General Requirements
MPH degree graduates will be trained in all core areas of public health. They will have a rich background in epidemiology, biostatistics, health behavior, environmental health, and health policy and administration.
A completed MPH degree requires an overall 42 credit hours, including:
- Core Curricula: 30 credits
- Internship: 3 credits
- Electives: 9 credits
The FSU MPH program is a classroom-based program with limited distance-learning options. Many of our core courses do have evening and/or online offerings; however, the program cannot promise classes to be offered outside of traditional work hours. It is the student’s sole responsibility to coordinate with their place of employment regarding their class schedule.
Required MPH Core courses (33 CORE credits)
1st Year Required Courses
| Course Number | Credit | Class Name |
| PHC 5155 | 3 | Health Services Organization & Policy
(required in 1st semester) |
| PHC 5300 | 3 | Environmental Health |
| PHC 5475 or URP 5525 | 3 | Health Behavior |
| PHC 5001 or URP 5521 | 3 | Public Health Epidemiology |
| ECP 5538 or PAD 5701 or URP 5211 | 3 | Health Policy Statistics (ECP 5538) Quantitative Analysis in Public Administration (PAD 5701) Planning Statistics (URP 5211) Student may be exempt from this requirement if they have taken an approved undergraduate statistics class (PHC 4069 or equivalent) with a grade of “B” or higher, within the last five (5) years. Student must have written approval from the program. If exempt, the student must take an additional elective to complete the minimum 42 credit hours required to graduate. |
2nd Year Required Courses
| Course Number | Credit | Class Name |
| PHC 5945 | 3 | Applied Practice Experience (Internship)
(Prerequisites: PHC 5155, PHC 5001/URP 5525, ECP 5538 or equivalent) |
| PHC 6110 | 3 | Comparative Health |
| PAD 5216 | 3 | Healthcare Finance |
| PAD 5884 | 3 | Healthcare Management |
| PHC 5797 | 3 | Advanced Public Health Statistics and Data Analysis |
| PHC 5151 | 3 | Health Politics and Policy Analysis (Capstone) Must be completed within 1-2 semesters of graduation. |
Applied Practice Experience (APE) – PHC 5945
Students can work with public or private international, national, state, or local health-related organizations for a minimum required 50-hour working experience and the development of at least 2 work products that demonstrate 5 public health competencies.
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Electives (9-12 Credits)
Students are encouraged to tailor their electives towards their individual needs and interests, such as epidemiology, business, economics, administration, sociology, statistics, and other fields. The public health program regularly offers electives in the following areas: PHC 5936 Selected Topics in Public Health [Leadership in Public Health, Maternal and Child Health; Program Evaluation; College Health]. Additionally, courses taken in pursuit of the Graduate Certificate in Public Health Epidemiology will count towards the MPH electives requirement.
MPH Career Preparation
Students admitted for Fall 2025 or later will be required to complete the MPH Career Preparation.
The MPH Career Preparation is designed to help students strengthen their professional readiness and build the foundational skills necessary for success in public health careers. It consists of four key milestones:
- Career Ready Black Badge
- Excel Beginner Badge Certification
- 16 Hours of Health-related Community Service
- Participation in MPH Student Association (MPHSA) Seminars
Students are required to complete milestones 1-3 prior to enrolling in their Applied Practice Experience course. All 4 milestones must be completed before applying to graduate.