Public Health Major, MPH

Concentrations (Required) and Option Available

• Community Health Education — Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam
• Epidemiology — Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam
• Health Policy and Management — Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam
• Public Health Nutrition — Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam
• Veterinary Public Health — Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam

Campus Code

• Knoxville Campus
• Distance Education

Admissions Standards/Procedures

• An online application must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions. A departmental application (MPH data form), a statement of the applicant’s educational and career goals, and three rating forms are required. Admission to the University of Tennessee Graduate School is also required for admission to the MPH program. Preferential consideration for admission to degree status shall be given to those with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 and with at least one year of professional experience in a health-related occupation. As a restricted program, non-degree admission requires program director recommendation.
• Admission information and the application is available at the Office of Graduate Admissions webpage and at the Department of Public Health webpage.
• Application deadlines for completed applications are:
  • February 1, for summer term
  • April 1, for fall semester
  • October 1, for spring semester

Academic Standards

• 3.00 grade point average or higher in all graduate coursework

Community Health Education Concentration — Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam

Community health educators use multidisciplinary theories along with behavioral and organizational change principles to plan, implement, and evaluate interventions that enable individuals, groups, and communities to achieve personal, environmental, and social health.

Epidemiology concentration — Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam

Epidemiology is the core science of public health, and having an MPH with an epidemiology concentration will prepare students for a variety of public health careers. Students will be prepared to design and conduct population health studies and apply research findings to improve the health of the population. This concentration focuses on applying epidemiologic principles and methods; understanding the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic study designs; analyzing public health data using basic and intermediate level statistical methods; and communicating epidemiological research to both lay and scientific audiences.

Health Policy and Management Concentration — Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam

The MPH degree with a concentration of study in health policy and management offers an educational route to develop wide-ranging skills in team leadership, financial management, human resources management, communications, program planning and administration, and the facilitation of change. In addition, the curriculum focuses on health policy formulation and policy impact which must be understood by managers and policy planners seeking to address such important issues as access to care, quality improvement and assurance, cost containment, specialized needs of population groups, and partnerships with others to improve population health.

Public Health Nutrition Concentration – Coursework Only With Comprehensive Exam

Veterinary Public Health Concentration — Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam

Needs and opportunities for veterinarians are expanding in organizations ranging from public agencies dealing with animal and human health, to agencies and corporations charged with food safety and security from the farm to the consumer level. The demand is increasing for veterinarians with additional education in food safety, food and animal production, zoonotic diseases, biosecurity, research methods and public policy. The veterinary degree alone is not enough to prepare veterinarians to meet these challenges and opportunities. A Master of Public Health (MPH) degree is an excellent and necessary addition to the DVM degree for those individuals wanting to make a career in public health and service.

Dual MPH-DVM Program with Majors in Public Health and Veterinary Medicine

Students must be currently enrolled in the professional DVM degree program at the University of Tennessee (DVM students) to enter the dual DVM-MPH program; all requirements for both the DVM and MPH degrees must be met for admission. DVM students may enroll in the program at any time during years 1 - 3, but progress and time to completion will be affected by when a student starts the dual program and how many courses are satisfactorily completed each semester. Students will be expected to complete MPH-specific courses during the two summers following the first and second years of veterinary school. Students will pay graduate tuition fees during the summer semester and professional DVM tuition during the fall and spring semesters. Degrees do not need to be awarded simultaneously; if a student has not completed the requirements for the MPH, the student may still receive the DVM but must complete the MPH requirements within one year to take advantage of the shared credits. If a dual student completes the MPH requirements, but does not complete the DVM, the student may still be awarded the MPH. For details, see Dual MPH-DVM Program, Public Health - Veterinary Medicine  catalog information.

Five-Year BS or BA/MPH Program, Public Health Minor – Five-Year BS or BA/MPH Program

Overview

Public Health Minors pursuing any Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) who plan to apply to UTK’s Master of Public Health Program (MPH), may apply to the Five-Year Accelerated program during junior year for advanced placement in the MPH degree program, saving time and money.

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for this program, students must:

1. Have a minimum overall UT GPA of 3.3.
2. Be declared as a Public Health Minor.
3. Complete PUBH 201*, PUBH 202, and PUBH 320* with at least a B grade. Conditional admission is possible if the above courses are in process and students have a grade of B or higher at the time of application.
4. By fall of senior year, complete at least 90 out of required total credit hours for Bachelor’s degree.
5. Graduate with Bachelor’s degree in spring.

* Meets Volunteer Core Requirement.

Program Benefits

If accepted to the program, Five-Year Accelerated students may take up to three approved graduate public health courses (9 credit hours) during senior year that count toward Undergraduate Electives and MPH Foundation Courses.

• An MPH degree is 42 graduate credits and traditionally completed on a full-time basis in two academic years: fall 1, spring 1, fall 2, spring 2.
• A Five-Year Accelerated student will save 9 credits of graduate tuition cost by completing up to three graduate courses (9 credits) as a senior, and then enrolling in Graduate School to complete the remaining 33 graduate credits in the summer + one academic year: summer 1, fall 1, spring 1, summer 2.

Accelerated MPH Program Plan*

*Summer courses are extremely time-intensive due to the university’s condensed summer session, therefore students are advised not to work during summer sessions. All graduate public health summer courses are in an online format.

Traditional MPH Program Plan*

*9-12 graduate credits per semester is considered full-time. There may be slight variations to the above depending on your concentration.

Graduate Courses

Approved Courses for Seniors:

1. Term 7 (senior year, fall):
   • PUBH 530 - Biostatistics (3 Credit Hours)
2. Term 8 (senior year, spring):
   • PUBH 510 - Environmental Health (3 Credit Hours)
   • PUBH 520 - Health Systems, Policy, and Leadership (3 Credit Hours)

Additional Considerations

• Graduation - The Accelerated program is only available to undergraduates who graduate with their Bachelor’s degree in spring (e.g., May) and can start Graduate School in the summer. Due to graduate course sequencing, undergraduates who graduate in fall (e.g. December) or summer (e.g., August) are not eligible for the Five-year program but are encouraged to apply for the traditional MPH program. More information about MPH program concentrations is available in the Graduate Catalog﷟
• Program Modality – Undergraduates in the Campus program format will take Campus graduate courses senior year. Similarly, undergraduates in the Distance Education (DE) program will take DE graduate courses senior year. In other words, campus students may not take DE courses, and DE students may not take campus courses. However, for the MPH degree, you may choose to change your modality as a Graduate Student by applying to either the Campus MPH program or DE MPH program modality. As an MPH student, you will only take courses in the modality that you enroll for graduate school. All summer MPH courses are fully online format for both the campus and DE program modality.
• Advising Note - If you have an undergraduate course conflict during senior year, you may not be able to complete all 9 graduate credits as an undergraduate, which may result in extending your time in the MPH program. Consult with your undergraduate academic advisor and the MPH program director.

Admission Process

Students will apply to two different programs:

1. Accelerated Program
2. MPH Program

Acceptance into the Accelerated Program does not guarantee acceptance into the MPH program.

When to Apply

1. Apply to the Accelerated Program by March 1 of junior year. Application window is December 1 – March 1.
2. Apply to the Graduate School and MPH program by February 1 of senior year for a summer MPH admission. 

How to Apply

Accelerated Program

Submit an electronic application form via the Public Health website by March 1st of junior year. Applications do not require letters of recommendation but do include short answer / essay questions and a current resume. Students will be notified of acceptance by April 1, in time for fall course registration. A graduate advising orientation will be subsequently provided to review the MPH course plan of study.

MPH Program

During senior year, Accelerated students will apply to the MPH program through the Graduate School using the standard application procedures. Acceptance into the Accelerated program does not guarantee acceptance into Graduate School or MPH program itself. Minimum GPA for graduate admissions is 3.0. Accelerated students won’t be eligible to apply for a graduate assistantship until a bachelor’s degree is completed. Accelerated students will apply for summer admission into the MPH program.

More information about MPH program concentrations is available in the Graduate Catalog. Refer to OneStop for the Graduate Tuition and Fee schedule

Public Health Major – Five-Year BSPH/MPH Program

Overview

Public Health Majors who are planning to apply to UTK’s Master of Public Health Program (MPH), may apply to the Five-Year Accelerated program during junior year for advanced placement in the MPH degree program, saving time and money.

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for this program, students must:

1. Have a minimum overall UT GPA of 3.3.
2. Be declared as a Public Health Major.
3. Complete PUBH 201*, PUBH 202, and PUBH 320* with at least a B grade. Conditional admission is possible if the above courses are in process and students have a grade of B or higher at the time of application.
4. By fall of senior year, complete at least 90 out of required total credit hours for Bachelor’s degree.
5. Graduate with Bachelor’s degree in spring.

* Meets Volunteer Core Requirement.

Program Benefits

If accepted to the program, Five-Year Accelerated students may take up to three approved graduate public health courses (9 credit hours) during senior year that count toward BSPH Professional Electives and MPH Foundation Courses.

• An MPH degree is 42 graduate credits and traditionally completed on a full-time basis in two academic years: fall 1, spring 1, fall 2, spring 2.
• A Five-Year Accelerated student will save 9 credits of graduate tuition cost by completing up to three graduate courses (9 credits) as a senior, and then enrolling in Graduate School to complete the remaining 33 graduate credits in the summer + one academic year: summer 1, fall 1, spring 1, summer 2.

Accelerated MPH Program Plan*

*Summer courses are extremely time-intensive due to the university’s condensed summer session, therefore students are advised not to work during summer sessions. All graduate public health summer courses are in an online format.

Traditional MPH Program Plan*

*9-12 graduate credits per semester is considered full-time. There may be slight variations to the above depending on your concentration.

Graduate Courses

Approved Courses for Seniors:

1. Term 7 (senior year, fall):
   • PUBH 530 - Biostatistics (3 Credit Hours)
2. Term 8 (senior year, spring):
   • PUBH 510 - Environmental Health (3 Credit Hours)
   • PUBH 520 - Health Systems, Policy, and Leadership (3 Credit Hours)

Additional Considerations

• Graduation - The Accelerated program is only available to undergraduates who graduate with their Bachelor’s degree in spring (e.g., May) and can start Graduate School in the summer. Due to graduate course sequencing, undergraduates who graduate in fall (e.g. December) or summer (e.g., August) are not eligible for the Five-year program but are encouraged to apply for the traditional MPH program. More information about MPH program concentrations is available in the Graduate Catalog﷟HYPERLINK “https://catalog.utk.edu/index.php”
• Program Modality – Undergraduates in the Campus program format will take Campus graduate courses senior year. Similarly, undergraduates in the Distance Education (DE) program will take DE graduate courses senior year. In other words, campus students may not take DE courses, and DE students may not take campus courses. However, for the MPH degree, you may choose to change your modality as a Graduate Student by applying to either the Campus MPH program or DE MPH program modality. As an MPH student, you will only take courses in the modality that you enroll for graduate school. All summer MPH courses are fully online format for both the campus and DE program modality.
• Advising Note - If you have an undergraduate course conflict during senior year, you may not be able to complete all 9 graduate credits as an undergraduate, which may result in extending your time in the MPH program. Consult with your undergraduate academic advisor and the MPH program director.

Admission Process

Students will apply to two different programs:

1. Accelerated Program
2. MPH Program

Acceptance into the Accelerated Program does not guarantee acceptance into the MPH program.

When to Apply

1. Apply to the Accelerated Program by March 1 of junior year. Application window is December 1 – March 1.
2. Apply to the Graduate School and MPH program by February 1 of senior year for a summer MPH admission. 

How to Apply

Accelerated Program

Submit an electronic application form via the Public Health website by March 1st of junior year. Applications do not require letters of recommendation but do include short answer / essay questions and a current resume. Students will be notified of acceptance by April 1, in time for fall course registration. A graduate advising orientation will be subsequently provided to review the MPH course plan of study.

MPH Program

During senior year, Accelerated students will apply to the MPH program through the Graduate School using the standard application procedures. Acceptance into the Accelerated program does not guarantee acceptance into Graduate School or MPH program itself. Minimum GPA for graduate admissions is 3.0. Accelerated students won’t be eligible to apply for a graduate assistantship until a bachelor’s degree is completed. Accelerated students will apply for summer admission into the MPH program.

More information about MPH program concentrations is available in the Graduate Catalog. Refer to OneStop for the Graduate Tuition and Fee schedule.