What is a Master of Public Health (MPH)

A Master of Public Health, or MPH, is a graduate professional degree focused on improving health at the population level. Instead of preparing students to treat one patient at a time, an MPH prepares students to study health patterns, prevent disease and injury, design programs, analyze data, shape policy, and improve systems that affect communities.

Public health work can happen in health departments, healthcare systems, community organizations, nonprofits, research teams, insurers, consulting firms, emergency preparedness programs, and government agencies. The American Public Health Association describes public health as work that promotes and protects the health of people and communities.

What Students Study in an MPH Program

MPH programs usually include foundational coursework in epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health policy and management, social and behavioral sciences, program planning, evaluation, health communication, leadership, and ethics. Most programs also require applied practice experience and an integrative learning experience such as a capstone or project.

Many students choose concentrations such as epidemiology, community health, health policy, global health, environmental health, biostatistics, maternal and child health, health promotion, or public health practice. The best concentration depends on whether the student wants to work with data, policy, programs, communities, research, emergency response, or health systems.

Accreditation and Public Health Standards

CEPH accreditation: The Council on Education for Public Health accredits schools of public health and public health programs outside schools of public health.
Institutional accreditation: Students should also confirm institutional accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education database.
Applied practice: CEPH criteria preserve the MPH structure around foundational knowledge, competencies, concentration work, applied practice, and integrative learning.
Public health practice framework: CDC describes the 10 Essential Public Health Services as a framework for public health activities communities should undertake.
Health department accreditation: PHAB accredits health departments, which is different from degree accreditation but important for understanding public health practice environments.

For a state-organized reference, see our Accredited MPH Programs by State page, which lists CEPH MPH degree results by state without school links.

MPH vs. MS, MHA, and DrPH

An MPH is usually practice-oriented and interdisciplinary. An MS in a public health field may be more research-intensive or discipline-specific. An MHA focuses more directly on healthcare organization management. A DrPH is a doctoral professional degree for advanced public health leadership, while a PhD is generally a research doctorate. Students should compare program outcomes and curriculum instead of relying only on degree labels.

Who an MPH May Fit

An MPH may fit students who want to work on disease prevention, health equity, data analysis, policy, community health, emergency preparedness, program evaluation, environmental health, or population health strategy. It can also help clinicians, nurses, social workers, analysts, and administrators broaden their work from individual services to community and system-level impact.

Career Outlook

MPH graduates work in many occupations, so there is no single BLS profile for the degree. One common pathway is epidemiology. BLS reported a May 2024 median annual wage of $83,980 for epidemiologists and projected 16 percent employment growth from 2024 to 2034. Other MPH-related roles may fall under health education, management, policy, analytics, research, environmental health, or community program titles.

Questions to Ask Before Enrolling

Is the school or program CEPH-accredited, in applicant status, or not CEPH-accredited?
Which concentrations are available, and how do they map to actual job titles?
What applied practice placements are available for online and working students?
Does the curriculum build quantitative skills, writing skills, policy skills, and community partnership experience?
Does the program support CPH exam preparation, fellowships, internships, and public health job placement?