The MPH program at MSU offers a generalist degree in public health, the practice of ensuring the health of populations. Graduates with an MPH often work in governmental organizations performing a variety of tasks, from disease outbreak investigations to food safety inspections. Graduates may also work for international organizations, perhaps providing essential health services for displaced populations. Graduates may also be involved in the healthcare industry, helping to plan for population-level health care. Some students come to the MPH program directly from their baccalaureates; others come after years of experience in the healthcare or other fields. The breadth of the public health field allows students to come from a wide variety of educations and experience, including psychology, business, biology, chemistry, and others.
The MPH degree at MSU is a non-thesis master's degree in which almost all of the coursework can be completed through a combination of online, weekend executive style, and evening classes. We also offer an accelerated program for students at MSU and Drury University in which up to 12 hours of graduate coursework can be counted toward both the bachelor's and the master's degree. At the end of the program, a field experience internship consisting of 200 or 400 clock-hours working with a public health agency.