Master of Public Health

The 42-credit curriculum is broken down as follows:

• 36 Core Credits
• 3 Elective Credits
• 3 Immersion Credits

The typical course sequence is as follows for traditional MPH students completing the program in two years:

The typical course sequence is as follows for students completing the Accelerated MPH degree in fifteen months:

Traditional

• Designed for aspiring and rising public health professionals
• Complete in as few as 24 months
• Complete 42 credits across six terms
• Permitted to work during the program — most students work full time but scale back or find some flexibility with their employer when they begin their Health Equity Change Project

Accelerated

• Designed for highly motivated students who can dedicate themselves to their degree on a full-time basis
• Complete in as few as 15 months
• Complete 42 credits across four terms
• Not permitted to work/be employed during the program
• Starts annually in the May term 

Non-degree

Those interested in learning more about public health, health equity, or developing skills to enhance their work and practice are eligible to take up to two courses in the Master of Public Health program as a non-degree student.

Courses taken as non-degree students count towards program requirements if a non-degree student decides to enroll in the program as a degree-seeking student. Please note that enrolling in a course as a non-degree student does not guarantee admission into the MPH program as a degree-seeking student.

The following courses are available to non-degree students:

• MHEO 410 Health Equity and Social Justice
• MHEO 420 Socio-structural Determinants of Health
• MHEO 440 Health Policy Analysis and Change
• MHEO 450 Environmental Health and Justice
• MHEO 470 Global Health and Political Economy
• MHEO 485 GIS and Spacial Analysis
• MHEO 486 Strategic Communications for Health Equity
• MHEO 488 Health Law and Human Rights in Practice

Courses may not be offered each term. For information about courses being offered and enrolling in a graduate Public Health course as a non-degree student, contact the Office of Graduate Admission at [email protected].

Immersions are in-person, short courses that give students the opportunity to practically apply what they learn in class. Students are required to attend two immersions: one on the Simmons campus in Boston and one destination immersion for a total of three credits during their time in the program. Students are responsible for all immersion travel, program, and accommodation expenses.

• Boston: This three-day immersion will take place in Boston, Massachusetts, home of Simmons University. Throughout the immersion course, students learn about historical and contemporary manifestations of racism as it is reflected across local systems and institutions. Students will learn from local organizers, public health professionals, and advocates about local and national efforts of racial justice as core endeavors toward health equity. The Boston immersion is typically offered during the Fall semester.
   
• Destination: This experiential course invites students to the US Southeast (Tennessee) or the US Southwest (Arizona). Students will have the opportunity to learn from local community partners, examine innovative community-driven models of development and social justice, and engage in a hands-on service project. Through these experiences, students will appreciate both the challenges and promise of these unique geopolitical landscapes. Travel immersions are typically offered in January, prior to the Spring semester.

In the final two terms of the program, students complete a Health Equity Change Project, which combines the practice and culminating experiences required of MPH degree recipients into a single opportunity. During the Health Equity Change Project, students will:

• Choose a local health inequity that is meaningful to them to be the focus of their project.
• Analyze this inequity to understand the issues surrounding it and points of intervention.
• Identify and partner with an organization that addresses health inequity in their community.
• Design a project proposal that will address that health inequity.
• Implement and evaluate their project in close collaboration with their host organization and community partners.
• Develop a final portfolio featuring their applied public health skill set and attainment of program competencies.

The MPH program at Simmons provides practical, hands-on opportunities to engage with local communities to examine and address public health issues that matter to them. Students can also shape many of these opportunities around their passions, career goals, and interest areas.

• During the Health Advocacy, Community Organizing, and Innovation course, students partner with their selected organization and participate in community organizing and/or advocacy through a 20-hour service-learning experience.
• As part of the Community-Based Participatory Research for Health Equity class, students work with community liaisons and leaders of their choice to assess local barriers to health.
• Immersion courses in Boston and the US Southwest or US Southeast provide the opportunity for students to learn from local organizers, public health professionals, and advocates about local and national efforts for racial and social justice as core endeavors toward health equity.
• Students develop, evaluate, and implement their Health Equity Change Project in close collaboration with their host organization and community partners.

Our admission committee takes a holistic approach when evaluating each candidate for the program, valuing prior community experience and a passion for improving health equity. To apply to the MPH program at Simmons, students should first review the application requirements and deadlines.