MPH FAQs

All applications are processed through Upstate's Admissions Office. You may contact Admissions for updates at 315-464-4570. Applicants can also login to check the status of an application.

Applicants can apply to either or both of the following MPH program concentrations: 1) Data and Analytics; and 2) Global Health and Translational Science. More information about these concentrations can be found at  https://www.upstate.edu/mph/admissions/index.php

The MPH degree requires a minimum of 42 credit hours.

On a full-time basis, students in the Data and Analytics Concentration of the MPH Program can complete their degree in as little as 18 months. Students in the Global Health and Translational Science concentration complete their MPH Degree in one academic year (summer, fall and spring), plus an additional summer semester when students are working in their Applied Practice Experience.

Part-time students must complete all degree requirements within 5 years of matriculation. Completion of the degree is also dependent on the availability and timing of courses and upon the student's ability to complete the curriculum (full-time vs. part-time).

Because public health is a broad multi-disciplinary field, applicants to the program come from a diverse range of undergraduate degree programs. It is methodologically rooted in both medical and social sciences, but relies upon skills from other areas as well. Applicable undergraduate degree programs with relevance to public health include (but are not limited to):

- undergraduate public health or related programs (health education, community health)

- social & behavioral sciences (anthropology, economics, geography, policy studies or political science, psychology, public administration, sociology, social work)

- humanities (gender studies, history, human rights, international studies)

- business and finance, health services management

- clinical or biological sciences (biology, environmental science, food science and nutrition, nursing, pre-medicine)

- applied mathematics and statistics

- health care providers

Some prior undergraduate or graduate coursework in statistics and in a biological science are recommended, but not required.

MPH students' tuition charge will be at the prevailing SUNY Tuition & Fee Rates.

Graduate assistantships fluctuate with the availability of grant or other funding.  For financial aid information, please visit our Financial Aid Office

The Upstate Public Health website has examples of course of study for the PhD and MD students. We are working on establishing courses of study for other types of students wishing to pursue the MPH degree while earning another degree.

Not at this time.

Yes. You may take courses as a non-matriculated student with permission from the instructor. If you plan to eventually apply to the MPH Program, only six (6) credits will be counted towards your degree.

Students in the Data and Analytics Concentration will begin the program during the fall semester each year. MD/MPH students and students in the Global Health and Translational Science Concentration will begin the program during the summer semester.

Yes. All students need to attend the MPH orientation, regardless of whether they are full or part-time or employees.

The program has been approved by the NY State Department of Education and is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

Students have the option of transferring up to six (6) credits of non-public health credits from a CHEA regionally accredited college and/or university and up to twelve (12) graduate-level public health credits from a CEPH-accredited public health program or school. Students who have earned more than twelve (12) credits from an accredited public health program can request to have some of their MPH coursework waived on a course-equivalency basis, allowing the student to take more electives. Additionally, students who have earned twelve (12) credits from a school or program not accredited by CEPH may petition to have twelve (12) credits transferred into the Upstate MPH Program.

Yes, a laptop is required for all students in the Upstate Public Health program, capable of running SPSS, Microsoft Word, and other programs. In general, laptops that only run basic, web-driven operating systems (e.g. Google Chromebook), or that only run programs from a single source (Microsoft Surface running Windows 10 S, which only allows programs downloadable from the Microsoft store), will not satisfy this requirement. For more information visit the Current and Incoming Students page and if you have any questions, please consult with Mr. Jeffrey Wessel at wesselj@upstate.edu.

If you receive financial aid and need to purchase a laptop, the laptop expense can be incorporated into your financial aid package. You may contact the Financial Aid Office for information regarding this. (P: 315-464-4329)

Job titles, position descriptions, and salary ranges of recent public health graduates will vary greatly based on their course of study and interests. Career titles include

• Public Health Management Analyst
• Director of Programs and Services
• Health Communications Specialist
• Project Coordinator
• Environmental Health Intelligence Analyst
• Research Associate
• Program Administrator
• Prevention Specialist
• Public Health Officer (usually at the federal level)

Accepted students are required to submit all required documents, including final transcripts for all college and universities attended, to the Office of Admissions prior to the start of classes. Note that required health documents must be submitted directly to the Student Health Office.  Accepted students must attend New Student Orientation.

If accepted, individuals may request a deferral for up to one year for personal or professional reasons. Requests must be made in writing and submitted to the Office of Admissions. No extensions beyond the one-year are permitted.