Next Start Date: Earn Your MPH Online and Become a Public Health Leader
Gain the knowledge essential to practice public health globally with UMass Lowell's Masters of Public Health online. Choose from Epidemiology or Health Care Management options and build the knowledge you need to identify public health hazards, assess and oversee interventions, monitor data, master information systems and manage the challenges facing today's health care system. This 14-course online MPH is well suited for those with bachelor's degrees in public health, psychology, biology, clinical laboratory sciences, nutrition and physical therapy.
Concentrations
- Epidemiology: Conduct research that identifies health hazards and solutions with UMass Lowell's MPH Epidemiology option. Learn how to evaluate health interventions and monitor health systems data to protect public health.
- Health Care Management: Manage public health programs and organizations. UMass Lowell's MPH Healthcare Management program covers many issues, including law and ethics in health care, operations analysis and quality improvement, biostatistics, management and finance, environmental health, and health care information systems.
Career Outlook
8.22M
Jobs (2020)
+4.4%
% Change (2020-2021)
$79.1K/yr
Median Earnings
1,278,422
Annual Openings
Source: Lightcast, 2022
UMass Lowell M.P.H. graduates have pursued careers at:
- Boston Medical Center
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley
- JSS Medical Research
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- Massachusetts Medical Society
- Partners Health Care
- Signify Health
- Spring Street Exchange
- Tufts Medical Center
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
- Vinfen
"Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 32 percent through 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. As the large baby-boom population ages and people remain active later in life, there should be increased demand for healthcare services."
— Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2020
Key Takeaways
- Develop, implement and evaluate public health initiatives
- Assume "hands-on" management of public health programs and organizations
- Provide leadership as a thoughtful, analytical and ethical manager within the public health community
- Pursue epidemiology and public health research
- Support increased efficiency, effectiveness and accountability within the public health sector
One Success Leads to Another
Apply credits from lower credentials to higher ones. Our programs are designed to build upon themselves:
Success Story
"Earning my master's has been a personal goal for many years, one that I didn't think I could achieve working a full-time job and caring for three children. UMass Lowell's online MPH program is making it both possible, and affordable, and I love the opportunities the program affords to interact with faculty and my fellow students."
Anne Carey-Stone
Curriculum Outline
- 14 Courses (42 Credits)
Core Courses (5 / 15 Credits)
- PUBH.5070 Leadership and Management in Public Health (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.5061 Environmental Health (3cr)
- PUBH.5750 Epidemiology and Biostatistics (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.5021 Public Health Policy (3cr)
- PUBH.5010 Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health (3cr)
PUBH.5070 is typically taken in the first semester of the program.
Choose an Option
Healthcare Management Option (5 / 15 Credits)
- PUBH.5060 Quantitative Methods in Health Management (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.5110 Health Care Finance (3cr)
- PUBH.5120 Operations Analysis for Quality Improvement (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.5150 Applied Health Economics (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.6070 Healthcare Information Systems (3cr)
Epidemiology Option (5 / 15 Credits)
- PUBH.5760 Biostatistical Programming (3cr)
- PUBH.5770 Biostatistics for Health Data (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.6820 Applied Epidemiology Methods (3cr)
- PUBH.6870 Quantitative Models for Public Health (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.6890 Advanced Regression Modeling (3cr)
PUBH.5760 exposes students to statistical software packages and should be taken as early in the program as possible.
Public Health Practice Courses (2 / 6 Credits)
Practicum courses are meant to be taken sequentially. A student typically takes PUBH.6660 in the next-to-last semester of the program and takes PUBH.6670 in the last semester before graduation.
- PUBH.6660 MPH Practicum (3cr)
- PUBH.6670 Integrated Practical Learning (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
Elective Courses (Choose 2 / 6 Credits)
Choose 2 courses not already taken. Below is a partial list of online courses. These courses are typically selected in collaboration with your academic advisor or graduate program coordinator.
- PUBH.5020 Organizational Behavior in Health Care (3cr)
- PUBH.5140 Healthcare Management (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.5270 Business Strategies for Health Organizations (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.5310 Health Informatics (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.5600 Data Applications for Public Health Practice (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.5770 Biostatistics for Health Data (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.6160 Law and Ethics in Healthcare (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.6250 Health Policy (3cr)
- PUBH.6320 Health Information System Design and Analysis (3cr)
- PUBH.6330 Healthcare Database Design (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.6350 Healthcare Project Management (3cr)
- PUBH.6380 Health Information Technology Strategic Planning (Health Information Technology) (3cr) - Available Summer 2023!
- PUBH.6390 Electronic Health Record Systems (3cr)
Course Descriptions
This course introduces core concepts of social and behavioral determinants of health and provides a foundation for the analysis of social, political and economic influences on health and their role in contributing to health inequities. The core functions of public health and essential services are discussed as well as the history of public health, its philosophy and values. Upstream and downstream reforms to addressing fundamental determinants are evaluated. The influence of behavioral and psychological factors on health and disease are analyzed. 3 credits.
This course reviews the organizational structure of healthcare facilities and the behavior of individuals within them. Students analyze the role of administration, human resources, providers and other support staff and apply organizational, behavioral, and social science practice and theory, to the operations of the healthcare organization. Comparison is made between healthcare and non-health care types of industry to highlight the unique characteristics of healthcare workers. An emphasis is also made on leadership styles, organizational culture, and change management within the healthcare organization. 3 credits.
The course focuses on expanding students' knowledge and skills for developing and evaluating contemporary public health policy in the United States and international settings. Students will gain information about the current US national health care system as it relates to emergent public health topics and priorities in the US and globally. This course will focus on competencies for designing, implementing, evaluating and advocating for evidence-based policy, program and practices. 3 credits.
This course explores analytic methods that can be used to improve the decision making of management, clinicians and others within the healthcare industry. Students learn the conceptual foundations of quantitative analysis and common methods used in supporting decision-making; developing evidence-based practices; analyzing data and testing hypotheses. Students also learn how to use industry-standard data analysis software applications, statistical packages and common applications for the development and reporting of analytic findings. 3 credits.
Prerequisites:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
This environmental health course explores the links between human activities and environmental systems and examines how these interactions can impact human health. The course is designed to provide knowledge and skills necessary to understand how human and industrial activities such as population growth, methods of food production, pollution of the air and water, waste, the built environment, toxic substances, pest control, and global climate change can result in human diseases and impact the environment. Understanding the links between human activities and environmental systems is essential to developing effective prevention strategies and building sustainable communities. 3 credits.
The purpose of this course is to enhance the students' ability to effectively build and lead high-performing Public Health organizations. This course will integrate fundamental principles from the behavioral and social sciences to provide students with a coherent set of strategies and techniques to effectively collaborate with internal external stakeholders as well as to influence meaningful, sustainable change. This course will also provide students opportunities to self-reflect on their own leadership styles and develop growth plans. 3 credits.
Provides broad exposure to the concepts and practices of healthcare finance and healthcare financial management. Teaches a practical understanding of basic healthcare financial issues, financial reporting and analysis, and provider payment structures. The course enables students to read, analyze and use healthcare financial information in today's healthcare environment. 3 credits.
This course focuses on a multi-disciplinary approach to operations analysis, process redesign and quality improvement in health care. Focus is placed on the tools, methods and processes used for improving work flow processes, patient safety and performance in a variety of health care settings. Students study the history, development and principles of quality improvement in healthcare. 3 credits.
Prerequisites:
Graduate level or permission
This course provides a framework for addressing common issues faced by management within a healthcare organization. Students are provided with an overview of how healthcare institutions are organized and governed, the unique roles of management, clinical staff, support staff, and human resources in the healthcare setting. Students also learn the management systems designed for efficient and effective operations. 3 credits.
Students explore the economic dimensions of healthcare by considering the input, output, production and costs of producing quality healthcare which meets demand and evaluates the behavior of supply. Students consider provider payer systems and aspects relative to private and public health insurance in determining market power and competitive markets. Common economic evaluation methods are introduced to measure health service feasibility, and promote value judgment in the realm of healthcare reform and regulatory compliance. 3 credits.
This course explores the important aspects of planning and implementation of business strategies in a health service organization. Students learn about the multi-step process of creating and managing a successful business plan, as well as strategies and solutions for analyzing business situations while utilizing popular tools of the industry. 3 credits.
This course introduces healthcare professionals to the power of data and the importance of analysis. Students learn how population informatics, consumer health informatics, translational bioinformatics, and clinical research informatics are essential components in selecting the techniques and systems used for transforming clinical data into information, knowledge and improved decision-making. The past, current and future role of healthcare IT is also discussed. 3 credits.
Working with data is foundational to public health. This class will provide a practical introduction to how to think about and utilize data for a variety of public health functions Students will investigate sources of local, national, and global public health data, including health records, surveys, and vital statistics in terms of what data is available and how to access, manage, analyze, communicate, and use these data. Students will apply informatics and data sources to population health activities. Students will gain hands on experience working with data in practical ways through data visualizations and software used for public health informatics. 3 credits.
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease in human populations, and the risk factors associated with diseases. This course provides an introduction to epidemiology and the associated biostatistical methods that constitute the principal quantitative methods for disease prevention. Topics include: measures of disease frequency, measures of central tendency and spread, rates and risks, precision and validity, bias, simple linear regression, and the important study designs (population surveys, cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies). 3 credits.
Prerequisites:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
This course is designed to provide familiarity with several types of statistical software commonly used in public health research. The course covers topics including: reading raw data and existing data sets; modifying data; combining data sets; applying basic statistical procedures; and sorting, summarizing, and printing data. 3 credits.
This is a practical course in biostatistical methods for health research. Emphasis is placed on developing an understanding of the use and interpretation of standard biostatistical methods. Topics include probability and sampling distributions, regression and ANOVA, methods for analyzing rates and proportions, power and sample size calculations. Students will gain experience in using a statistical software package to apply and expand their data analysis skills. 3 credits.
This course provides a broad-range overview of the healthcare information systems industry, its history, recent developments and continuing challenges, as well as a practical understanding of healthcare information systems acquisition and implementation. Topics include EMR, Data, CMS Quality Programs, Clinical Integration and health information exchange. 3 credits.
This course presents and overview of legal and ethical issues facing managers and providers in health care. It provides students with a foundation of health law and ethics and reviews health care legal and ethical situations and dilemmas. The goals are to provide students with practical knowledge of health law and ethics and their application to the real world of health care. 3 credits.
This course provides students with a basic framework for health policy analysis and examines major aspects of U.S. health policy. Detailed consideration and discussion focus on the relationship of national policy to the planning, implementation and funding of healthcare services. The course covers topics such as the healthcare policy environment in the U.S, government-funded healthcare through Medicaid and Medicare, and the Massachusetts healthcare reform. 3 credits.
Prerequisites:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
This course introduces students to the health information system lifecycle. Students take a detailed look at the process of system planning, analysis, design, and implementation. Concepts are taught in a manner that applies to any discipline within the health organization and provides a practical understanding of the steps necessary for successful systems delivery and its importance to organization success. Skills learned will enable students to work effectively with and support the information systems planning effort to ensure better system alignment with information services, clinical and administrative objectives. 3 credits.
Prerequisites:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
A practical approach to the design, and development of a relational database with an emphasis on healthcare. Analyzing the requirements of the database proceeds to the design of the structure of the relational database, which is then developed in a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). Microsoft Access is used as the RDBMS platform. 3 credits.
This is a graduate level course providing a comprehensive foundation for project management as it applies to healthcare. Students will be introduced to the theory and concepts of project management and the tools to manage projects with a focus on healthcare. At the end of this course, students should be able to develop, execute, and control a basic project plan that is capable of supporting organizational objectives linked to measures of success for a single project. 3 credits.
A graduate-level course introducing healthcare professionals to strategic planning for the information systems organization. The concepts are taught in a manner that allows the skills learned to be applied to any discipline with the organization. The course is designed to give healthcare professional a practical understanding of strategic planning and its importance to a successful organization. Skills learned in this course will enable the student to work effectively with and support the information systems planning effort in order to ensure better IS, clinical and business alignment. 3 credits.
The course addresses Electronic Health Records (EHR) integration with patient care flow, clinical decision making and patient engagement, as well as patient registries and clinical quality reporting. Students also learn core EHR functions, strategies for EHR optimization, and how the EHR can be leveraged for population health management. The course uses industry-leading EHR software as a learning tool to demonstrate how electronic health record technologies are used in a healthcare setting. 3 credits.
This practicum is the first of two culminating experiences in the MPH program that requires a student to apply theories and principles from coursework in a public health setting. The practicum is a planned, supervised and evaluated practice experience under the supervision of a qualified preceptor. Students meet in a seminar with a faculty member who oversees the practicum experience. Students will finish work on their final applied practice project during the practicum and integrated practical learning courses. 3 credits.
This course is designed as the second of two applied learning courses following PUBH.6660 MPH Practicum. It is a culminating experience for students in the MPH program. Students in this course will demonstrate the mastery of a body of public health knowledge and achievement of the MPH competencies. They will do this through completing their practicum experience and developing a high-quality written product. 3 credits.
A second level course in modern epidemiologic methods. This course is designed for those planning to work in public health or healthcare. Emphasis is placed on the design and conduct of field studies. Students read the current literature, and learn the particular methods and difficulties of conducting epidemiologic studies in the work environment. Major topics covered include: casual inference in epidemiology, point and interval estimation for cohort and case control studies, exposure assessment for epidemiology, control of confounding, cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs. 3 credits.
Prerequisites:
PUBH.5750 pre-req
This course introduces quantitative models commonly used in public health research and practice. Emphasis is placed on understanding the logic and underlying assumptions of theses models. Students will gain knowledge and skills in properly selecting and applying these models in various practical settings. Topics include probability sample surveys, quantitative risk assessment, quasi experimental design, propensity matching, interrupted time series, epidemics of infectious diseases, Monte Carlo simulations, and predictive analytics. 3 credits.
This course will cover introductions to several different regression methods used in epidemiology to model exposure-response relationships. Topics include general linear models, logistic regression, mixed models, generalized linear models, generalized linear models, generalized linear mixed models, principal component analysis (factor analysis,) and survival models. Students should have working familiarity with SPSS. 3 credits.
Prerequisites:
PUBH 5750 and PUBH 5770 Pre-re
Program Requirements
To be recommended for a University of Massachusetts Lowell master's degree, candidates must satisfy all of the general requirements below, plus any additional requirements that may be required by the department through which the program is offered. Any additional requirements for this program are either listed below or may be found in the University's Graduate Program Catalog.
General Requirements:
- Students must complete the program of study designed by the Department in which they are enrolled and approved by the University.
- Satisfactory grades in all subjects offered for the degree must be earned. See Academic Standing.
- All financial obligations, including tuition, fees and expenses, must be satisfied as evidenced by completion.
- Upon completion of all their courses, graduate degree candidates must submit a signed Declaration of Intent to Graduate (DIG) form to their coordinator. The coordinator will apply them in SIS, Graduation Tracking.
Graduate Program Policies
In applying for a degree program or registering for courses, each student assumes full responsibility for knowledge of and compliance with the definitions, regulations and procedures of UMass Lowell as set forth on our website. For additional information, please refer to the Graduate Program Policies found within the UMass Lowell Graduate Catalog.
Tuition & Fees
Tuition at UMass Lowell is typically half the cost of private colleges, and our online tuition is among the lowest in the nation. Tuition for online programs offered through the Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies is the same whether you live in-state, out-of-state or outside of the U.S.
Summer 2023 Tuition |
Cost Per Credit | Cost Per 3-Credit Course* |
|---|---|---|
Graduate |
||
| Online† | $585 | $1,755 |
| Online Business** | $655 | $1,965 |
| Online IT and Engineering*** | $600 | $1,800 |
| Online Education | $470 | $1,410 |
| Online Education for Ed.D. and Ph.D.† | $495 | $1,485 |
| On Campus | View Here | View Here |
*If the number of contact hours exceeds the number of credits, tuition is calculated by multiplying by the total number of contact hours.
†Rate will increase slightly in Fall 2023
Additional Costs |
|
|---|---|
| Term Registration Fee | $30 |
| Late Fee | $50 |
| Graduate Degree and Certificate Application | $50 |
Please note: Tuition and fees are subject to change.
Estimate the cost of this program with our online tuition calculator
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Prerequisites
Grades of C or better in required, prerequisite college-level courses. These include a minimum one semester of statistics and one semester of either biology or anatomy and physiology. Applicants who are missing prerequisites may be admitted with the provision that they meet with their advisor before or during their first semester and develop a plan of study to complete the prerequisites during the first year.
Applying into a Graduate Degree Program
All applicants must submit:- An application
- An application fee
- A statement of purpose
- Two letters of recommendation
- Official transcripts
- Official test scores, when applicable. GMAT/GRE waivers available (see waiver form for details).
- Resume Required for certain programs such as the Master's in Business Administration and the Master of Science in Health Informatics and Management
Graduate Program Admissions Requirements
Admission to all graduate programs at UMass Lowell is contingent upon successful completion of a bachelor's degree. In many cases, applicants may register for a course before formally applying to the program; however, students requiring financial aid may want to wait until they have been formally accepted into the program to ensure that their course(s) will be covered. Contact UMass Lowell's Office of Graduate Admissions if you have questions about the application process.
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Questions Regarding Your Graduate Application?
Email Graduate_Admissions@uml.edu or call 800-656-4723 (for U.S. students) or 978-934-2390 (for international students).
For General Assistance:
For general questions about registering for courses or to find out who the advisor is for your graduate program, call 800-480-3190. Our admissions and advising teams are here to help!
