A man talking to a woman in front of a classroom

Master of Public Health

Overview

The master of public health (MPH) from the UNLV School of Public Health advances the science and art of protecting and improving the health and quality of life of populations by identifying and preventing diseases and injuries.

Public health encompasses a broad spectrum of areas: environmental and occupational health, behavioral change and prevention, data analysis & interpretation, field methods for public health, and health disparities.

2 Years
Program duration for a full-time student
47-50
Credits required to complete the program
Flexible
The program can be completed in person or online

Five Reasons to Get your MPH Degree at UNLV

  1. Growing Career Opportunities: From research to boots-on-the-ground, public health provides a wide variety of career options.
  2. Your Program, Your Way: The master of public health at UNLV is offered both in person and online giving you the flexibility to choose how you earn your degree. You have the flexibility of choosing all online courses, all in person courses, or a mix of both.
  3. Customize Your Experience: The master of public health offers six track options to allow you to choose your area of study within public health or your mode of learning.
  4. GRE Optional: Applicants are encouraged to submit GRE scores if they have deficiencies in some areas (e.g., GPA), apply for scholarships and graduate assistantships, and/or have a plan to apply to the Ph.D. degree after earning their master of public health degrees.
  5. CEPH Accredited: The UNLV School of Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) which signifies a commitment to high-quality education in public health, ensuring a curriculum that prepares students with essential knowledge and skills.

Advancing Your Career in Public Health

Earning your MPH degree can allow you to make a difference, gain a sociological perspective, experience a variety of career options, work in a dynamic, constantly evolving fields, and become a public health advocate. The School of Public Health at UNLV is the first accredited School of Public Health in Nevada and is one of less than 70 in the world with this distinction by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

Six tracks are available for the MPH degree allowing you to customize your experience:

  • Social & Behavioral Health Track: Focus on the development and evaluation of community-based programs that promote health and prevent disease.
  • Environmental and Occupational Health Track: Learn how a variety of factors simultaneously and cumulatively influence health, such as air, water, food, land, land-use, built environments, and social environments. Students also develop an understanding of how chronic and communicable conditions are impacted by these systems.
  • Healthcare Administration and Policy Track: Gain a broad view of the healthcare delivery system and develop an understanding of health and disease through this track.
  • Biostatistics and Epidemiology Track: Learn how to monitor and study health problems and design effective controls to measure them. 
  • Generalist (Online Track): Learn about the intersection of the core public health disciplines: environmental and occupational health; epidemiology and biostatistics; healthcare administration and policy; and social and behavioral health. 
  • Dental-MPH Track: Specifically for students pursuing their doctorate in dental medicine, this track focuses on how the natural and the built environment affects our health.
Portrait of Smriti Neupane
“The School of Public Health prepared me extensively for research experiences, internships, and coursework. The supportive professors and excellent advisors challenged me to think critically and apply public health principles effectively in real-world settings, which proved invaluable throughout my career journey.”
Smriti Neupane, Class of 2023
Research Analyst, NICRP

Career Options

Earning your master’s in public health degree can enable you to experience a variety of advanced career options, and be at the forefront of research, interventions, and community engagement and empowerment that improve health and wellbeing for all populations.

With your master’s in public health degree, you'll have the knowledge and skills to succeed in a variety of roles, including:

  • Health Education Specialist
  • Community Health Worker
  • Health and Safety Engineer
  • Policy Adviser
  • Emergency Management Director
  • Public Health Preparedness Coordinator
  • Epidemiologist
  • Environmental Health Specialist 
  • Biostatistician