The program

The Master of Public Health program provides teaching, research, and service activities that prepare public health practitioners, health care providers, and researchers to develop and apply population-based and individual approaches to maintaining and improving the public’s health in the heartland and the nation.

The degree is offered through the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at KU Medical Center in Kansas City and the School of Medicine — Wichita. Tied for second among public universities and ranked sixth overall for graduate programs in community health by U.S. News and World Report, the program provides students with a strong foundation in epidemiology and biostatistics, complemented by qualitative and behavioral sciences.

The curriculum

The M.P.H. program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health and is a 42-credit-hour degree program. Students can choose from two concentrations:

• Social and behavioral health
• Epidemiology

All students complete five core courses in epidemiology, environmental health, social and behavioral sciences, public health administration, and biostatistics. Four hours are devoted to required labs in epidemiology and data management. Students take 12 credit hours of courses for their concentration and have 5 credit hours of open electives. The final 6 hours of the degree involve a culminating practicum experience, called a Capstone Project.

Admission

The M.P.H. program accepts applications for degree-seeking admission once a year. Application deadline is March 1.

Admission requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. One official copy of all academic transcripts should be forwarded for all post-secondary education. These materials should be forwarded to the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at either Kansas City or Wichita, depending on where the applicant would like to complete his or her course work. An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required for admission as a regular graduate student. Applicants must also fill out a graduate school application and submit a $60 application fee.

Successful applicants should have at least one year of responsible work experience in the health field, other evidence of training or experience that indicates adequate preparation for the curriculum, or a degree in a recognized health field. At least one semester of college algebra or calculus is required to enter the social and behavioral health concentration. Completion of one semester of calculus is required to enter the epidemiology concentration.

Submission of an official report of the Graduate Record Examination is required if applicant does not have a doctoral degree obtained in the United States. Other professional test scores, such as those from the GMAT, LSAT or MCAT, are acceptable in lieu of the GRE. Test scores must not be more than five years old.

Careers

Graduates of the M.P.H. program go on to work in a variety of professions, including

• Behavioral health scientist
• Health educator
• Health communications specialist
• State or federal environmentalist
• Corporate medical director
• Data management director
• State or local epidemiologist
• Infectious disease director
• Academic, legislative, or management policy adviser

The university

The University of Kansas is a major educational and research institution with 29,000 students and 2,400 faculty members. KU includes the main campus in Lawrence, the Medical Center in Kansas City, the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park, campuses of the School of Medicine in Wichita and Salina, and educational and research facilities throughout the state.

The KU Medical Center offers educational programs through its Schools of Health Professions, Medicine, and Nursing and the Office of Graduate Studies. The campus comprises academic units operating alongside KU Hospital, which provides opportunities for clinical experience and residency positions.

The M.P.H. degree is offered through the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City and the University of Kansas School of Medicine — Wichita. Select courses are also available in a web-based format.