Studying Public Health in Montana
The University of Montana appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Cheapest MPH Degrees Online.
Since 2006, the School of Public and Community Health Sciences has granted a Master in Public Health for University of Montana post-grads to deepen their generalist, collaborative skills for impactful wellness initiatives. Directed by Dr. Tony Ward, a 2012 NIH Challenge Grant recipient, the 42-credit degree takes two to 3.5 years in the Skaggs Building or online via Moodle. One concentration is available in Community Health & Prevention Sciences to focus on population health promotion. Portfolios are built throughout courses like Epidemiology, Rural Health, Counseling Theory, and Biostatistics with a 16:1 student-faculty ratio. Extra classes are taken for the Dual DPT or PharmD options. The Ph.D. in Public Health also follows a 90-credit dissertation track in Missoula for preparing tomorrow’s expert, tenured professors.
Finishing the MPH at the University of Montana involves one semester-long, 400-hour practicum for a life-changing experience with possible $1,000 stipends. Assigned placements include the Lake County Health Department, Area Health Education Center, Kalispell Regional Healthcare, Providence St. Patrick Hospital, and Lincoln County Health Department. Both MPH and Ph.D. majors are welcomed into the Public Health Student & Alumni Association. Each year, the campus hosts the Breastfeeding Learning Collaborative Conference and Rock Stars of Health Summit. Post-grads undertake mentored research in the Cardiac Exercise Lab, Autism Communication Lab, DeWitt RiteCare Clinic, and more. Other opportunities are serving abroad from Uganda to Uruguay, adding the Environmental Health Certificate, and gaining CPH credentials.
About the University of Montana
The University of Montana was established in February 1893 on the South Missoula Land Company’s donated acres by the Third Legislative Assembly with an inaugural class of 135. Five years later, architect Albert John Gibson erected the landmark University Hall. Enrollment dropped by 65 percent during WWII before spiking in the mid-1960s. Budgeting $153.9 million yearly, the public, state-funded RU/H institution now serves 11,865 Grizzlies, including Public Health majors, at 3,200 feet elevation. Below Mount Sentinel, the University of Montana occupies a 65-building, Renaissance Revival-style campus on the Clark Fork River. Linked to 45,272 LinkedIn alumni, UM has trained Harold Urey, Jeannette Rankin, Marc Racicot, and more.
The U.S. News & World Report ranked Montana the 207th best national university, 130th best biological sciences school, and 81st top ecology college. On Niche, UM has America’s 129th best athletics, 253rd best campus, and 405th top professors. Forbes placed the University of Montana 588th overall with the 231st best research. Times Higher Education included UM in the globe’s top 500. The CWUR noticed Montana for the 160th best education and 327th most research citations. College Factual recognized the University of Montana for the country’s 479th best health education. According to the Social Mobility Index, UM offers the 138th best low-income opportunity. In Washington Monthly, Montana also has the 59th highest Peace Corps participation.
University of Montana Accreditation Details
In Spring 2018, the University of Montana underwent its year-one institutional evaluation for the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) to retain the Level VI accreditation under its 18th president, GE executive Seth Bodnar. Based over 475 miles west in Redmond, this seven-state regional accrediting body is authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to verify the quality of Montana’s 30 associate, 124 baccalaureate, 111 master’s, and 56 doctoral options. The MPH and Ph.D. in Public Health hold accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) through December 2024 too.
University of Montana Application Requirements
Getting into the University of Montana is labeled “moderately difficult” by Peterson’s even though 92 percent of the 6,156 applications in Fall 2016 were accepted. Graduate Grizzlies applying for the MPH must first finish at least seven semesters of their accredited bachelor’s. Minimum academic standards aren’t published, but admitted students have an average 3.3 GPA. Up to six 500-level transfer credits are accepted for electives. Taking the Graduate Record Exam is mandatory unless clinicians hold professional degrees like an MD or DPT. Majors present a mean GRE score of 146 for quantitative reasoning and 150 for verbal reasoning. The doctorate requires having finished a Master of Public Health with at least 400 fieldwork hours. Non-native English speakers must also score above 525 on the TOEFL or 82 on the MELAB.
The University of Montana considers MPH entrants until March 1st for Fall or September 1st for Spring. Public health certificate programs have rolling admission until four weeks before the semester start. The School of Public and Community Health Sciences enforces a strict Ph.D. deadline of January 15th though. Create a CollegeNET account to submit the Graduate School Application online. If needed, send paper materials to 32 Campus Drive in Missoula, MT 59812. Please contact (406) 243-2571 or publichealth@umontana.edu for further instruction. The application checklist generally requires these:
- $60 first-time fee ($20 thereafter)
- Every final official college transcript
- GRE scores from the last five years
- Three references on academic promise
- Two-page public health goals statement
- Résumé or CV that includes publications
- Form I-20 and English tests if applicable
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2018-19, the University of Montana will bill MPH students from Big Sky Country $262 per credit or $3,144 each semester full-time. Non-residents will pay $799 per credit or $9,593 each term. Budgets must include the $95 facilities fee, $96 technology fee, $73 ASUM fee, and $271 health service fee. Online public health courses add $48 per credit. Living at the Missoula campus’ University Village costs $413 to $1,029 each month. Student health insurance plans charge $2,143. Annual graduate attendance equals $24,632 in-state and $44,590 out-of-state.
According to the NCES College Navigator, 59 percent of full-time UM Grizzlies claw into financial aid packages averaging $5,106 for $36.4 million total. Graduate institutional funds include the Bertha Morton Fellowship, Besancon Scholarship, Stella Duncan Memorial Fellowship, Dennis & Phyllis Washington Native American Fellowship, Andrew & Elizabeth Lassen Scholarship, and Sloan Scholars Program. Eight graduates with minimum 3.5 GPAs receive Dean’s Merit Awards for 100 percent tuition each year. Completing the FAFSA application via code 002536 opens Direct Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans. Borrowed money up to $50,000 might be forgiven with the National Health Services Corps Repayment Program. The Graduate School lists available teaching and research assistantships on CyberBear. External programs like the AAPHP Scholarship, Vivian Drenckhahn Student Scholarship, and George M. Burditt Scholarship also help.
Learn more about the University of Montana at the School of Public and Community Health Sciences website.
