Studying Public Health at The University of Arizona
The University of Arizona appears in our ranking of the Top 10 MPH Programs with No Out-of-State Tuition Fees.
The University of Arizona offers programs in public health through the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. The undergraduate degree awarded is the Bachelor of Science in Public Health. It gives students a broad perspective of public health spanning health promotion to disease prevention and Health Disparities and Policy.
The degree path is divided into three areas: prerequisites, general education and major core classes plus electives. The required core classes are Business Writing or Technical Writing; Introduction to Epidemiology; Healthcare in the United States; Principles of Health Education and Health Promotion; Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Health; Introduction to Biostatistics; Health Disparities and Minority Health; Global Health; Public Health Nutrition and Field Work in Public Health.
The degree can be earned on four tracks: Environmental and Occupational Health Track; Health Promotion; Health Delivery or Global Health. The Master of Public Health is an interdisciplinary professional studies program. It takes two years of full-time study to complete or up to six years of part-time study. There are eight concentrations within the degree and options for Dual Degrees in MD/MPH, JD/MPH, PharmD/MPH, MPH/MBA, MPH/MBA in Latin American Studies; MPH/MBA in Mexican-American Studies and ND/MPH Naturopathic Medicine SCNM.
The University of Arizona also offers an online MPH that can be earned with concentrations in Applied Epidemiology, Health Service Administration or Health Promotion. In addition, there are Ph.D. degrees offered in Epidemiology, Biostatistics or Environmental Sciences, and Doctor of Public Health programs in Public Health Policy and Management or Maternal and Child Health.
About the University of Arizona
U of A is a public research university in Tucson, Arizona. With 43,000 students, the University of Arizona is the state’s land-grant institution. The school contains 19 colleges and two medical centers. It was founded in 1885 as Arizona Normal School. Classes began in 1891 and, as there were no high schools in Arizona at that time, the school provided separate preparatory classes until 1918. The University of Arizona is categorized by the Carnegie Foundation as a high-level research university, and it receives $606 million annually in research funding.
Most classes at the school have between 20 and 49 students. The student-to-faculty ratio is 22:1, and the university has a 42 percent four-year graduation rate. Although freshmen are not required to live on campus, most do. There is an honors college at the University of Arizona that provides eligible students with special courses, honors housing and ready access to instructors, among other perks.
The Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health was established in 2000. It is the only nationally accredited public health school in Arizona. It is organized into three divisions: Community, Environment and Policy, Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Health Promotion Science.
University of Arizona Accreditation Details
The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Public Health degrees are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, with the exception of the MPH in Industrial Hygiene. That program is accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology ( ABET).
University of Arizona Application requirements
Freshmen applying for their first year should complete the application which includes submitting self-reported grades through the sixth semester, and courses in progress. They must take the SAT or ACT and arrange to have those results sent to the university. After acceptance, students must have their high schools submit an official transcript. There is a non-refundable $50 application fee which must be paid at the time of application.
Applicants for UA Online should complete the application and submit their transcripts and the application fee. Those applying to the graduate program should apply through the GradApp portal and create a profile, then apply to the program of their choosing. Although the university does not require the GRE, many programs do. Students should check individual programs for requisites, but generally, they include submission of official transcripts from all post-secondary coursework, letters of recommendation, a resume/CV and the application fee along with a statement of purpose. Students applying to the MPH in Health Promotion do not have to take the GRE.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Resident undergraduate tuition at the University of Arizona is $11,877. That amount includes most fees. Room and Board averages $12,200, and students spend $800 or more in books and supplies. In addition, the school estimates $3,300 in other fees, personal expenses, travel and other miscellaneous costs. The total estimate cost-of-attendance for undergraduates at the University of Arizona is $28,177.
Graduate students who reside in Arizona pay an average of $10,960 in tuition, $12,250 for room and board and $1,250 for books and supplies. The total estimated cost-of-attendance for graduate students is $32,350 per year. Undergraduate students earning their degrees online pay $500 to $610 per unit and graduate students pay $650 to $1,332 per unit. Most courses consist of three to four units.
Most people will need financial assistance to meet these financial obligations. Graduating with years of accumulated debt is disheartening to people starting their careers. The first step in getting help to pay student costs is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA). This program awards grants, loans and work-study opportunities to students who qualify financially.
Students should also complete a scholarship application for state and university scholarships and grants. The Arizona Assurance Grant and the Arizona Leveraging Education Assist Partnership (AzLEAP) are two grants aimed at prospective University of Arizona students who might not consider earning a degree without financial help. The university sponsors several scholarships and grants, and there are outside scholarships funded by private individuals, service organizations and corporations as well. These types of assistance do not have to be repaid.
Students who do not qualify for scholarships can take out student loans and their parents may qualify for PLUS loans, which are low-interest loans made by the federal government to the parents of students. Most scholarship opportunities are not available to graduate students. There are some departmental grants for these students as well as funding made available through corporate sources. Some departments offer graduate assistantships to students. A thorough search of Internet scholarship portals will help students who want to study Public Health at the University of Arizona begin their programs with the assurance of help in meeting their student financial obligations.
