Use your health care skills, knowledge, and passion to solve bigger problems! Northwestern University’s Program in Public Health offers a part-time, evening Master in Public Health (MPH) degree program designed for students enrolled at Feinberg School of Medicine. Our goal? To enable our graduate to span the boundaries between public health and their professional fields.

By taking 1 to 2 classes a week during their first 2 years in medical school, students obtain their MPH degree over four years. Most classes are held on Northwestern’s Chicago campus; a few electives are offered on the Evanston campus.

The program is administered by The Feinberg School of Medicine’s Department of Preventive Medicine in conjunction with The Graduate School of Northwestern University.  MPH program faculty members are drawn from the Department and many other departments of the Medical School (including Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Medicine, and the Institute of Health Services Research and Policy Studies) and the University (the Law School, the Kellogg School of Management, and the Department of Anthropology, among others). Additional faculty are public health practitioners in the community and around the world.

Curriculum

The MPH curriculum includes 4 core courses (biostatistics, behavioral science, management, environmental health sciences; students fulfill an epidemiology requirement via a medical school course), an intermediate level course in epidemiology and/or intermediate biostatistics, a research methodology class (options include epidemiologic research and design, survey design, qualitative research, clinical trials, and others), a two-year cycle of public health seminars, 5 electives, and a field and culminating experience.  For a full list of courses, see Course Descriptions, under the Current Students tab.

The Field Experience (FE) provides a chance for students to work in a government or community public health setting. Program partners include the Chicago and Evanston Departments of Public Health, a number of Chicago-based community organizations (Community Partners) and many international sites.  Medical students do their field experience during the summer between first and second years.

The Culminating Experience (CE) is an opportunity to bring all of the student’s course work and field experience together. CEs usually consist of a research project, mentored by an MPH faculty member, done in the student’s 4th year in medical school.  MPH students’ CE projects in recent years include a study of the epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency in a physician’s patient population, a study of the utility of offering free gym membership in getting diabetic patients to exercise, and focused home visits for child household safety education.

Admission Requirements

Applications to the MD/MPH program begin with an application for admission to Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine.  After receiving an offer of admission to the MD program, students wishing to enroll in the MD/MPH program then make a separate, online application for admission to The Graduate School (TGS).  In addition to the online application and application fee, applicants are asked to upload a one-page statement of purpose describing reasons for seeking a degree in public health and the names and email addresses of two individuals (faculty members or employers) who will provide letters of recommendation on your behalf.  TGS does not accept letters through Interfolio or other letter services.  The GRE is not required.  If you have taken the MCAT, please enter your most recent scores in the space provided on the application.

Application

Applicants must

• Complete an online application through the The Graduate School (TGS), including a one-page Statement of Purpose.
• Upload transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended.
• Submit GRE or MCAT scores or request a waiver from Maureen Moran, the program’s Associate Director for Admissions and Graduate Affairs. In general, applicants with an earned doctorate from a US or Canadian institution do not need to submit graduate or medical school admission test scores.
• Submit two letters of recommendation from former instructors or employers/ supervisors, one of which speaks to your interest in public health.

Deadlines

The deadlines to complete the application (including transcripts, test scores, and letters of recommendation) are:

For entry the summer before medical school starts: May 1
For entry in Fall Quarter: July 15

Students who start MPH courses in the summer before medical school starts have more flexibility in the location of their field experience and can more easily choose an international location.

Tuition/Financial Aid

MD/MPH students pay a MPH tuition “surcharge” on their medical school tuition during each of 4 years.  Half the surcharge is billed in the fall and the other half in the second half of the academic year. The surcharge increases by approximately 4% per year.  The surcharge for the current academic year can be found here.

The Chang Scholarship is awarded to one highly qualified underrepresented minority MD/MPH applicant who has demonstrated interest in public health. The Chang Scholarship pays the MPH surcharge for all 4 years of medical school. Students accepted to Feinberg School of Medicine who are interested in being considered for the Chang Scholarship should complete the TGS MPH application no later than April 15, and should include the Diversity Statement found in the TGS application.

In addition to the Chang Scholarship, the MPH Program provides approximately $30,000 each year in need-based grants distributed by the Feinberg School of Medicine Financial Aid Office.

Questions?

For questions about the program and the application process, contact

Maureen Brady Moran, MPH
Program in Public Health
Associate Director for Admissions and Graduate Affairs
Phone: (312) 503-0500
Fax: (312) 908-9588
E-mail: m-moran@northwestern.edu

Apply Now

 Applicants admitted to Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine can begin an online application for the MPH program.