Protecting Public Health With UMN
The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities appears in our ranking of the Top 10 MPH Programs with No Out-of-State Tuition Fees.
Founded in 1944, the School of Public Health attracts $42.6 million in NIH funding and 1,435 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities students to 19 graduate programs. The Master of Public Health (MPH) is the terminal, practitioner-based offering of 42 credits that seeks to address global threats. Overseen by Dr. John Finnegan Jr., the 2.5-year curriculum delivers seven concentrations: Biostatistics, Community Health Promotion, Environmental Health, Maternal & Child Health, Epidemiology, Public Health Administration & Policy, and Nutrition. Graduates must complete 180 fieldwork hours at partner facilities, such as the Mayo Clinic, Allina Health, Ecolab, UnitedHealth Group, and the FDA. Featured in Minnesota Physician, the Executive MPH helps working clinicians become Certified in Public Health part-time. Some enter the Exchange Program to Nitte University in Mangalore, India.
Home to the Center for Infection Disease Research, UMN also takes an inquiry-based approach to clinical care with the Master of Science in Public Health. Boasting a 1:1 student-faculty ratio, the three-year M.S. strengthens lab skills with thesis work in four areas: Biostatistics, Clinical Research, Environmental Health, and Health Services Policy & Administration. Specialty certificates like Food Protection, Emergency Preparedness, and Global Health could be added. Coordinated by Dr. Beth Virnig, the Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health is a four-year, post-MPH track advancing scientific expertise for academic jobs. There are currently 72 Ph.D. candidates working toward the dissertation in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, and Health Services Research. Other Twin Cities programs include the Dual MPH/DDS, Master of Health Administration, and 4+1 Environmental Health MPH.
About The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was established in 1851 as the Territory’s first higher learning institution before closing in the Civil War. Reopened 16 years later by businessman John Sargent Pillsbury, UMN granted its first Ph.D. in 1888. Expanded to Duluth, Morris, Crookston, and Rochester after the 1940s, the University of Minnesota retains its main 2,730-acre East Bank campus in Minneapolis on Saint Anthony Falls. Endowed for $3.2 billion, UMN-Twin Cities now enrolls 15,859 post-grad Gophers, including Public Health majors, as a “Public Ivy,” land-grant RU/VH institution of the Big Ten. Linked to 244,805 LinkedIn alumni, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities has trained Earl Bakken, Louis J. Ignarro, Jessica Lange, Cheryl Strayed, and more.
The U.S. News & World Report ranked UMN-Twin Cities the 69th best national college, 25th top public university, and 46th best medical school with the eighth best public health program. On Niche, UMN is America’s 29th best college location, 53rd top student life school, and 120th hardest college. Forbes placed the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 139th countrywide with the 90th best value. The ARWU Shanghai rankings honored Twin Cities as the 34th best institution globally. According to the Princeton Review, UMN has the 11th best health services center. In Washington Monthly, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was also applauded for the 12th most research and 61st best faculty.
The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Accreditation Details
In February 2016, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities had its Level VI accreditation continued without sanctions for another 10 years by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA) under president Eric W. Kaler. Based in Chicago, this regional body is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to check the quality of UMN’s 150 baccalaureate, 183 master’s, 108 doctoral, and 244 certificate programs from Minneapolis to Rochester. The School of Public Health is specifically accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) through 2022. MHA courses are also approved by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Application Requirements
The 67 percent acceptance rate is classified as “moderately difficult” on Peterson’s for University of Minnesota-Twin Cities students seeking the MPH. Class registration is only allowed after a U.S. bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent is completed. Prerequisites vary; for instance, the MPH in Biostatistics asks for three semesters of Calculus and one Linear Algebra course. Maintaining an overall 3.0 GPA or greater at accredited institutions is compulsory. On the GRE, master’s applicants should present a composite score of 300 with at least 3.5 on the analytical writing section. The Executive MPH mandates a 3.25 average, 5+ years of industry experience, and a previous master’s or doctorate.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities has a priority deadline of December 1st for the School of Public Health, but each program’s dates vary. The MPH considers entrants until April 1st for Biostatistics, May 1st for Maternal & Child Health, and June 1st for Nutrition. The Public Health Ph.D. has a February 1st deadline that extends to June 15th only for Environmental Health. Online SOPHAS accounts are used to submit the application wholly online. Assistance is available via sph-ask@umn.edu or at 420 Delaware Street SE in Minneapolis, MN 55455. Don’t forget the following requests:
• One-time $55 fee by credit card or check
• Transcripts of bachelor’s degree completion
• Official GRE scores with institution code 6891
• Three academic/work letters of recommendation
• Résumé or curriculum vitae of service record
• A statement of purpose and research interests
• Test of English as a Foreign Language if needed
Tuition and Financial Aid
The Master of Public Health at UMN-Twin Cities presently charges Minnesota residents $961 per credit. Out-of-state graduates are billed $1,262 per credit. The Executive MPH is the only exception where all students pay $961 per credit regardless. Complete MPH study costs range from $40,362 to $80,768 based on concentration. The Master of Science sets full-time students back $8,364 in Minnesota or $12,942 elsewhere each semester. OneStop lists PhD tuition rates as $1,394 in-state and $2,157 out-of-state per credit. Please note the School of Public Health does have a $432 services fee, $145 collegiate fee, and $999 health benefit fee.
According to the NCES College Navigator, 54 percent of full-time UMN Gophers share $157.7 million annually with financial aid offers averaging $8,628 each. Master of Public Health students might qualify for institutional funds, such as the ICGC Fellowship, Mellon Fellowship, LEND Fellowship, Scholars of Excellence Award, Lowell & Leslie Kruse Scholarship, and Alumni Scholarship. External funds like the Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship and ASPPH Fellowship are highlighted. The McKnight’s Travel Grant and Learning Abroad Center Grant help study overseas. Filing the FAFSA form via code 003969 could open Direct Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans that might be forgiven. The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities also has 4,407 graduate assistantships that involve at least 98 hours of work per semester.
Learn more about The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities at the School of Public Health website.
