Public Health, MPH
The Graduate Public Health program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, provides quality education and leadership to promote health in human populations through interdisciplinary instruction, research, and community service. The MPH program is recognized for its empowerment of students pursuing public health careers that focus on community health improvement.
Program overview
The Master of Public Health (MPH) at UT is a 42-credit-hour, non-thesis professional degree housed in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. The program can be completed part-time, typically in two to three years, with many classes offered during late afternoons and evenings. It is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) — a distinction UT first earned in 1969, making it the first MPH program outside a school of public health to receive that recognition.
Why study Public Health?
Public health operates at the scale of populations, not just individuals. The field is interdisciplinary, drawing on epidemiology, policy, behavioral science, environmental health, and social justice. Pandemics, climate-driven disease, mental health crises, and widening health inequities demand people trained to respond at scale.
Where medicine treats the sick, public health prevents illness before it starts. Vaccines, clean water, seatbelt laws, and smoke-free spaces are interventions that have saved more lives than almost any clinical advance in history.
Studying public health equips you to think systemically: to ask why certain communities get sicker, die younger, or lack access to care, and to design solutions that address root causes rather than symptoms.
What can you do with an MPH in Public Health after graduation?
Global Health
Join organizations like WHO, UNICEF, or NGOs addressing infectious diseases, maternal health, nutrition, and health systems in low-resource settings.
Government & Policy
Work at the CDC, state health departments, or local agencies in epidemiology, emergency preparedness, or health policy. Shape the regulations and programs that affect millions.
Healthcare Systems
Move into hospital administration, health equity programs, or quality improvement — bridging clinical care and population-level thinking.
Community Health Settings
Work with local health departments, advocacy groups, and nonprofit organizations to make lasting changes within communities.
Research & Academia
Work at universities or research institutes, conducting studies on disease patterns, health behaviors, or intervention effectiveness. Many MPH grads go on to doctoral programs.
Featured Courses
Health Systems, Policy and Leadership
Exploration of public health and healthcare systems, health policy formulation, and associated implications for management and leadership.
Epidemiology
The distribution and determinants of health-related outcomes in specified populations with application to control of health problems.
Health and Society
Provides students with an understanding of social and behavioral determinants that influence health status and care in America.
Environmental Health
Study of the environmental factors (natural, anthropogenic or combination) on human health and the integrity of the ecosystem.
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