Welcome to the University of Chicago Master of Public Health (MPH) Program. We are excited to offer this new degree program at our University and welcome your interest. Our first cohort began their studies in Fall 2021. The University of Chicago is one of the leading universities in the world, and our MPH program builds on the experience of our faculty in the study of population health, health policy, and public health research methods.

Public Health is the science of protecting the safety and improving the health of communities through research for disease and injury prevention, education, and policy making. The MPH is the basic professional degree in public health. Public health is an interdisciplinary field that includes professionals and researchers in governments, community organizations and other NGOs, health care organizations, and universities and research organizations. The University of Chicago MPH program is designed for both individuals with limited prior experience and those with professional training and experience in a complementary field. This is a small program where you will take core courses with the other members of your cohort, with most courses having fewer than thirty students.

Our MPH program may be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis. The full-time MPH is a 15-month program that begins in a Fall Quarter, usually starting at the end of September, and concludes at the end of the following Fall Quarter, in December. The summer is included in the program. Courses may also be taken on a flexible part-time schedule which allows professionals to take courses while working. Courses are taught in person.

Students select one of four concentrations: (1) Epidemiology and Global Health, (2) Health Policy, (3) Data Science, or (4) Community Health Promotion. All four of our concentrations are grounded in quantitative methods. Our courses are taught by outstanding University of Chicago faculty, primarily in the Department of Public Health Sciences. The mission of Public Health Sciences is to improve the health of human populations and reduce disparities by expanding knowledge of factors that affect health, by advancing diverse methods for carrying out such research, and by training the next generation of innovative public health scholars and professionals. We carry out research in Chicago, across the nation, and globally.

We also have a joint MD – MPH program for students in the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine; students apply to the MPH program during their third year of medical school.

Thank you for your interest in our MPH program. We welcome your questions at mph@bsd.uchicago.edu.

Diane S. Lauderdale, PhD
Chair of Public Health Sciences
Louis Block Professor of Public Health Sciences
Faculty Director of the MPH Program