Program Overview

Students who successfully complete an INTO UAB Graduate Pathway program in Public Health are assured progression to a UAB graduate public health degree program upon submission of additional required application materials. After successfully completing the Pathway program, you are guaranteed to enter the graduate degree program.

Public Health
The MPH is the most well-known Public Health degree. It is considered a “terminal” or “professional” degree, as it fully prepares individuals for lifelong careers in public health practice without the need for additional education. This is in contrast to the Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), a research-oriented degree ideal for individuals planning to work in academic settings or pursue doctoral-level training.

At UAB, all MPH degree programs begin with a shared MPH Core based on the Evidence-Based Public Health framework, which provides all students with the practice-based skills they need to be effective in the public health workforce. Students further enhance their training through one of many departmental concentrations; these concentrations are designed to deepen students’ knowledge in specific areas of public health. Regardless of concentration, all MPH students engage in an Applied Practice Experience (Internship) in the community and conclude their coursework with an Integrative Learning Experience (Capstone) in which they pull together skills and perspectives learned in both the Core and the concentration courses to produce a high-quality written product, demonstrating their readiness to enter the workforce.

Common career settings for individuals holding the MPH degree include state and local health departments; community-based organizations and non-profits; healthcare consulting firms; international, state, and federal agencies (e.g., WHO, CMS, CDC); managed care organizations; and various clinical settings. Because of the broad training in public health management included in the MPH degree, individuals often pursue the degree when looking to advance into leadership roles in these settings.