public health practice
Lead communities in development, implementation and evaluation of public health initiatives
Career opportunities: Legislative policy advisor, management policy advisor, hospital/managed care administrator, program planner and evaluator, health services research analyst, policy analyst, academic
Overview
The public health practice concentration is targeted to the health professional who has already earned a terminal or doctorate degree in a health-related field, or for those who have been working in a professional capacity in a public health-related setting for several years. This degree will enhance the working knowledge of health professionals by giving them a valuable, applicable, public health perspective on health issues as they relate to the public versus the individual. This concentration offers a broad exposure to a variety of public health courses across all the traditional public health concentrations. Such breadth is usually required of professionals who assume positions of leadership in public health. For these reasons, this concentration is not appropriate for the new bachelor’s graduate or the working applicant who does not have several years of professional work experience in a health-related field.
The campus program is available to students enrolled in a concurrent or joint terminal degree program on UF’s campus (e.g., MD/MPH, DVM/MPH, PharmD/MPH, etc.), working professionals who return to campus to study, and medical or other health professional residents in Gainesville and Jacksonville. The online Public Health Practice concentration is also available to individuals who meet the eligibility criteria.
The concentration is offered in the traditional 48-credit format or in an accelerated 42-credit format.
If you are interested in the public health practice concentration, please check out our step-by-step MPH application instructions webpage, and contact askmph@phhp.ufl.edu with any questions.
Eligibility
Individuals who are eligible for the Public Health Practice concentration:
- Students enrolled in a joint or concurrent terminal degree program (e.g., DVM, MD, PharmD).
- Those with an advanced medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, nursing, health-focused attorney, or other advanced professional health degree (e.g., physical therapist, occupational therapist, psychologist).
- Those who have worked for a health department, CDC, WHO, NIH (or other national or international public health agency) in a professional capacity for at least three years after receiving a bachelor’s degree, but have no MPH degree.
- Those who have worked outside the public health setting, but in a related field (e.g., as a hospital administrator), for at least four years after receiving a bachelor’s degree and have no MPH degree, but need to apply public health concepts to their work.
To be eligible for the 42-credit accelerated option, applicants must hold a terminal degree in a health or health-related field (e.g., DO, MD, DVM, DPT, DDS) from a regionally accredited US institution.
Public Health Practice Curriculum
The curriculum for the online Public Health Practice concentration follows the same model as the other five concentrations. Students begin their programs with the MPH core courses required of all students. However, instead of a specified set of concentration core courses, students choose two to three courses from concentration core course options in two to four of the other concentrations. Selections must include at least one course in research methods. Other courses are focused on problem-based methodologies to enhance students’ practice skill sets, as well as skills in research and writing. Students complete their degrees with an Internship/Applied Practice Experience and an Integrative Learning Experience.
For detailed information on the curriculum, including plans of study, please refer to the MPH Student Handbook.
- Students admitted before Fall 2025: Standard 48-credit/42-credit MPH Curriculum, Public Health Practice Concentration, In-Person format
- Students admitted Fall 2025 and later: Standard 48-credit/42-credit MPH Curriculum, Public Health Practice Concentration, In-Person format
- All MPH students complete an Applied Practice Experience and Capstone.
Interested in the other concentrations offered in the MPH program? Explore other options on the Concentrations page.