The Masters of Public Health in Health Policy and Administration is a degree program which provides an integrative course of study in the core competencies needed by future leaders in the public health field.
Competencies include:
- How public policy is made
- How the legal system works
- What role economics plays in public health policy
- How values should shape public decisions
- How to conduct public health policy analysis
- How to be a strong advocate for good public health policy
- How to manage a public health organization
- How to align the strengths of your organization with the needs of the community it serves
- How to analyze your organization’s strategic position
- How to be a leader within your organization and with your community
The MPH includes a field experience. Here are examples of the many organizations which serve as Preceptors for our MPH students.
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Center for Neighborhood Technology
- Chicago Department of Public Health
- Health and Medicine Policy Research Group
- Heartland Alliance
- Illinois Department of Public Health
- Institute for Health Research and Policy
- Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium
- Respiratory Health Association
- U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Region 5, Office of Women’s Health
The MPH program prepares graduates to address a variety of public health challenges. MPH alumni are:
- Working in the planning division of the Chicago Department of Public Health
- Analyzing public health policy for the American Medical Association
- Organizing and implementing community programs for the Asian Health Coalition
- Directing health programs in public schools
- Staffing the public policy committee at the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Advocating public policy positions for the Healthy Schools Campaign
- Lobbying legislators on behalf of community health clinics
- Running a county health department
- Shaping policy at the Region 5 Office of Women’s Health
Others of our alumni are practicing medicine, law and dentistry. Some pursue a PhD. Still others direct programs or analyze policy in the private sector.
Find out more about our COMPREHENSIVE MPH PROGRAM for people with little experience in the field. Or, if you are mid-career, learn about our PROFESSIONAL ENHANCEMENT MPH for people with advanced degrees or at least three years of experience in the field.