Graduate
Speak with our admissions team and world-renowned faculty to learn about our graduate programs, admissions requirements, student organizations, and how a degree from the UAB School of Public Health can help you improve the health of your community through a career in public health.
General Graduate Information Sessions
New Dates Forthcoming
Biostatistics
Epidemiology
Environmental Health
New Dates Forthcoming
Health Policy & Organization
- MPH & Certificate: October 8, 12 – 1 p.m. CT
- MPH, MSPH, & Certificate: February 11, 2027 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm CT (Registration Link coming soon!)
Population Health MPH & Coordinated Degree
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The DrPH School-wide Competencies represent specific skills and knowledge all DrPH students at the UAB School of Public Health are expected to demonstrate upon graduation as defined by the school.
- Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the core areas of public health theory, policy, and practice.
- Analyze policy issues and challenges in public health using credible research designs and statistical methods.
- Research relevant literature and synthesize the findings.
- Evaluate information to develop appropriate strategies to address public health challenges in an area of specialization.
- Implement interventions to address public health challenges.
- Demonstrate skill in oral and written communication to varied audiences.
Based on the Evidence-Based Public Health model, the UAB MPH core curriculum gives our students the knowledge and tools they need to become leaders in the field of public health. This model provides the critical link between public health education, research, and practice. Through this series of courses, students will witness first-hand how the research expertise of our faculty gets translated into cutting-edge programs and policies that support the health and well-being of our communities.
Courses
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PUH 601: This is Public Health
1 credit hour (3 credit hours beginning Fall 2026)
Understand the history, philosophy, and values of public health, including the structure and functions of organizing governmental public health.
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PUH 602: Community Assessment
3 credit hours
Becoming aware of current conditions through a community assessment is the first step to evidence-based public health. This course will introduce students to the various community assessments methods used to identify and prioritize community needs, concerns, and preferences, as well as to identify community assets, and inform the development of public health interventions. Students will be able to utilize a breadth of data sources commonly used to assess population health needs, assets, and capacities that affect community health.
Topics to be covered include the introduction to planning models, stakeholder identification, coalition building, quantitative data sources, quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, analysis of qualitative data, interpreting data, and framing community issues.
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PUH 603: Quantitative Methods
3 credit hours
To appropriately address the needs of communities, we must be able to prioritize their leading health concerns. Quantitative methods allow us to examine the associations between various social, ecological, biological, and environmental factors and health outcomes, to identify populations at elevated risk for poor health outcomes, and to assess the effect of programs or policies implanted to improve health outcomes.
This course introduces students to the broad range of epidemiologic and biostatistical methods used in public health, with particular attention to how quantitative results can be communicated clearly to scientific and non-scientific audiences.
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PUH 604: Programs and Policies
3 credit hours
This course covers how to collect and apply evidence of community needs in order to identify and prioritize programs and policies for implementation. Public health programs and policies should improve the quality of life of persons and communities through the reduction or elimination in the incidence, prevalence, and rates of disease and disability as well as the promotion of human flourishing via the preservation and improvement of community health. In doing so, programs and policies should strive to improve conditions and access to resources for healthy living for all persons.
Given the breadth and complexity of factors that influence health, public health has developed a rich toolkit to guide our efforts to improve community health. This course reviews key elements of that toolkit, including:
- methods and theoretical tools used to collaboratively and inclusively determine community priorities for promoting health;
- planning models and theories used to guide the development of public health programs and influence health policy; and
- strategies to frame public health issues with the ultimate goal of informing and successfully advocating for public health policies.
From prioritizing goals and objectives to planning for successful implementation, this course explores the multiple dimensions of the successful adoption of public health policies and programs.
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PUH 605: Management and Evaluation
3 credit hours (No longer required beginning Fall 2026, and will no longer be regularly offered beginning Fall 2027.)
Applying effective management methods and principles and evaluating the impact of programs and policies to determine community cost and impact are essential components of evidence-based public health. This course includes an exploration of key management, governance, and leadership principles necessary for the successful implementation, and evaluation of public health programs and policies. Managers and organizations often operate with limited resources, thus learning how to be good stewards of financial and human resources is essential. This requires the ability to develop budgets and evaluation plans, operate within and foster interprofessional collaboration, manage conflict, and ethical decision-making. A cornerstone of good management is the continuous and rigorous determination of the consequences of one’s choices and actions; did the program or policy have the desired effect? Did it have unintended consequences?
This course introduces students to methods of process, formative, summative, and outcome evaluation, including experimental designs and participatory models of evaluation.
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PUH 606: Leadership for Evidence-based Public Health
1 credit hour (No longer required beginning Fall 2026, and will no longer be regularly offered beginning Fall 2027.)
Developing competencies to provide effective leadership for evidence-based public health. Effective leadership for evidence-based public health requires competencies in advocacy, negotiation, communication, and collaboration, all within a “systems thinking” framework. This course includes an exploration of theoretical constructs and concepts in leadership, balanced with a series of case studies, presentations, and interviews with leaders that provide examples of the application of these leadership competencies in public health practice.
Students will learn to advocate for programs and policies, apply negotiation skills, communicate using appropriate strategies for specific audiences, collaborate through interprofessional learning experiences, and apply systems thinking to a public health issue. Students will be assessed through papers, group projects, and participation.
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PUH 607: Professional Passport
1 credit hour (The 0-Credit Hour is no longer offered beginning in Spring 2027. All students beginning the program Fall 2026 or later must register for the 1-Credit hour course, no exceptions.) Pass/No Pass
Developing competencies for professional practice and interprofessional collaboration in public health. This course prepares students for internships and future careers through career development activities, professional skills training, and interprofessional learning experiences with students and professionals from other health disciplines.
Students will develop skills in teamwork, professionalism, ethical practice, networking, and professional branding while exploring career resources and opportunities. Students will demonstrate these competencies through quizzes, training certifications, participation in an interprofessional team activity, reflective writing, and career enrichment activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can students take concentration courses or electives at the same time as the UAB MPH Core?
Yes; your departmental program coordinator or academic advisor will be able to guide you through course planning and scheduling that fits your part-time, full-time, and online/in person needs.
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Can students enroll in the Applied Practice Experience (Internship) at the same time as the UAB MPH Core?
Generally, no. Since the core provides the foundational skills necessary to be successful in public health practice, students should complete all core courses prior to beginning their internship.
The DrPH Foundational Competencies represent specific skills and knowledge all DrPH students at the UAB School of Public Health are expected to demonstrate upon graduation as defined by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
- Explain qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, and policy analysis research and evaluation methods to address health issues at multiple (individual, group, organization, community, and population) levels.
- Design a qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, policy analysis, or evaluation project to address a public health issue.
- Explain the use and limitations of surveillance systems and national surveys in assessing, monitoring, and evaluating policies and programs and to address a population’s health.
- Propose strategies for health improvement and elimination of health inequities by organizing stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, community leaders, and other partners.
- Communicate public health science to diverse stakeholders, including individuals at all levels of health literacy, for purposes of influencing behavior and policies.
- Integrate knowledge, approaches, methods, values, and potential contributions from multiple professions and systems in addressing public health problems.
- Create a strategic plan.
- Facilitate shared decision making through negotiation and consensus-building methods.
- Create organizational change strategies.
- Propose strategies to promote inclusion and equity within public health programs, policies, and systems.
- Assess one’s own strengths and weaknesses in leadership capacities, including cultural proficiency.
- Propose human, fiscal, and other resources to achieve a strategic goal.
- Cultivate new resources and revenue streams to achieve a strategic goal.
- Design a system-level intervention to address a public health issue.
- Integrate knowledge of cultural values and practices in the design of public health policies and programs.
- Integrate scientific information, legal and regulatory approaches, ethical frameworks and varied stakeholder interests in policy development and analysis.
- Propose inter-professional team approaches to improving public health.
- Assess an audience’s knowledge and learning needs.
- Deliver training or educational experiences that promote learning in academic, organizational, or community settings.
- Use best practice modalities in pedagogical practices.
Many of the MPH concentrations in the School of Public Health are available completely online and do not require any travel to Birmingham. These online degree programs are identical to the on-campus versions and award the same degree upon completion. All online students are assigned both an academic and a faculty advisor and have access to all UAB and School of Public Health resources necessary to be successful. The MPH portion of the coordinated degrees listed below are also available completely online.
Consistently ranked as some of the best online public health programs in the nation, our online offerings are carefully designed using best practices in online education to provide an exceptional educational experience. All courses are asynchronous, meaning students can view course content, work on assignments, and coordinate team-based work at times convenient for their schedules. Courses are taught by the same highly qualified faculty who teach on campus; these faculty are regularly available to consult with online students by email, phone, or video conference via Zoom. Students in online MPH degree programs can complete their required Applied Practice Experience (Internship) in their local area; assistance is provided in locating appropriate internship opportunities.
The School of Public Health has alumni across the country and abroad who are willing to network with current students as they prepare for employment after graduation.
Degrees Offered
At the UAB School of Public Health, we aspire to fulfill the great promise of the discipline of public health: to protect and improve the health, safety, and well-being of all. We accomplish this through our cutting-edge research, our ongoing engagement in public health practice, and most importantly through our commitment to training the next generation of public health professionals.
Our students go on to work in their communities, in healthcare settings, or for agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization — anywhere broad knowledge of the biological, environmental, social, and behavioral influences on health is needed.
Visit our Alumni Spotlights YouTube channel to see what some of our students have done after graduation.
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Which Program Is Right for You?
Practice-based Degrees
Students work to develop appropriate mastery of the competencies and skills that public health professionals use every day and that will help them become leaders in the field.
Research-based Degrees
Students earning these degrees can learn the skills necessary to design, execute, and analyze public health research needed to prepare them for continuing in academic or other research-intensive settings.
Online Degrees
Many degree programs are available completely online and do not require any travel to Birmingham. They are identical to the on-campus versions and award the same degree upon completion.
Coordinated Degrees
Our coordinated degree programs allow students to combine training in a chosen field with an individually designed MPH concentration in Population Health, resulting in a unique degree that supports diverse career goals.