MPH Focus Areas

The three focus areas give you a competitive edge in meeting your unique career objectives after completing your degree program.

Health equity focus area is for students looking for content expertise and skills that will help them take a leadership role in eliminating health inequities, including those affecting historically marginalized groups such as people of color, people with low socioeconomic status, and immigrants and refugees. Developing both a deep understanding of social determinants of health and knowledge of changing social determinants of health is essential to eliminating health inequities. Learn to analyze public health problems through an equity lens, and use public health strategies for identifying, monitoring and intervening to eliminate health inequities.

Students completing this focus area can also participate in our Micro-Credential for Eliminating Health Inequities.

Addictions focus area is tailored to students who are interested in alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use and misuse. Courses include social-ecological influences on patterns of use and misuse to educate students on subjects from the intrapersonal level of addiction through policy context. Courses also compare and contrast abstinence-based versus harm reduction approaches to addiction.

Individualized focus area is for students who want to customize a unique public health curriculum. Work closely with an advisor to select applicable required courses and electives from our list of approved classes to meet your career objectives. Whether your interests range from refugee health to aging, you can customize your educational experience to give you the degree that meets your needs.