Master of Public Health
The mission of the Master of Public Health Degree program is to enhance the health and welfare of the general public through education, research, and service by way of excellence in the education of public health practice leaders.
The Master of Public Health program curriculum is intended to prepare students to be public health practice leaders for advancement in their organizations or for transition into new fields. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the program provides students with a foundational understanding of the five core disciplines of public health: biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health policy and management, and social and behavioral sciences. It is designed to develop students as leaders in public health, as well as provide a professionally focused understanding of global public health issues.
Degree Program Goals
- Education: To foster an innovative learning environment for graduate students to study foundational concepts in public health for the necessary achievement of their career roles in public health.
- Research: To actively encourage and promote faculty and student research in the field of public health in order to enhance the skills, knowledge, and expertise of faculty and students.
- Service: To promote faculty and student involvement in the public health community in order to learn from and support the development of public health policy, high quality collaborative research with the public health community, and support the ongoing development of the public health workforce.
Degree Program Values
- Lifelong Learning – commitment to life-long professional and personal development.
- Compassion – promote empathy and concern for the well-being of others.
- Critical Thinking – foster purposeful reflective judgment.
- Diversity – promote student and faculty populations regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or identity, or social standing.
- Innovation – seek imaginative and effective solutions to challenges.
- Professionalism and Integrity – adhere to professional codes of conduct.
- Respect – commitment to the overarching principles of the dignity and worth of individuals.
This program has specific admission requirements.
Notice about Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) Accreditation
Accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is a voluntary, discipline-specific process. The CEPH process includes a comprehensive self-study of the entire Master of Public Health program and a site visit, the purpose of which is to evaluate the program’s compliance with CEPH standards. APUS is not currently accredited by CEPH, and our prior application for CEPH accreditation lapsed on January 1, 2013. Based on feedback from CEPH on that application and a February 2013 meeting with CEPH staff, we restarted the application process in April 2013. The governing body of the CEPH, at its June 6-8, 2013 meeting, formally approved the American Public University System’s request to begin the accreditation process for its Master of Public Health Program. Please note that the steps and timeline for the accreditation process are subject to modification, and there is no assurance that we (or for that matter any institution seeking accreditation) will achieve CEPH accreditation.
For additional information regarding CEPH accreditation, please go to constituent and student FAQs.