Curriculum

Research, practice, service — all three guide our approach to education at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Developed by faculty and students, our curriculum trains public health professionals to tackle even the most complex challenges with confidence and conviction. Your courses — the same ones we offer on campus — emphasize:

As a public health leader, you’ll need to see both the big picture and the critical details. Our Master of Public Health (MPH) course sequence is designed to broaden your perspective, and it empowers you to make a difference even while you’re still taking classes.

Explore sample course schedules.

Taught by an interdisciplinary team of instructors, the MPH Core gives you an integrated foundation in public health. In addition to studying essential principles, frameworks and methodologies, you’ll learn how to collaborate and think critically about 21st-century public health problems.

View all MPH Core courses.

Upon completing the Gillings MPH Core, you’ll schedule your comprehensive exam. This written assessment tests your ability to apply foundational public health knowledge and skills to novel contexts and problems. It’s also an opportunity to sharpen your integrative and critical thinking abilities and practice communicating about public health issues with colleagues, interdisciplinary stakeholders and the general public.

After completing the Gillings MPH Core, you’ll delve into concentration-specific courses. These classes strengthen your understanding of the cultural, environmental and social issues that shape today’s public health landscape. If you’re a student in our MPH Nutrition, MPH Leadership or Applied Epidemiology concentrations, you’ll also customize your training with three elective courses.

View all concentration courses.

If you’re enrolled in our MPH Leadership, MPH Nutrition or Applied Epidemiology concentrations, you’ll complete the MPH practicum — a planned, mentored and evaluated work experience that enables you to apply your training in a real-world setting. To reduce program costs, we don’t assign any credits to your practicum hours. The practicum breaks down into three parts:

While it’s your job to secure your practicum placement, we offer resources to support you along the way — including a dedicated placement specialist who can help you navigate the placement process and find options close to you.

We also encourage students to look beyond their employers and established UNC Gillings School networks. This is an opportunity to seek out new challenges, experiences and perspectives.

Learn more about practicum requirements.

Before you graduate, you’ll complete an interdisciplinary, project-based course centered on a problem relevant to public health practice.

You can complete our MPH Leadership, MPH Nutrition and Applied Epidemiology concentrations on a full-time or part-time basis. If you enroll full time, you can complete the program in as few as 20–24 months. If you enroll part time, you can set your own pace as long as you complete all program requirements within five years. Most part-time students complete the program in 28–36 months.

Complete our brief form to learn more about the experience you can expect from the UNC Gillings School.

¹ Placements near a student’s home on record cannot be guaranteed. Depending on site availability, students may be required to relocate temporarily at their own cost to complete their practicum requirements. Students who are able to relocate to North Carolina may have access to Area Health Education Center housing, which provides short-term lodging accommodations for minimal or no cost. arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference