Curriculum
The program consists of 16 course units, of which 10 are required. If taken full time, the program can be completed within two years. A description of the required courses is attached.
| Topic Area | Course Limits |
|---|---|
| Required | |
| Introduction to Public Health | 1.0 |
| Introduction to Biostatistics* | 1.0 |
| Introduction to Principles and Methods of Epidemiology* | 1.0 |
| Environmental and Occupational Health* | 1.0 |
| The Health Services System* | 1.0 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health* | 1.0 |
| Public Health Ethics, Policy and Law | 0.5 |
| Methods of Public Health Practice | 1.5 |
| Individual Internship/Project Experience (capstone) | 2.0 |
| Electives | |
| University-wide course selection to meet student interests, with prior approval of advisor and curriculum committee. | 6.0 |
| Total | 16 |
* Core areas covered by all public health curricula
Note: The study of public health requires basic familiarity with chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics. Applicants who do not have such familiarity should anticipate the need to take additional pre-requisites or to undertake self-study to acquire core knowledge in these areas. Completion of at least one course giving an introduction to the pathologic basis of and terminology of human diseases and pathology is desirable.
Transfer Credit Policy
Sixteen course units are required for the MPH degree. Fourteen course units must be taken at the University of Pennsylvania, with 10 course units taken in the public health program (PUBH). MPH students may request to transfer up to two graduate level credits from an accredited program outside the University. Transfer credit may not be applied to the 10 MPH required courses but may be applied to the electives with the approval of the MPH advisor. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis and courses taken more than three years ago will not be considered for transfer credit. Only courses in which the student received a grade of "B" (3.0) or better will be considered for transfer credit.
Requests for transfer credit should be submitted to the MPH advisor together with a course syllabus for the course under consideration. The advisor will request a review of the course by an MPH faculty member in that content area for its appropriateness for MPH transfer credit. Students may request substitution of a core course with a more advanced course in that content area. The process for substitution is the same as that for transfer credit.