Public Health Degrees at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Cheapest MPH Degrees Online.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) offers a number of on-campus and online degree programs in the field of public health. Students may choose from bachelor’s, master’s, and a doctoral degree in public health. A Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Public Health gives students a broad introduction into the field while preparing them for further education or career readiness in both the public and private sectors. Graduate students pursuing one of the master’s degrees in public health offered by UAB develop the leadership, scientific, and technical skills that are attractive to academia, industries, and business. The programs address global and local challenges by building the next generation of professionals who are dedicated to leading innovation in the field of public health.
The bachelor’s degree in public health covers most or all of the same core topics as the master’s degree in public health, including health behavior, health policy and management, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, and epidemiology. Students may choose from a number of concentrations, including Environmental Health Studies, General Public Health, or Global Health Studies. UAB also offers a fast-track program that allows undergraduate students from any degree to begin to work on their Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the same time, allowing them to complete both programs within five years.
Students may choose from one of three degrees at the master’s level: a Master of Public Health (MPH), a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), and an M.S. The MPH is the signature master’s degree for students seeking a career in public health. The program focuses on developing practice-based skills to critically address and examine a broad scope of public health challenges, and students may choose from concentrations in Health Policy, Health Care Organization, and Maternal and Child Health Policy and Leadership. The M.S., offered through the Department of Biostatistics, aims to produce research-oriented scientists who are looking for careers performing statistical analysis and data management. The MSPH degree is designed for students seeking research-oriented study, which includes developing the skills necessary to meet the industry’s demand for clinical investigators.
The 42-credit-hour Doctorate of Public Health (DrPH) is the highest professional degree available and is designed to develop leaders and research faculty who have proficiency in teaching, critical thinking, management, data analysis, and translating research into practice and policy. Students are exposed to complex problems that face public health policymakers and practitioners, and they may choose from three tracks within the program: Maternal & Child Health (MCH) Policy, Public Health Management, and Outcomes Research.
About the University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university located in Birmingham, Alabama. The school grew from an academic extension center that had been established in 1936 before becoming a four-year school in 1966 and a fully autonomous institution in 1969. Today, UAB is one of three universities in the University of Alabama System, and it is the only school in the state with an “R1” research classification. More than 20,000 students seek professional, doctoral, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees from UAB each year, choosing from more than 140 programs of study in 12 academic divisions. Popular programs include those in the fields of public health, nursing, optometry, dentistry, medicine, and other health-related fields as well as engineering, education, business, the liberal arts, and the social and behavioral sciences. The UAB Health System is one of the largest academic medical centers in the country, and UAB Hospital sponsors residency programs in various medical specialties such as anesthesiology, radiology, surgery, neurology, and internal medicine. UAB is the largest employer in the state, with more than 21,000 staff and faculty and more than 53,000 jobs in the health system and at the university.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Accreditation Details
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), including UAB eLearning, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award professional, doctoral, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees. In addition, the UAB School of Public Health (SPH) is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health. UAB must reapply for accreditation every seven years. The accreditation process involves the completion of a self-study using CEPH-prescribed criteria that is organized into four sections: instructional programs, the SPH, the students, staff, and faculty, and the advancement, application, and creation of knowledge. Additionally, institutions seeking accreditation must host a site visit whereby the CEPH team comes to evaluate the schools.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Application Requirements
Undergraduate students interested in a bachelor’s in public health degree must submit a completed application, official SAT or ACT scores, an official high school transcript, and a $30 nonrefundable application fee. There are two methods of application a graduate student may choose, depending on the program he or she is seeking: SOPHAS and the Graduate School. Students pursuing a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama (UAB) at Birmingham must submit an online application and official transcripts from all college-level institutions attended. The application fee for students applying through the UAB Graduate School is $50, and those submitting a SOPHAS application will pay $135 for the first program or school to which they apply. UAB also requires standardized test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), a statement of purpose and objectives, a resume or curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendation from professional or academic references.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergraduate students who are earning a bachelor’s degree in public health and who reside in Alabama will pay $409 per semester-hour of coursework, while non-residents will pay $938 per semester-hour of coursework. Graduate students pursuing a master’s degree in public health and who are taking at least nine credit hours per term are considered full time. The public health programs cost $451 per semester-hour for Alabama residents and $1,025 for non-residents. Students who are interested in applying for financial aid must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Possible types of financial aid offered by the University of Alabama at Birmingham include loans, grants, work-study programs, assistantships, and scholarships that are available specifically for students pursuing a degree within the School of Public Health.
