Accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
Elevate your skills to advance public health
Online Master of Public Health
At the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the Online Master of Public Health program prepares you to lead with confidence and maximize your impact in public health and health care. By pursuing your MPH online, you can complete your degree on a schedule that fits your personal and professional commitments.
USC’s MPH curriculum is characterized by rigorous coursework taught by a team of accomplished and dedicated faculty. Our core courses help students establish a strong foundation in public health principles, covering topics such as health education and promotion, leadership and management in public health and health service delivery. Students then take more specialized courses that align with their chosen concentration.
With four specialized concentrations and a generalist concentration to choose from, our Online Master of Public Health program has an academic path that can help you achieve your goals. Students will apply their knowledge through a hands-on practicum experience that can be completed either domestically or internationally. The capstone project provides students the opportunity to showcase their knowledge obtained both in the classroom and through their practicum experience.
Through this program, students will develop key competencies and skills and be prepared to advance and make an impact in the field of public health. You can expect to receive a high level of personalized support throughout the program through resources such as customized academic advising and personalized career counseling.
Accreditation
The Master of Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
USC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
MPH Core Requirements (22 units):
PM 501 Foundations in Health Education and Promotion (4 units)
Overview and application of behavioral theories to the field of health education and promotion. Examines the determinants of health behavior and strategies for change at the individual, group and community level.
PM 508 Health Service Delivery in the U.S. (4 units)
Historical development of the American health care system; determinants of health care utilization; role of health care providers; health policy; public health services; and health care finance.
PM 510L Principles of Biostatistics (4 units)
Concepts of biostatistics; appropriate uses and common misuses of health statistics; practice in the application of statistical procedures; introduction to statistical software including EXCEL, SPSS, nQuery.
PM 512 Principles of Epidemiology (4 units)
Terminology/uses of epidemiology and demography; sources/uses of population data; types of epidemiologic studies; risk assessment; common sources of bias in population studies; principles of screening.
PM 564 Public Health Leadership and Management (4 units)
Introduction to leadership and management concepts, tools, and practices in the context of domestic and global public health and healthcare delivery settings.
PM 596 Practicum in Public Health (1 unit)
Applied practical experience through field placement in federal, state, and/or local public health agencies/organizations, including community-based organizations; research and school-based settings.
PM 597 Capstone in Public Health (1 unit)
Provides the culminating, integrative learning experience for students enrolled in the Master of Public Health program.
In addition to the Core Requirements listed above, students must complete another 20 units of coursework in their selected concentration (16 units of Required Concentration Courses and 4 units of Concentration Elective Courses) for a total of 42 units. Full-time students can complete the program in 6 semesters.
Practicum
The practicum is considered part of the core curriculum of the online MPH program. The practicum is a 1-unit course that provides students with the opportunity to leverage the knowledge and skills they’ve gained through hands-on experience. Students will complete a total of 260 hours of field training through the practicum. You will select a public health agency, such as a health department, community-based organization or research center, to complete your practicum requirement. You may complete your practicum either domestically or internationally. Students who are already working in public health settings may be able to complete their practicum requirement at their place of work.
Students are eligible to start practicum after completing at least 3 MPH courses which include 2 public health core classes and one concentration core class. In addition, students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher in order to begin their practicum.
MPH Accelerated Fast-Track Program
The MPH Accelerated Fast-Track program is available for students who would like to complete their degree in less than two years. Students who opt for the accelerated program are taught by the same faculty and learn the same course material as those in the two-year program. Students in the MPH accelerated program can complete the program in four semesters (summer, fall, spring, summer), making this an ideal track for medical school applicants during their gap year, for those completing residencies or for those who want to fast-track their career. The accelerated program must be started in the summer semester with a start date in May. Students are accepted and notified on a rolling basis.
The accelerated program is a full-time program comprised of 42 units. This includes 16 units of core public health coursework, 16 units in a concentration of the student’s choice, 8 units of electives and 2 units for the practicum and capstone course. Students are required to take two to four courses each semester, which can be equivalent to a 40-hour-per-week course workload.
For a successful degree journey, USC recommends that students do not work when enrolled in the MPH Accelerated Fast-Track program.
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