Below is the current list of concentrations for the MPH degree program. You may click on any of the concentration titles below and view the sample degree planner.
Please note: These schedules are samples. Students plan their actual academic programs in accordance with the requirements of their concentration. Part-time students can adapt their schedules to meet the requirements over a longer time period.
Clinical Effectiveness (sample course schedule)
View the degree competencies for this program.
Concerned with identifying the most appropriate, ethical, and cost-effective means of providing health care through prevention, early detection, or treatment, the concentration is designed to provide the analytic and quantitative training necessary to evaluate clinical practices. Major areas of professional interest for concentrators include clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, cost-effectiveness analysis, medical decision analysis, health services research, quality improvement in health care, and measurement of health-related quality of life. This concentration prepares physicians for clinical research responsibilities and for leadership roles in evaluating and improving all aspects of health care delivery.
Please note: Acceptance to this concentration requires an additional application and admission to the Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness (PCE). Eligible applicants for the PCE are typically fellows in post residency training or faculty. Local applicants must have a guaranteed position in a clinical department in a Boston teaching hospital; applicants from outside of Boston must be sponsored by their medical school or teaching hospital.
Course planning information will be coordinated with the Program in Clinical
Effectiveness.
Health Care Management and Policy - Management Focus (sample course schedule)
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This 42.5 credit Master of Public Health concentration provides courses in practical management skills, such as accounting, finance, operations, marketing, information systems, quality improvement, management of people, and strategy determination. Graduates assume leadership positions in health care organizations that provide direct care, those that pay for and/or organize health care, and those that supply direct-care providers.
Candidates normally hold a doctoral degree (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, PhD, SD or their non-U.S. equivalents) or other health-related degrees. Also eligible to apply are those with a master's degree in a health-related field (e.g., MSN, MSW, MBA) and three years of relevant experience.
Health Care Management and Policy - Policy Focus (sample course schedule)
View the degree competencies for this program.
This 42.5 credit Master of Public Health concentration provides courses in health economics, political science, and applied policy in areas like payment systems, insurance, mental health, and substance abuse, community health, and health promotion and disease prevention. Graduates assume leadership roles as consultants, staff analysts, middle-management and executive positions.
The MPH program is geared toward professionals who hold a doctoral degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, law, or other fields related to public health. In addition, individuals with a master's degree in nursing, social work, business administration, or a field related to public health and who have at least three years of health related work experience may be accepted.
Family and Community Health Concentration (sample course schedule)
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This 42.5 credit Master of Public Health concentration focuses on the promotion of health and the prevention of diseases, especially of more vulnerable populations. Course work emphasizes strategies for needs assessment and establishment of health objectives, data collection and analysis, leadership skills, consultation, communication, advocacy, and policy formation in the public sector.
Candidates normally hold a doctoral degree (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, PhD, SD or their non-U.S. equivalents) or other health-related degrees. Also eligible to apply are those with a master's degree in a health-related field (e.g., MSN, MSW, MBA) and three years of relevant experience.
Global Health (sample course schedule)
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This 42.5 credit Master of Public Health program is intended to prepare health professionals with prior global health experience for leadership roles in the practice of international health, with a special emphasis on the populations in developing countries.
Candidates normally hold a doctoral degree (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, PhD, SD or their non-U.S. equivalents) or other health-related degrees. Also eligible to apply are those with a master's degree in a health-related field (e.g., MSN, MSW, MBA) and three years of relevant experience.
Law and Public Health (sample course schedule)
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This 42.5 credit Master of Public Health concentration is designed to train leaders in the field of public health law. Graduates are prepared for careers in a variety of settings including health or environmental organization, or in-house counsel's office; policy positions in localc, state, and federal government; or posts in academia.
Applicants to this concentration must have a law degree; relevant health experience is desirable. Applicants applying to or enrolled at Harvard Law School will also be considered.
Occupational and Environmental Health (sample course schedule)
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This Master of Public Health program is designed for physicians and professionals who intend to practice occupational/environmental medicine or to hold responsible positions in occupational and/or environmental policy and management. The program fulfills the first-year requirement of the 2 year Occupational and Environmental Residency. This area is also intended for other physicians who wish to satisfy the didactic requirements of the American Board of Preventive Medicine for certification in occupational and environmental medicine.
The requirements for the Master of Occupational Health degree are similar to those of the MPH in occupational medicine; physicians may elect either.
Quantitative Methods (sample course schedule)
View the degree competencies for this program.
This 42.5 credit Master of Public Health program is geared toward health professionals requiring analytical and statistical skills for successful public health practice and research. It is designed for both mid-career health professionals and those in the early stages of their careers. Graduates commonly supervise population-based health research in government, health care institutions, and private industry. Many graduates practice in academic medicine.
Candidates normally hold a doctoral degree (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, PhD, SD or their non-U.S. equivalents) or other health-related degrees. Also eligible to apply are those with a master's degree in a health-related field (e.g., MSN, MSW, MBA) and three years of relevant experience.