Public Health

The Master of Public Health

Temple University's Master of Public Health (MPH) was one of the first fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) in the Delaware Valley – and has over 20 years of experience in training public health professionals. Temple's MPH provides a credential that indicates competency in social, environmental, and behavioral aspects of health, the analytic sciences of epidemiology and biostatistics, and principles of health service management, including program planning, evidence-based practice, and evaluation.

The 45 semester-hour degree gives students a working knowledge of the organization, administration, and economics of public and private health care settings; an understanding of the relationship of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior to public health; the skills to plan and implement programs using appropriate educational strategies to improve health behavior and service delivery; and the capacity to evaluate health education programs. A foundation of biostatistics and epidemiology provides students with the capacity to use the scientific literature of public health and medicine effectively. In the final year of the program, students complete an in-depth community fieldwork practicum in one of a wide range of approved local health agencies.

Find Out What Recent Temple MPH Students Have Accomplished Through Their Fieldwork By Clicking Here: Fieldwork

The program may be completed in 2 academic years of full time study (4 semesters plus 1 summer session), although the program may be completed on a part-time basis. Most courses are scheduled in the evening, accommodating the working student.

Nine courses (or 27 semester hours) are devoted to the core areas of public health knowledge required for all MPH programs. Temple University’s core program is designed to give students a working knowledge of public and private healthcare delivery systems, the relationship between behavior and disease, and social and environmental impacts on health. Special emphasis is given to research and analytic skills needed to design and evaluate public health programs. Upon advisement, students may choose among different courses to fulfill their core requirements. Courses that fulfill the core requirements include:

Program Planning and Administration:

PH 8111 Public Health Program Planning 
PH 5112 Public Health Program Evaluation
PH 8003 Political and Economic Aspects of Health OR HM 5102 Health Management

Biostatistics and Epidemiology

PH 5002 Statistical Methods in Public Health  OR Biostatistics II
PH 5101 Epidemiology OR PH 5201 Epidemiologic Research Methods I

Social and Behavioral Scientific Foundations
PH 5001 History and Bioethics in Public Health
PH 5104 Models for Teaching Health and Patient Education OR PH 8105 Health Communication
PH 5102 Theories of Health Behavior

Environmental Health

PH 5103 Environmental Health

Fieldwork (click for more information)

The fieldwork practicum is the capstone experience of the MPH educational program and takes place during the students' final year in the program. The Fieldwork Practicum is done over 3 courses (9 semester hours):

PH 9189 MPH Capstone Seminar

PH 9289 Fieldwork I

PH 9389 Fieldwork II    

Electives:

The MPH curriculum allows for 3 elective courses that can be used by students to craft an area of specialization that fits their particular career goals. At least one elective must be taken with the Department of Public Health; 2 may be taken outside of the department with approval of the MPH advisor.

Public Health Electives within the Department include:

PH 5004 Understanding Stress and Change

PH 8006 Addictions and Dependencies

PH 8007 Maternal and Child Health

PH 5008 International Health

PH 5009 Health Psychology

PH 5011 Social Determinants of Health

PH 8205 Chronic Disease Epidemiology

PH 5206 Infectious Disease Epidemiology

PH 5207 Occupational Epidemiology

PH 8209 Epidemiology of HIV

PH 5401 Curriculum Construction-Health Education

Transfer Credit
A maximum of 6 semester hours completed at other institutions may be applied toward the MPH degree program with the approval of the MPH Advisor. Written requests for transfer credit will not be considered until a student has matriculated into the MPH program.

Advanced Standing
MPH candidates with a B.S. in Public Health from Temple University who have successfully completed PH 321 Public Health Program Planning and HM 101 Healthcare Management with a grade of B or better will be allowed to substitute elective courses for PH 5111 Introduction to Program Planning and HM 5102 Health Care Organization and Management in the MPH program. The additional electives will be chosen with the help of the MPH advisor. Students who have graduated with a B.A. or B.S. in Public Health from any CEPH accredited school or program can make a written request to their advisor to substitute electives for PH 5111and HM 5102. They must demonstrate with a syllabus and transcript that they have taken courses equivalent to PH 321 and HM 101 with a grade of B or better.

Credit For Course Work Taken Prior To Matriculation
A maximum of 9 semester hours of course work taken as a non-matriculated student at Temple University may be credited toward a degree. Students wishing to take classes as a non-matriculated student must go through the Office of Continuing Education.

Dual-degree Programs Offered in Public Health

The public health perspective is increasingly relevant to clinical fields, where population-based research and health behavior models assist in the application of preventive health services. Clinically trained professionals are discovering that the MPH degree opens new career options and enhances their mobility within their chosen fields.

Dual degrees with the MPH are now available in collaboration with the Temple University School of Medicine (MD-MPH), and the School of Podiatric Medicine (DPM-MPH), and the School of Social Administration (MSW-MPH).  A dual DO-MPH program is available through the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Students must apply separately to each degree program, and admission into the MPH program for a dual degree is contingent upon admission into the professional schools. For more information on admissions procedures, please go to Apply online (graduate).

DO/MPH (click on link for more information)

MD/MPH (click on link for more information)

MSW/MPH (click on link for more information)