Master of Public Health (MPH) Program

Improving Public Health is Our Mission

The Public Health program prepares students to prevent disease and promote and advance health in communities, locally and beyond. We achieve this through our evidence-based interdisciplinary approaches in education, research, practice, and community engagement. Our vision is to cultivate the next generation of public health leaders committed to advancing the health of all people. Discover what you can do with a Master of Public Health from the University of Cincinnati.

A Degree in A Growing Field

As a practitioner degree, the UC MPH program is designed to prepare students for roles that protect and improve the health of entire populations. As such, it is not a pathway into dental or medical school. Current data has shown that 97% of public health graduates (MPH) are employed post-graduation or continuing education. Of employed MPH graduates, most work in healthcare and community-based settings (27%) private industry (24%) academia (19%), government (17%), and the nonprofit sector (12%). Of MPH graduates not employed, 15% enrolled in advanced education (e.g., PhD); 5% entered a fellowship, internship, residency, volunteer, or service program; and 6% percent sought employment within one year post-graduation.

Skillset Required for an MPH Degree

To do well in our program, students must be self-starters who are excited and passionate about public health and who possess the confidence and skillset to independently go out into the community to cultivate ideas, opportunities, and relationships. To this point, UC’s MPH program allows students to choose between seven unique concentration areas that let them develop in-demand skills all the while working in real-world settings.

What is your Passion?

The MPH program offers seven unique concentrations, which enables students to explore their passion in public health! Each concentration immerses you in specialized topics to prepare you to work in that area of study. Choosing the right pathway for you is essential as each concentration is focused towards a specific area of public health. Below are the seven concentrations to pick from which link to descriptions and curriculum of each. You can pursue a concentration that aligns with your personal, academic, and career goals.

97% Placement Rate

Placement refers to the percentage of UC MPH graduates who are employed or are enrolled in higher education.

CEPH Accredited Master's Program

The UC MPH program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the nationally recognized accrediting body for both schools of public health and public health programs.

Professional Networking

UC MPH students have the opportunity to learn from internationally recognized faculty and network with local public health leaders to build their professional network. Our program offers opportunities to interact with leading public health professional from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UC Health), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), regional and local health departments, and more.

UC MD-MPH Student Turns MPH Leadership Assignment into Career-Defining Experience

06/25/2026

Please see the article from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine CURE newsletter below that highlights one of our program's MD-MPH students!

"Harsimran Makkad, MD-MPH student, had a once-in-a-career experience when she secured a one-on-one interview with Anthony Fauci, MD, as part of her graduate coursework.

The opportunity grew out of PH7070: Leadership, Communication, and Systems Thinking in Public Health Management, a required course in UC's MPH program taught by Michelle Burbage, PhD, director of the Master of Public Health Program and associate professor in the UC CoM Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences. The course's Leadership Profile Assignment challenges students to identify, reach out to, and interview a leader in public health or healthcare — building professional networks while gaining firsthand insight into leadership pathways and the realities of working in the field.

Makkad initially reached out to Fauci on a long shot, received a polite decline, completed the assignment by interviewing another public health leader, and then followed up the next semester as promised. Her persistence paid off, and she found herself on a 20-minute Zoom call that proved both surreal and deeply formative.

The conversation offered Makkad valuable perspective on what public health leadership looks like behind the scenes — the complexity of communication, the importance of staying proactive in an evolving information environment, and the challenge of building a career that feels purposeful.

"I left the conversation feeling grounded and inspired," Makkad reflected. "Public health leadership, as Dr. Fauci described it, is messy and often misunderstood, but it's also purposeful. Hearing that from someone who has carried that responsibility for decades made me even more certain that I want a career where clinical medicine and public health thinking inform each other."

Makkad's experience reflects the kind of professional development and experiential learning that have come to define UC's MPH program — and that are earning it growing national recognition. In the latest U.S. News & World Report graduate program rankings, the MPH program continued its upward climb, affirming UC's commitment to preparing graduates who are ready to lead in an increasingly complex public health landscape."