Public Health

The UCD MPH program is designed for people interested in disease prevention and community health.Students can earn their MPH degree in epidemiology or general public health.

The program includes instruction in epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental and occupational health, health services and administration, and social and behavioral science, and prepares students for an expanding range of professional opportunities and roles in public health and medicine.

Applicants must have a minimum of a baccalaureate degree for acceptance to the program. Professionals who already have an MD, DO, DVM, DDS, DPM, or PharmD may also apply, as may RNs, NPs, or PAs with a Bachelor’s degree. Medical and veterinary students typically enroll between the second and third or third and fourth years of their medical training. The program is designed for students wishing to enroll full time, with classes during the day; so it is not appropriate for persons planning to maintain a practice or other professional work schedule.

Recent changes in accreditation requirements from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) have increased the unit requirement to 56 units. While it is possible to complete 56 units in a one-year period (summer session II through spring quarter), we recommend that students plan for at least one or two quarters into a second academic year, especially students without a clinical background or who must limit their academic load for professional or other reasons.

The required core curriculum for the Master of Public Health degree includes coursework in the following areas:

Biostatistics: Collection, storage, retrieval, analysis and interpretation of health data; design and analysis of health-related surveys and experiments; and concepts and practice of statistical data analysis.

Epidemiology: Distributions and determinants of disease, disabilities and death in human populations; the characteristics and dynamics of human populations; and the natural history of disease and the biologic basis of health.

Environmental Health Sciences: Environmental factors including biological, physical and chemical factors that affect the health of a community.

Health Services Administration: Planning, organization, administration, management, evaluation and policy analysis of health programs.

Social and Behavioral Sciences: Concepts and methods of social and behavioral sciences relevant to the identification and the solution of public health problems.

Public Health Seminar: Case studies in public health, including historical overview, principles of public health, and problem solving of current issues in public health.

MPH Core Course List

Elective Resources:
Registrar's Office Open Course list: http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/html/ocl.html 

Requirements

• Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with at least a 3.0 grade-point average (GPA) on graduation. Degrees must be conferred before the program starts in August.  An official transcript is required from each college-level institution you attended including summer sessions, lower division, and graduate work. You will be instructed to upload scanned copies of your transcripts after you have submitted your online application.  For more details, please visit https://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/submit-transcripts.  For translation services please see these links: AACRAO International Education Services -ies.aacrao.org, World Education Services (WES) - http://www.wes.org, or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) - http://www.ece.org). 
• Applicants must be in a good academic standing and must disclose any past or present academic misconduct, institutional actions, felonies and misdemeanors.

• The following prerequisite courses are required for admission:

  Mathematics (equivalent at least to UC Davis' pre-calculus Math 12 or Statistics 13), 
  Biological Sciences (equivalent at least to UC Davis' Biology 2A), 
  Social Sciences (for example, courses equivalent to UC Davis’ General Psychology PSC 1, or Cultural Anthropology ANT 2, Principles of Microeconomics ECN 001A, or Introduction to Sociology SOC 1 courses).

• Complete and submit results from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).  For reporting scores, use the Institution Code: 4834 and Department Code: 0616. Note: GREs are required for all applicants, with two exceptions:  (1) current students in, or recent graduates of, a US or Canadian MD/DO degree program may submit MCAT scores in lieu of the GRE providing these were taken within 10 years of application, and (2) current students or recent graduates of a U.S. MBA program may submit the GMAT scores in lieu of GRE providing these were taken within 7 years of application. All other students must provide the GRE exam. No exceptions. The GRE and other submitted test scores must be taken within 7 years of application, except as noted.  The USMLE is NOT accepted in replace of the GRE.
• The UCD Office of Graduate Studies requires the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if your native language is not English or your instruction has not been in English.  The minimum score required for admission to graduate study at UC Davis is 550 for the paper test or a score of 80 for the Internet-based test.  TOEFL scores expire after two years.  Scores that are older than two years will not be accepted by Graduate Studies.  Although an 80 iBT score is the minimum required for admission, additional English language testing may be required of admitted students with iBT scores below 104.
• CV and/or résumé listing your experience and background in public health.
• A Statement of Purpose
• Personal History Statement
• Three academic or professional recommendations (in English) are required. Letters of recommendation are submitted electronically through the online application. Letter service letters are not accepted. There are no exceptions to the online submission rule.

Scholarships

• University Fellowships
• Graduate Group Fellowships
• Teaching Assistantships (TA Appointments)
• Global Education