This fall, the University of Michigan is partnering with Coursera to launch a new online Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Population and Health Sciences. It’s an incredibly accessible opportunity to get a multidisciplinary master’s degree for those who want to create a healthier world through research, education, and practice.
Beyond the advantages in flexibility and affordability offered by the online platform, the University of Michigan MPH gives learners an impressive breadth of specializations to choose from, including population health, program planning and evaluation, health analytics, and genomics and precision health.
The diversity of career paths that you can follow with the online MPH degree reflects the diversity of the on-campus University of Michigan experience. As these stories of current students and recent graduates show, the School of Public Health has a track record of providing a range of opportunities that support the varied pursuits of its student body.
- Tianna Morgan, MPH in Health Management and Policy: Tianna always wanted to make a difference in the lives of others, so her work to shape policy to improve population health and advance equity makes public health a “dream career.” She was inspired to go into health policy after interning with Senator Dianne Feinstein and working on the Affordable Care Act, and seeing how social determinants can impact family health through her work in low-income communities. Currently, she is researching ways to reduce firearm injuries and suicides.
- Sarah Falvey, MPH in Nutritional Sciences: Sarah is an active duty Air Force officer who has found a link between her academic interests and military career. Growing up in a diverse household with a number of siblings adopted and fostered by her family, she developed an awareness of the nutrition-related disparities different populations face. This environment nurtured an interest in public health. While at Michigan, she found an opportunity to focus her research on eating disorders in the military and the barriers stigmatization can present to diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.
- Jessica Yaser, MPH in Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology. In high school and college, Jessica had academic interests in both the hard sciences and social sciences. When she discovered the field of public health, she found a perfect interdisciplinary balance between the two. While at Michigan, she is also working at EpidStat Institute, a scientific consulting company, on a team that includes epidemiologists, biostatisticians, health economists, and exposure scientists who are using science to answer difficult questions about health and disease.
- Rishabh Jain, MPH in Epidemiology: Before pursuing his MPH (and delivering a commencement address!) at Michigan, Rishabh worked as a molecular biologist on response teams handling the Ebola and Zika threats. The experience made him realize the impact scientists could have on entire populations, and he believed the University of Michigan would help him find leadership roles in public health through its focus on professional development. He now works as a management consultant at Accenture, a top global consulting and professional services firm.
Michigan MPH graduates hold key positions at non-profit organizations, hospitals, insurance companies, consulting firms, biotech companies, and government organizations – and the University of Michigan’s comprehensive online MPH curriculum will prepare you to become a public health leader in the specialization of your choosing.
You’ll develop skills in data collection and analysis, intervention strategy, and communications methods, as well as valuable experience working on real-world projects alongside today’s leading public health professionals. No matter where your interests lie, this degree will give you the professional skills you need to make a difference in the world.
