for collaborative learning throughout the rest of the program.  

From July through May, asynchronous online courses and weekly assignments allow students from all over the world, in a variety of time zones and on different schedules, to learn on their own time. Complemented with optional synchronous sessions, students are encouraged to learn from each other’s real-time professional experiences and apply concepts throughout their courses. 

With mentorship from Harvard faculty, each student designs and implements an applied practicum project 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 learned to the Harvard community.

Online and On Campus (June start) • Part-time (2 years)

Curriculum

Competencies

1. Critically evaluate and apply principles of epidemiologic methods, including exposure and outcome measures, measures of association, bias and confounding, and study design options.  
2. Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and apply appropriate biostatistical techniques for data arising from evaluation of public health problems (e.g., including basic probability theory and common distributions, effect measure estimation, continuous and categorical data analysis, parametric and non-parametric hypothesis tests, confidence intervals and p-values, correlation and basic regression techniques, and power/sample size calculations.  
3. Conduct and interpret results from analyses using regression-based methods to adjust for confounding and to develop and evaluate prediction rules.  
4. Conduct and interpret results from analyses using advanced methods to examine causal effects, including propensity scores, inverse probability weighting, and instrumental variable methods.  
5. Apply study design evaluation skills to current topics in public health. 

Our Community

Although primarily online, the MPH in Epidemiology program allows students to build a strong community throughout the program. Each cohort ranges from 30-50 students and is comprised of students from many different countries around the work and from a variety of backgrounds. The diverse range of professional experience combined with students, represented throughout the globe, leads to robust and interesting discussions in the classroom.

During the on-campus sessions, students participate in several social events planned by the program’s staff, such as receptions at local restaurants and ice cream socials. In addition, students build a foundation for their cohort by working with one another in the classroom on group projects and discussions.

While online, students form discussion groups through Zoom and work on group projects in their classes, allowing them to stay connected with one another. Faculty and teaching fellows also provide opportunities for synchronous workshops in the evenings and on weekends to accommodate the students various time zones. The MPH-EPI program also has a wide network of faculty that provides practicum mentorship throughout the program.

Career Outcomes

Graduates of the MPH-EPI program will receive the advanced research and epidemiological skills needed to pursue senior positions in the following industries: 

• Academic medicine 
• Biotech/pharma 
• Consulting 
• Government 
• Hospital/health care delivery 
• Non-profit/Non-government organizations 
• Private practice
• Public health agencies 
• University/research 

Many MPH-EPI graduates advance to higher level positions as physicians with newly acquired knowledge in conducting research. Others use their MPH-EPI degree to pivot toward leadership roles in health organizations.]

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants for the MPH-EPI must meet one of the following criteria: 

• Hold a bachelor’s degree plus five or more years of relevant health experience.
• Hold 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-EPI 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 and objectives
• Official test scores (optional with guidance)
• Three letters of reference
• 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.

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