Earning a degree from one of the Master’s in Public Health degree programs in Minnesota is a smart way to enhance your current career path or set yourself up on a new one.
The medical field is in constant need of qualified workers, but not everyone in this field works as a doctor or nurse. With your MPH degree, you might work as a policy advocate and help the government make changes at the state or federal level, or you might work as the manager of a public health facility. Minnesota is home to a few programs that provide students with experience and knowledge in the field.
Argosy University-Twin Cities
Argosy University has a solid reputation among its current students and its graduates. Though the university only opened in 2001, it has a long history that dates back even further because it consists of three separate institutions of higher learning that are much older. When those three schools merged, they picked the name Argosy University. The university has some campuses in major cities like the one it operates in the Twin Cities area, but you can also enroll in any of its online programs to complete your degree as you take classes from home or while at work.
Master of Public Health Degree in Public Health
One of the more unique Master’s in Public Health degree programs in Minnesota is the one that Argosy University offers. This program focuses on providing you with a solid foundation and preparing you for working in any job in the public health field. You will need to take 39 credits of core classes that include health policy and analysis, health communications and social marketing, accounting and finance for managers and epidemiology and risk management. Argosy also requires that students take two field experience classes that are worth a total of three credits and then do some type of capstone project.
Accreditation
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Contact
1515 Central Parkway
Eagan, MN 55121
(651) 846-2882
Capella University
School of Nursing & Health Sciences
You might recognize the Capella University name because you hear it on radio and television commercials. This for-profit university has its headquarters in Minneapolis but also operates some campuses across the country. Though it has an enrollment of more than 35,000 students, the majority of those students enroll in the degree programs that the university offers online. Started in the early 1990s as a graduate school that only offered graduate degree programs, it now offers some options for undergrads. Capella now offers some of the top programs in the nation as well as one of the best Master’s in Public Health degree programs in Minnesota.
Master of Public Health
No matter what type of educational background you have, getting your MPH degree from Capella University can help you reach the heights in your career that you hope to reach. This program includes a practicum that requires students do 160 hours of clinical work, which gives you the experience needed to land your first job. The university uses a quarter calendar and lets you take up to three classes during each 10-week quarter to help you graduate faster and spend less money on tuition. You can transfer up to half your classes into the program too.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
225 South 6th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(888) 227-3552
University of Minnesota
School of Public Health
Not only is the University of Minnesota one of the oldest colleges in the Midwest, but it also ranks as one of the largest campuses in the state and in the region. Established in 1851, it now has an enrollment that tops more than 50,000 students. Also known as UNM and just Minnesota, the university operates four smaller campuses in other parts of the state. Many students attend one of those campus before transferring to the main campus in the Twin Cities region. UNM now has its own online campus too that provides students with access to many of the same opportunities as its main campus does.
MPH Program
When searching for the top Master’s in Public Health degree programs in Minnesota, you’ll find that UNM offers some of the best options for graduate students. Its School of Public Health is one of the oldest schools operating within the university system. You have the option of enrolling in the general MPH program that looks at all aspects of public health or choosing a concentration in a more advanced field. The general MPH program consists of foundation classes and advanced courses in more complex topics. You can do an internship or some type of field placement in your final year too.
Biostatistics
The UNM Biostatistics program ranks within the top seven programs of its type in the country. You’ll take courses over the fall and spring semesters for two years to earn your degree. When you finish your second semester, the university will require that you take a written examination to determine if you have the understanding and knowledge necessary to continue with the program. All students must take seven required courses and four electives before doing a final project. Those required courses include theory of statistics, biostatistics and regression, survival analysis and a class on performing clinical trials in the field.
Community Health Promotion
Whether you want to promote healthy living or hope to improve the health of a certain population, the university;s Community Health Promotion program might be the best option for you. This program includes a field experience component that you must complete through a public health organization or agency. Some students work for local facilities, but others work for the government. You’ll also need to take classes on public health theory, health behavior and policy interventions, assessment methods and critical issue interventions. This program includes required courses too like environmental health, epidemiology methods and ethics in the public health field.
Environmental Health (MPH)
The University of Minnesota offers a Master of Public Health in Environmental Health as well as a Master of Science in the topic, and you can easily transition from either graduate program to the university’s doctoral program. Many students enroll in the general program, which lets them take 11 electives from various topics as well as required courses before they graduate. You can also pick a concentration and study a specific area like environmental infectious diseases, global environmental health, industrial hygiene or environmental and occupational epidemiology. Other concentrations available include those in occupational and environmental medicine and occupational and environmental health nursing.
Epidemiology
The university’s Epidemiology MPH program focuses on teaching students how to recognize infectious diseases and spot trends among the general public. You’ll learn how to identify outbreaks before those outbreaks worsen and how to protect larger and small groups of people. The standard program requires that you take 48 credits over two years to graduate, which includes a minimum of 10 credits of electives. Those who have a graduate or doctoral degree in a related field can enroll in the advanced standing version of the program. This program requires that students take just 42 credits of classes.
Maternal & Child Health
Any student who wants to work in a field to improve the general health of children, pregnant mothers and entire families will appreciate the university’s Maternal & Child Health program. It requires that you take classes in different fields or areas that include scientific basis of maternal and child health, methodological and analytical skills, management, communications, policy and advocacy skills and public health core. You’ll also need to do a field experience. UNM offers this as a standard program or as an advanced standing program and offers a version of the program with a concentration in epidemiology too.
Public Health Administration & Policy MPH
As some students prefer working behind the scenes to help the general public, the University of Minnesota designed this Public Health Administration & Policy MPH program. You’ll learn the skills needed to conduct research on infectious diseases and how to identify trends within certain populations. Students take up to 15 credits of core public health classes and 14 credits of core public health administration classes. You also have the option of earning a certificate while completing your studies in a subject like aging studies or global health. The university offers concentrations in policy, analysis and management, though you can also customize the program around your interests.
Public Health Nutrition
Whether you want to work in a local school, a retirement center or any other organization that serves food, you may want to look into this Public Health Nutrition program. You can enroll in the standard program, the epidemiology emphasis program or one that prepares you for taking a national examination that lets you become a registered dietitian. This last program is highly competitive and only accepts 11 new students every year. The standard program includes a core of six classes in public health nutrition, five courses in the public health core and classes in research methods as well as a final project and field experience component.
Executive MPH in Public Health Practice
The School of Public Health at UNM offers some distance education programs for students who cannot make the commute to the Twin Cities like this Executive MPH in Public Health Practice. Students enrolled in this program are often on the older side and have more experience than those in standard programs do. You’ll take 14.5 credits of core courses that include fundamentals of social and behavioral sciences, principles of management in health services organizations, fundamentals of epidemiology and issues in occupational and environmental health. Students have the option of picking the electives they take based on their career goals and interests.
Dual & Joint Degrees
UNM also offers a number of dual and joint degrees that let you earn a degree in public health while finishing a degree in another subject. The dentistry program allows students to earn the degree needed to work as a dentist while also learning how they can better communicate with their patients. Many of these programs are available through the university’s own law school. You might decide to study law while working on an MPH degree with a concentration in health promotion, epidemiology or maternal and child health. These programs teach you how to work with your clients and what to do with the health problems they have.
The university offers dual degree programs for pharmacy, nursing and medical school students too. Instead of learning the fundamentals of how to work with your patients and how to provide them with the necessary treatments, you’ll also learn what you can do behind the scenes to help a large population and how to conduct your own research into diseases and health conditions. The university even offers a joint degree that lets you earn an MPH degree while working on your veterinary medicine degree.
Other joint programs are available through the UNM School of Social Work, which has accreditation from a major national organization. Earning a Master of Social Work helps you become a licensed social worker in Minnesota and in other states. You’ll need to take courses on ethics and identifying abuse as well as do some field work before getting your MSW. Those enrolled in a joint program will also need to take public health classes. The University of Minnesota allows you to pick between earning an MPH in Maternal and Child Health or Community Health Education, which will prepare you for working with victims and those in need.
Executive Public Health Administration & Policy
UNM designed this executive program for those who already have experience as well as those currently working in the public health field or a related industry. You will take 14 credits of core public health classes, 18 credits of executive public health administration and policy classes and six credits of electives. The university expects all students to complete a field placement experience and do a final project too. Courses in this program include planning and budgeting for public health, leadership and evaluating public health change, issues in environmental and occupational health and principles of management in health service organizations.
Maternal & Child Health Advanced Standing Program
If you already have a graduate degree in a medical or health care field, you can enroll in the university’s advanced standing program and earn an MPH in Maternal & Child Health. This version of the program is also open to students who have three or more years of professional experience in a related field. You will need to take 42 credits of classes, which lets you graduate in two years of full-time study. UNM offers this as a part-time program and allows students to take less classes each session. This program is available entirely online as well.
4 + 1 Environmental MPH
Not all MPH programs are only open to those who already have an undergrad degree. UNM designed its 4 + 1 program for those with less experience like recent high school graduates. You spend four years working on your bachelor’s degree, but you’ll have the chance to take some master’s classes in your senior year. After completing just one extra year of schooling, you will earn your MPH degree. This lets you graduate in five years rather than six or more. Some of the advanced classes available include environmental and occupational health policy and careers in environmental health.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455
(612) 625-5000
Walden University
Online Masters Degrees
Walden University offers a number of discounts and financial aid programs that bring down the costs that new students face. Simply waiting until later in the year to enroll in one of its degree programs may save you up to 10% or more on your total tuition costs. The university often offers these discounts because it has slots it needs to fill in some of its programs, including its on-campus and online options. Walden also offers traditional financial aid programs for its students who need help paying for school. You can get federal loans from the government for your graduate education.
Master of Public Health
One of the Master’s in Public Health degree programs in Minnesota that can help you with your career goals is the one that Walden University offers. This program starts at different points during the school year and is more flexible to meet the needs of students with other commitments. You can transfer in up to 32 credits that you earned from another campus, but you’ll need to complete at least 32 more credits through Walden. This program consists of 56 credits of core and foundation courses. You’ll earn eight credits from the practicum and capstone that you do too.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
100 S Washington Ave. #900
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(866) 492-5336
Minneapolis, St, Paul and smaller cities in the state all have a need for public health workers. You might work in a public health center, a hospital or a government agency. Master’s in Public Health degree programs in Minnesota will help you get the great start that you need to succeed in any of these jobs.
See also: Top 10 Best Online Masters in Public Health Degree Programs
