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Master’s in Public Health Degrees in New York (O-Z)

Students who want to work in research, as lobbyists, or in any other area of public health should learn more about the top Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York. These programs are open to students who have a bachelor’s degree in a health related field as well as those who studied similar subjects while in college. Public health programs offer courses that teach students how to conduct research on health subjects, how to interact with patients at the public level and how to communicate with others. For the first two articles in our series, see:

St John’s University – New York

College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Students looking at Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York who want to live in or near Queens will find that St John’s University – New York is the only college in the borough that offers an MPH program. Students applying to this program must have an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 and show the university an official transcript that shows that GPA and all classes taken. The university also asks for a personal statement that it uses to learn more about each student who applies. This statement must be no longer than 1,000 words.

Public Health, Master of Public Health

St. John’s University – New York gives MPH students the option of enrolling as a full-time or part-time student. Part-time students typically finish the program in five years, but full-time students usually graduate in just two years. All students must take 12 credits from within the concentration they choose and 18 credits of core public health classes. The university awards students three credits for a capstone project and nine credits for the research courses they take. This program also has a fieldwork component that is worth three credits. Students will need to do some type of internship and have their work supervised.

Accreditation

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

Contact

8000 Utopia Parkway

Queens, NY 11439

(718) 990-2000

Website

Stony Brook University

Academics

Stony Brook University offers more Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York than any other college or university does, but it also offers more related degree programs too. As the university has its own medical school, it can offer degree programs that other schools cannot like combined programs for future doctors. Students who want to finish medical school will find programs that let them get their medical degrees at the same time that they finish a degree in public health. Those programs help students learn more about research and public health while learning how to work as doctors in different fields.

MPH

Of all the public health and related degree programs offered by Stony Brook University, the most traditional is an MPH program. It allows students to choose a concentration in community health, health analytics or health policy and management. Students will take nine credits of courses from within one of those concentrations. They also earn six credits through a capstone and a practicum that they do. The rest of the program is worth 39 credits and includes all required courses, which are part of the public health core, and include environmental and occupational health and theories of human behavior and communication.

Combined MBA/MPH

The College of Business at SBU helped the university created a Combined MBA/MPH degree that looks at public health and business. This combined degree program requires that students apply for a spot in the MPH program and then apply to the MBA program. That department is responsible for granting admission to the combined program. Students will still have access to the same concentrations and will take the same required courses. Those students will also need to complete the business core and take some other business classes. They must also take the same practicum and capstone courses that traditional MPH students take.

Combined MPH/MAPP

Another combined program available through the university is its Combined MPH/MAPP program. This allows students to earn a Master of Public Health and a Master of Arts in Public Policy at the same time. Many of the students who graduate from this program work as lobbyists in Washington DC. Lobbyists are the ones who work with politicians to change health care laws and policies and are the ones who worked to pass the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Students enrolled in this program can still pick a concentration in MPH in community health, health policy and management or health analytics.

Combined 5-Year MD/MPH Degree Program

Medical doctors often find it helpful to learn more about public health because they want to work with certain at risk populations or because they want to work in research. Stony Brook University is the only university in New York that offers a combined degree program that helps students earn an MPH degree and a Medical Doctorate. This program allows students to graduate in just five years too. Students take some public health courses while in medical school. They then take a break between the second and third year of medical school to complete all remaining required public health courses.

Combined MPH/MS in Nutrition

One of the more unique programs that SBU offers is this Combined MPH/MS in Nutrition. Designed for students who want to work with patients who need help choosing the right foods and following a healthy diet, the program requires that students take at least 78 credits of classes. Some of the courses they take will count towards the required credits of each program, but students will also take some program specific courses too. It features courses such as introduction to the research process, evaluating public health initiatives, contemporary issues across the lifespan, applications of nutrition research literature and health systems performance.

Concurrent DDS & MPH Degree Program

The School of Dental Medicine at Stony Brook University worked with the main university to created a combined program that runs concurrently. This program awards graduates both a Master of Public Health and a DDS degree. Those in the combined program can actually apply for a university scholarship. Students must first receive acceptance to the DDS program before applying. The scholarship covers the cost of the MPH program. SBU recommends that students start the DDS program and then apply for a spot in the MPH program. It will use the grades that a student receives to determine if he or she can handle both programs.

Combined Undergraduate Degrees

In addition to MPH graduate programs, the university also offers combined degree programs for students at the undergraduate level. These programs allow students to begin working on an MPH degree while enrolled in a bachelor’s program, but combined degrees are only available in select subjects. Students will need to declare a major in women’s studies, pharmacology, earth and space sciences or applied mathematics and statistics. Students complete all required general education courses and take required courses relating to their undergraduate majors as a sophomore. They can then start taking graduate courses as a junior or senior to finish an MPH degree in five years.

Accreditation

Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

Contact

101 Nicolls Rd.

Stony Brook NY 11794

(631) 689-8333

Website

SUNY at Albany

Graduate Education

The State University of New York is a public university school system that consists of campuses all across the state. One of the largest of those campuses is the one in Albany which goes by the name of SUNY at Albany. This university offers opportunities for students at the three top levels and provides programs for undergraduate students as well as graduate and doctoral students. Those enrolling in one of the MPG programs that it offers will need to supply information and documents such as an official transcript and professional or education references. SUNY at Albany offers programs for MD students too.

Public Health MPH

One of the Master’s in Public Health degree programs available through SUNY at Albany is a Public Health MPH. The university requires that students take a minimum of 45 credits to finish this degree, but some students will need to take more than 50 credits because they did not take prerequisite courses in college. There are six concentrations that students can pick from, including environmental health, health policy and management, epidemiology and social behavior and community health. The university requires that students maintain a 3.0 GPA in all required courses like health care organization delivery and financing and introduction to environmental health.

Public Health MPH Online – Public Health Practice

SUNY at Albany designed an online MPH program for professional students who want to work in a public health practice. This is one of the only programs in the state that takes place entirely online. It’s only open to students who have at least three years of public health experience before enrolling. The university requires that these students do one or more internships worth nine credits. It will waive some of that work based on the amount of experience that students have. These students will need to take both a seminar and a capstone course but can choose a specific concentration.

Public Health MPH/MD (Albany Med)

This combined program is available through SUNY at Albany and the Albany Medical College. As a dual degree program, it requires that students apply to each individual program and that they take all required courses in each one. Students typically do an internship and take some required public health courses after finishing the first year of medical school. They will take other MPH courses after finishing a second and then third year of medical school. This program also asks students to do a more extensive internship during the fifth year. SUNY at Albany can help students find an internship.

Public Health MPH/Social Work MSW

One of the only dual programs in the state with an emphasis on social work is the MPH/MSW program that SUNY at Albany offers. This program allows students to earn both degrees as they take 93 credits of courses. The program features a social work component as well as a public health component and helps students become licensed social workers after they finish their studies. Those students will do internships and take a number of courses that include financial management of health care institutions, social welfare policy and services, human behavior in the social environment and biological basis of public health.

Accreditation

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

Contact

1400 Washington Ave.

Albany, NY 12222

(518) 442-3300

Website

SUNY at Binghamton

The Graduate School

SUNK at Binghampton is a branch of the SUNY system in the town of Binghampton. This university has its own Graduate School that offers opportunities for both graduate students and doctoral candidates. The Graduate School offers accelerated degree programs for those who have some college experience and those who want to graduate faster. These programs usually feature courses that are more intensive and last for eight weeks or less, which allows students to take more classes each semester. The university’s graduate school is also responsible for its MPH degree that prepares students for working in hospitals and other settings.

Public Health (MPH)

SUNY at Binghampton recommends that students follow the same course outline to graduate in two years. They take 12 credits during the two main semesters of the year and complete 48 credits of work over four semesters. Part-time students take fewer classes each semester and can graduate in five years or less. The university does not offer concentration options like other Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York because it requires students take courses on different aspects of public health. Classes include foundations of public health, public health biology, topics in population health and topics in global health.

Accreditation

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

Contact

4400 Vestal Parkway East

Binghamton, NY 13902

(607) 777-2000

Website

SUNY College at Potsdam

Majors & Minors

Potsdam, New York is home to a branch of SUNY called SUNY College at Potsdam. This college is unique because it offers a number of interdisciplinary studies programs designed to let students study multiple subjects in one program. It also offers partner programs that allow students to take classes on another campus. Though the college does not offer one of the standard Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York, it does offer a Master of Science in Community Health program. It prepares students for working in rural and urban settings and teaches them how to evaluate health programs.

M.S. in Community Health

Getting an M.S. in Community Health from SUNY College at Potsdam helps students learn how to work and communicate with populations in rural and urban settings. It has a fieldwork component that requires students spend a full year working in a facility and gaining more experience, which is longer than most programs require students to work. All the courses in this program are worth three credits each and cover an important aspect of public or community health. Students can take classes such as health policy and administration, epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental and occupational health and current topics in rural health.

Accreditation

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

Contact

44 Pierrepont Ave.

Potsdam, NY 13676

(315) 267-2000

Website

SUNY Downstate Medical Center

School of Public Health

One of the only branches of the SUNY school system that focuses primarily on medical studies is the SUNY Downstate Medical Center. This campus has a convenient location in Brooklyn that puts it close to public transportation, which allows students to easily reach their classes. As part of the SUNY system, this campus also keeps tuition costs low. New York residents will find that this university offers more affordable rates than other campuses do. SUNY Downstate Medical Center offers two of the top Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York that include both a traditional program and a joint program.

Master of Public Health

Students can get a Master of Public Health from SUNY Downstate Medical Center after taking 42 credits of work. This program allows students to enroll as a part-time or full-time student and take up to 12 credits every semester. Prior to enrolling, students need to declare a concentration in epidemiology, environmental and occupational health sciences, health policy and management, community health sciences or biostatistics. The university expects students to do a culminating experience too. Those students will need to pick a topic that relates to the field of practice in their concentration and do a final project on that topic.

MD/Master of Public Health

The same concentrations available in the standard SUNY Downstate Medical Center MPH program are available to those in its combined MD/Master of Public Health program. Designed for those who want to work as licensed medical doctors, this program helps students complete an MD and earn an MPH. Students will spend the main part of the school year in the MD program and then take MPH classes over the summer. Full-time students take 42 credits of MPH classes over three summer sessions. Students often enroll in this program because they want to learn more about helping different populations and patients.

Accreditation

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

Contact

450 Clarkson Ave., Box43

Brooklyn, NY 11203

(718) 270-1065

Website

Syracuse University

FALK College of Public Health

Syracuse University is one of the most reputable colleges in New York. It is home to the FALK College of Public Health, which ranks as one of the top public health colleges in the nation. This college offers two of the top Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York too. One is a more traditional program that focuses on public health, but the second program focuses on global health. Syracuse is highly selective in terms of who it admits each year. Those applying must have a 3.2 GPA from an accredited college or university and score in the 50th percentile or higher on the GRE.

Master of Science in Public Health

When designing its Master of Science in Public Health degree program, Syracuse looked for professors with a deep understanding of the field and those who had more experience too. The university wanted to provide students with useful information relating to the industry today. As students take the 42 credits of required courses, they learn how to conduct research in the health industry, how to evaluate health care programs and how to stay informed of changes in the industry. The basic program focuses on biostatistics and prepares students for both working in research and working in academia at the college or university level.

Master of Science in Global Health

Syracuse also offers a Master of Science in Global Health through its FALK College of Public Health. This program focuses more on the issues relating to people around the world rather than one specific group or population. It is a shorter program that requires students do just 36 credits of work instead of 42 credits. After finishing the spring semester in the second year, students will begin an internship that lasts for six weeks. This internship sends students to facilities and organizations overseas to learn more about populations in those regions and to gain more international experience.

Accreditation

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

Contact

440 White Hall

Syracuse, NY 13244

(315) 443-5555

Website

Teachers College at Columbia University

Department of Health & Behavior Studies

Teachers College at Columbia University started out as a separate institution of higher learning that primarily offered education programs for teachers. It later added some graduate programs and then branched into other fields to provide more options for students. When the college merged with Columbia, it became the Teachers College at Columbia University, which is now a graduate school that offers programs in health, psychology, and education. Graduates of this school are alumni of Columbia University and receive degrees from that university. The college now offers a graduate program that looks at aspects of both public health as well as nutrition.

Master of Science: Nutrition and Public Health

This Master of Science: Nutrition and Public Health is one of the only Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York that allows students to complete a dietetics internship. Students can begin the year-long internship required of those who want to work in the dietetics field. Some students prefer to take the 47 credits of courses and other work in the program and then begin their careers without doing an internship. All students must do a thesis at the end of the program too and after taking classes like principles of epidemiology, social policy and prevention and nutritional ecology.

Accreditation

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

Contact

525 West 120th St.

New York, NY 10027

(212) 678-3000

Website

University at Buffalo

The Graduate School

The University at Buffalo is one of the leading colleges in the Buffalo region. While many of its graduate students attended a college in New York, it also welcomes students from all across the United States and has a large population of international students too. It offers an MPH program that is available as a full-time program that takes two years to finish. Those who want to enroll will first need to submit an online application and pay the $50 application fee that the university charges. The University at Buffalo asks for an official GRE score and transcript too.

Public Health

Students attending the University at Buffalo will find that it offers six different concentrations for MPH students, which is more than most other Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York offer. Those concentrations include epidemiology, community health and health behavior and individualized study, which the university formerly called a generalist program. The university announced changes to the program in 2018 that changed the required courses for incoming students. New students will now take classes such as study of health behavior, principles of epidemiology, introduction to medical statistics, biological basis of public health and a seminar on contemporary issues in public health.

Accreditation

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

Contact

413 Kimball Tower

Buffalo, NY 14214

(716) 829-6779

Website

University of Rochester

School of Medicine & Dentistry

Students who want to study any aspect of healthcare often pick the University of Rochester because it has a School of Medicine & Dentistry that is responsible for those programs. This medical school ranks as one of the top of its kind in New York but ranks highly among schools in New England too. The university established its MPH program in 1970, which makes it one of the oldest Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York. This accredited program teaches students the skills essential for becoming leaders and managers in the public health industry.

Masters in Public Health (MPH)

The MPH program that the University of Rochester offers has a practicum component that requires students take a practical experience course in their final year. They’ll pick a topic that appeals to them, get approval from the instructor to work on that topic and do either a project or a paper built around it. The program also features courses that allow students to do research on their own and in small groups. Other courses in the MPH program include principles of epidemiology, health promotion and preventative medicine, health services research seminar, foundations of maternal and child health and epidemiology of infectious diseases.

Accreditation

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

Contact

601 Elmwood Ave.

Rochester, NY 14642

(585) 275-2100

Website

Upstate Medical University

CNYMPH

Upstate Medical University is a college in New York that specializes in the education of medical students. The programs that it offers all have a medical focus and students have the chance to do work away from the campus to gain some health and medical experience. The university works with a branch of the SUNY system in central New York, which keeps costs low for incoming students who are also New York residents. Students from other schools will find that its tuition is affordable when compared to other schools too. The university offers a joint program for future doctors too.

Central New York Master of Public Health

The Central New York Master of Public Health is a program offered by Upstate Medical Center that requires students take 42 credits of courses. Many students opt to take more classes because they want to study other areas of public health. They can take courses on medical evaluation, research and civic engagement. Students also have the option of taking classes on preventative medicine, which is helpful for those who want to work as doctors. This is one of the only Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York with a 15-credit advanced option that is open to medical doctor students.

Accreditation

Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH)

Contact

766 Irving Ave.

Syracuse, NY 13210

(315) 464-1700

Website

Public health programs offer opportunities for students who want to work in healthcare but do not want to work as traditional doctors or nurses. The top Master’s in Public Health degree programs in New York provide students with resources that can help them find jobs in cities across the state.