Medical Sciences & Public Health (MS/MPH)

Graduate Medical Sciences and the School of Public Health offer a dual degree that is broadly based in preclinical medical sciences and public health.

Students must apply and be accepted to both Graduate Medical Sciences and the School of Public Health. The acceptances do not have to be concurrent, but students must be accepted to both programs before completing either program. We strongly suggest that students apply to the MPH program after their first term in the MS program.

The MS/MPH degrees are simultaneous degrees and are awarded together. Students must successfully complete the requirements of both programs.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the MPH degree requirements, graduates are able to:

MPH Requirements for MS/MPH Candidates

The MPH is a 48-unit degree. MS/MPH students must complete a minimum of 40 units in residence at SPH and 8 units are completed at GMS. All courses counted to the MPH portion of the MS/MPH must be numbered SPH XX 700 and above. No courses taken outside of the School of Public Health will count toward the MPH, including courses taken at other Boston University schools and colleges.

Foundations of Public Health

Effective public health requires expertise from many disciplines, and students need to have a broad foundation of knowledge across these diverse disciplines in order to collaborate effectively with other health professionals.

SPH PH 700 Foundations of Public Health (0 units) is an online course designed to provide students with foundational knowledge in the profession and science of public health and factors related to public health. PH 700 meets the foundational knowledge criteria (as outlined by CEPH) for all SPH students.

SPH Core Courses

• SPH PH 717 Quantitative Core (4 units)
• SPH PH 718 Leadership and Management (4 units)
• SPH PH 719 Health Systems, Law, and Policy (4 units)
• SPH PH 720 Individual, Community, and Population Health (4 units)

MPH Certificate & Elective Coursework

Students select and complete one functional area certificate as their interdisciplinary, professional skills base (16 units) and have the option to take a context certificate (focused on key populations or areas of interest in public health, 12 units) or elective courses to fulfill SPH coursework requirements. MS/MPH students must complete a minimum of 24 units beyond the core courses and a maximum of 4 units may be shared between a functional and a context certificate.

The MPH functional certificates are:

• Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation
• Environmental Health
• Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Health Communications and Promotion
• Healthcare Management (CAHME)—28 units
• Health Policy and Law
• Global Health Program Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation
• Program Management

Context Certificates—12 units

• Chronic and Non-Communicable Diseases
• Global Health
• Infectious Disease
• Maternal and Child Health
• Mental Health and Substance Use
• Human Rights and Social Justice
• Sex, Sexuality, and Gender
• Pharmaceutical Development, Delivery, and Access

Students follow the SPH grading policy for their MPH courses.

Professional Development and Practical Experience

• SPH PH 746 Career PREP (0 units)
• SPH PH 976 Practicum (240 hours, 0 units)
• SPH PH 985 Required Integrated Learning Experience (0 units)

The following Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS) courses have been approved to meet MPH electives required for students enrolled in the MS/MPH dual degree program. MS/MPH students must complete 8 units of coursework from this list when completing the GMS portion of their degree. These courses cannot be counted toward certificate requirements or core course requirements for the MPH degree.

• GMS AN 722 Cellular Organization of Tissues (4 units)
• GMS AN 723 Human Body Systems
• GMS BI 751 Biochemistry and Cell Biology (6 units)
• GMS MS 640 Introduction to Biomedical Information (2 units)
• GMS PA 510 Medical Immunology
• GMS PA 600 Intro to Pathology
• GMS PH 730 Physiology A (4 units)
• GMS PH 731 Physiology B (4 units)
• GMS PM 730 Introduction to Medical Pharmacology (4 units)