Students looking to earn master’s in public health degrees in Massachusetts are fortunate as there is no shortage of high-quality, accredited programs available. With more than 6.7 million residents, Massachusetts is the third most densely populated state in the U.S., meaning that the people and communities here are in need of leaders in public health. Below are a number of public health degree programs accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
Boston University
School of Public Health
Boston University is nestled along the Charles River in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood. The urban campus spans more than 135 acres, and the school is associated with the United Methodist Church. Educating more than 33,400 students, BU was named 65th on Newsweek magazine’s list of “Top 100 Global Universities.” U.S. News & World Report ranks BU as the 42nd best university in the country. The School of Public Health offers unparalleled connections and resources to offer the 10th best graduate public health degrees in the U.S.
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from BU follows the ASPPH’s competency model and prepares students to work as effective public health practitioners. Students must complete 48 credits, but they can choose from more than 230 electives that span a broad range of public health disciplines. Students may choose from concentrations in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Maternal and Child Health, Health Policy and Management, Health Law and Human Rights, Global Health, Epidemiology, Environmental Health and Biostatistics. Students also have the opportunity to apply their education at world-renowned health departments and hospitals via a public health practicum.
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
Contact
715 Albany St.
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 638-4640
asksph@bu.edu
Master of Science in Public Health Nutrition
The Master of Science in Public Health Nutrition provides students with in-depth training in the promotion, understanding and research of public health nutrition through policy, food systems, population, community and individual approaches. Students will be exposed to a variety of health nutrition topics such as population-level nutrition assessment, epidemiology of diet and chronic disease, human nutrition science, public health nutrition program planning and evaluation, evidence-based foundations of sustainable food systems and research methods for community health and food systems. Students may complete the degree within 12 months if they assume a full-time course load.
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
Contact
715 Albany St.
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 638-4640
asksph@bu.edu
Harvard University
T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Since 1636, Harvard University has established itself as one of the top Ivy League universities in the world. Serving more than 21,000 students on its Cambridge-based campus as well as on its medical center located in downtown Boston, Princeton Review crowned Harvard as the top “Dream College.” In addition, U.S. News & World Report also ranks Harvard as the top value school and the second best national university in the country. The T.H. Chan School of Public Health boasts notable alumni such as six directors for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, and the School is well-known for offering the second best graduate public health degrees in the U.S.
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health degree emphasizes student-directed problem solving and learning. It is designed to offer professional credentials to students who are seeking leadership roles in nonprofit or government health agencies. The demanding 45-credit curriculum includes specializations in quantitative methods, occupational and environmental health, health policy, health management, health and social behavior, global health and clinical effectiveness. In order to be admitted into the program, students must already hold a JD, DMD, DO, or MD and have proven field experience. Harvard also offers a summer-only MPH degree that students take over three consecutive years.
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
Contact
677 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 495-1000
roberta@hsph.harvard.edu
Summer-Only MPH
The summer-only option at Harvard University consists of a 45-credit program in the effectiveness field of study only. Students may complete the MPH-45, summer-only program in clinical effectiveness by taking courses during a winter session and by taking courses in three consecutive summers during the summer session. This option is only available to physicians who have the support of their home university or hospital and who have already completed their residency. The program prepares students for leadership roles in improving and evaluating all aspects of healthcare delivery as well as for clinical research responsibilities. The field of study focuses on the identification of the most cost-effective, ethical and appropriate ways to provide healthcare through early detection, prevention and treatment.
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
Contact
677 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 495-1000
roberta@hsph.harvard.edu
Dual Degrees
In certain situations, students may earn a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with an urban planning, nursing, law, dental or medical degree. However, specific restrictions apply to every one of these programs. Students who are interested in applying to one of these programs are advised to thoroughly consider the program’s description to ensure that they meet the academic requirements for admission. Some of the available options for dual degrees include:
– DMD/DDS/MPH combined degree program
– MD/DO/MPH combined degree program
– Dual MSN (Master of Science of Nursing)/MPH program with Simmons College
– Joint JD/MPH program with Harvard Law School
– Joint MUP (Master of Urban Planning)/MPH program with the Harvard Graduate School of Design
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
Contact
677 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 495-1000
roberta@hsph.harvard.edu
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
School of Arts and Sciences
The curriculum found within the School of Arts and Sciences is dedicated to integrating basic sciences and liberal arts with professional studies. Students have the opportunity to choose from a range of majors that cover the entire healthcare spectrum from public health to pre-med. The School also offers a wide variety of clinical opportunities, allowing students to gain hands-on experience so that they may immediately begin their advanced studies or career in confidence.
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health is offered at the Boston campus and online. The program builds on the student’s bachelor’s degree, allowing him or her to further his or her career in advancing health equity across the globe, promoting wellness and health in communities and preventing disease transmission. Students can study on a part-time or full-time basis, and the curriculum consists of five core disciplines of public health, including social and behavioral sciences, health policy and management, environmental health science, epidemiology and biostatistics. Students must take 18 semester hours in core courses, 18 semester hours in concentration courses and six semester hours in electives for a total degree requirement of 42 semester hours.
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) (Applicant)
Contact
179 Longwood Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 879-5964
admissions@mcphs.edu
Northeastern University
Bouve College of Health Sciences
Northeastern University is a nonprofit research institution based on a 73-acre main urban campus in Boston, Massachusetts. Northeastern operates locations in Seattle and Charlotte, educating more than 23,000 students across the country. Princeton Review has ranked Northeastern as the best university in the country for “Best Internships/Career Services” for five years, and U.S. News & World Report named Northeastern the fourth best up-and-coming university and the 42nd best university in the U.S. The Bouve College of Health Sciences provides students with the opportunity to choose from a range of degrees such as public health, physical therapy pharmacy and nursing.
Master of Public Health in Urban Health
The Master of Public Health (MPH) in Urban Health program is offered fully online, on-campus or in a combined format of both online and on-campus courses. Students are prepared to become knowledgeable public health practitioners who promote health and health policy in diverse urban communities. Students are required to complete at least 42 credits in electives, a core consisting of urban health classes and major public health competencies. During their sophomore year, MPH students clock 200 hours of experience via a community-based internship at a public health facility located in the inner city. Graduates have the skills and cultural competency to improve the health of citizens in Boston and the world.
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health
Contact
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-3768
mph@northeastern.edu
https://bouve.northeastern.edu/health-sciences/programs/master-public-health/
BS/MPH
Students who are looking to hone their public health interests and begin their career sooner may earn two degrees at once. Undergraduates who are pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree from the Bouve College of Health Sciences may be eligible to take two graduate Master of Public Health (MPH) courses during the first semester of the last year and three graduate MPH courses during the second semester of the last year of their undergraduate studies. Since these courses count toward both the MPH and the BS, students may earn two degrees faster than it would take to pursue them separately.
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health
Contact
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-3768
mph@northeastern.edu
PharmD/MPH
Students who are enrolled in the dual Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)/Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program can take MPH courses while simultaneously pursuing their PharmD degree. Students may count a maximum of 15 credit hours of MPH courses toward both of the degrees, allowing them to earn two degrees quicker than the amount of time it would take to take one degree after the other. The dual degree allows students to expand their professional tool kit while broadening their academic training to include a public health perspective.
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health
Contact
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-3768
mph@northeastern.edu
PA/MPH
Students who are enrolled in the physician assistant program at Northeastern have the opportunity to earn a dual degree. This program combines the physician assistant degree (PA) with the Master of Public Health (MPH) in Urban Planning degree. By enrolling in both programs at once, students may earn their degrees faster, and thus save money and time, while broadening their clinical tool kit and developing a health-based perspective. The PA/MPH degree is designed to give students the most flexibility possible while incorporating urban health coursework that complements their PA studies.
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health
Contact
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-3768
paprogram@northeastern.edu
JD/MPH with Northeastern University Bouve College of Health Sciences
Students may pursue a 42-month, dual degree JD/MPH in Urban Health from Northeastern’s Bouve College of Health Sciences and School of Law. Students will take courses in health law, disability law, administrative law, international health law, healthcare fraud and abuse, nonprofit organizations and public health law clinics, to name a few. MPH-specific coursework covers urban health topics such as global health, public health nutrition, program evaluation, health advocacy, and food, food policy and health. In addition to satisfying the dual degree requirements, all students are required to finish a capstone project in urban health.
Accreditation
– New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
– Council on Education for Public Health
Contact
416 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-5149
mph@northeastern.edu
Earning a public health degree is a smart option for graduate students who are looking to use their careers to improve the community’s access to health policies, healthcare and health education programs. Although master’s in public health degrees in Massachusetts can open up doors in terms of opportunities and salaries, the knowledge that you will be helping individuals, families, communities and, ultimately, the world is priceless.
Continue here: Master’s in Public Health Degrees in Massachusetts (O-Z)
