Our program is an accelerated, one-year program designed to meet the needs of mature scholars with diverse cultural and professional backgrounds who have specific public health career goals in mind.
The program focuses on an interdisciplinary understanding of complex issues and the leadership challenges of successful interventions in public health. Graduates leave as well-rounded public health professionals with a heightened understanding of the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to public health practice.
Curriculum
This program runs from July to May. Students take a heavy course load (17-19 units per semester), in addition to one or two summer courses (4-8 units) to satisfy the 42-unit requirement. The program’s curricular flexibility allows students, in consultation with their faculty advisers, to develop an individualized course of study tailored to meet their career objectives. Beyond the required courses within Berkeley Public Health, students may choose electives from any of the academic offerings across the Berkeley campus. A year-long, mentored project is required for completion of the program.
- PH 142 Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Biology and Public Health (4 units)
- PH 250A Epidemiological Methods I (3 units)
- PH 292 Summer Interdisciplinary Seminar (1 unit)
- PH 142 Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Biology and Public Health (4 units)
(if 142 not taken in summer) - PH 200J Health Policy and Management Breadth (2 units)
- PH 200L Health and Social Behavior Breadth Course (2 units)
- PH 292 Interdisciplinary Seminar (4 units)
- PH 250A Epidemiologic Methods I (3 units) or PH 250B Epidemiologic Methods II (4 units)
(Note: PH 250A and/or 250B is not needed if PH 250A was taken in summer) - PH 291A Preparation for Public Health Practice (or PH 223C as equivalent) (2 units)
- Electives (4-7 units)
- PH 292 Interdisciplinary Seminar (4 units)
- PH 200K Environmental Health Sciences Breadth Course (2 units)
- PH 291A Preparation for Public Health Practice (or PH 223C as equivalent) (2 units)
(if 291A not taken in fall ) - Electives (11-14 units)
Qualifications
Only those who are enrolled in a graduate program at the time of application or hold a graduate degree (master’s or equivalent) by the start of the program are eligible to apply.
Successful applicants are professionals with a demonstrated ability to work both independently and within a team-based structure. While many successful applicants are already health professionals, applicants from disciplines not traditionally associated with public health are also encouraged to apply. The program is also appropriate for dual-degree students completing an MPH in conjunction with an MD, DDS or other graduate degree. Medical students from Stanford University and UCSF should consult their dual degree liaisons for details on our inter-campus collaboration.
Note: Students in the one-year program in public health nutrition should have at least two years of practice as a registered dietitian (RD). This may include the dietetic internship, but exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Professional backgrounds of recent students
- Medicine
- Dentistry
- Engineering
- Social Work
- Public Policy
- Business Administration
- Law
- Anthropology
- Journalism
- Nursing
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science, Policy and Management
Collaborations
We are collaborating with a number of Bay Area institutions and provide the MPH training for students and fellows of the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, the Kaiser Permanent Oakland Division of Research Delivery Science Fellowship, the UCSF Fellowship Program in Occupational/ Environmental Health, and the UCSF Dental Public Health Residency.
For the UCSF Dental Public Health Residency, find more information on the UCSF School of Dentistry website.
Employment
Graduates have gone on to pursue diverse employment opportunities that incorporate public health within their original field of training. Some transition to public health jobs in non-profit organizations, government agencies (federal, county and local health departments) or the private sector. Other alumni have embarked on academic careers in public health or become domestic and/or global health consultants.
Additional Admissions Information
We look at an application in its entirety to determine a person’s strengths and relative fit to our program and within the incoming cohort: areas of research and work interest, work experience related to public health and beyond, future public health career plans, academic history, as well as a clear focus for skills to acquire are important considerations. Letters of recommendation are also carefully reviewed. For foreign applicants, English language skills are an important consideration.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, submission of GRE test scores will be optional for the upcoming application cycle (for 2021 Admission) for the Interdisciplinary MPH Program.
Interdisciplinary MPH Dates, Deadlines and Timeline
Go to the Berkeley Public Health Graduate Admissions Dates and Deadlines page for general application information and instructions.
Some dates and deadlines are specific to the application process for the Interdisciplinary MPH program:
- January (Mid): The Admissions Committee begins reviewing Priority Deadline applications.
- March (Early): First round of admission decisions are made.
- March (Mid): In the event that admission slots are not full, the Admissions Committee begins reviewing Secondary Deadline applications.
- March (Late): Second round of admissions decisions are made.
For applicants who have been offered admission
After students accept their invitation to be admitted into the program and enroll, they can reach out to UC Berkeley faculty and request a meeting to discuss advising. The Interdisciplinary Program faculty will assist you when searching for an adviser. Most students start this process once they are on campus and have narrowed down their focus for their research project and selected their courses.
Students are required to attend a summer session prior to the fall semester. The summer session runs from early July to mid-August. During this time, students are required to take the Summer Interdisciplinary MPH Seminar (PH292) to start planning their research project. We also highly recommend that students take Biostatistics (PH142) and Epidemiology (PH250A) during the summer session to decrease the remaining required coursework to a manageable load during the fall and spring semesters.
Non-admitted and Waitlisted Candidates
Some applicants who are not admitted are encouraged to reapply the ensuing year to allow for additional coursework and/or relevant research experiences.
Waitlisted candidates will receive information about their final status on or before June 1. Some of our best students were originally on the waitlist for admission before receiving their offer of admission. We regret the inconvenience and ask for your patience during this process.
Faculty
Frequently Asked Questions
Of a highly selective applicant pool that meets the eligibility criteria of a completed prior graduate degree for this accelerated one-year program the Interdisciplinary MPH program receives about 60 applications per cycle.
Our student cohorts typically consist of 25 students per year.
After students accept their invitation to be admitted into the program and enroll, they can reach out to UCB faculty and request a meeting to discuss this. The Interdisciplinary Program faculty will assist you when searching for an adviser. Most students start this process once they are on campus and have narrowed down their focus for the MPH research project and selected their courses.
We look at an application in its entirety to determine a person’s strengths and relative fit to our program and within the incoming cohort; areas of research and work interest, work experience related to public health and beyond, future public health career plans, academic history, as well as a clear focus for skills to acquire at UCB are important considerations. Letters of recommendation are also carefully reviewed. For foreign applicants, English language skills are an important consideration.
Only those who are enrolled in a graduate program at the time of application or hold a graduate degree by the start of the interdisciplinary MPH program are eligible to apply.
All degrees completed outside of the U.S or English-speaking Canada must be submitted to WES for evaluation. Instructions on how to submit a WES evaluation are available through the SOPHAS application portal.
All applicants from countries in which the official language is not English are required to submit official evidence of English language proficiency. The Interdisciplinary MPH accepts TOEFL and IELTS tests. However, applicants who, at the time of application, have already completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better at a U.S. university may submit an official transcript from the U.S. university to fulfill this requirement.
Do I need to submit my official graduate transcripts through SOPHAS? Even though SOPHAS only requires applicants to submit their undergraduate transcripts, the Interdisciplinary MPH also requires applicants to submit their graduate transcripts through SOPHAS.
Yes, prospective students must apply separately and concurrently to the one-year Interdisciplinary Master’s in Public Health program at UC Berkeley and a subsequent one-year Dental Public Health certificate program at UCSF. Details regarding the UCSF application process can be found here.
The academic year begins in the fall; spring admission is not permitted.
The full course load required is 42 semester units for the year, which is approximately 5-6 classes per semester: a very high course load compared to students in the 2-year MPH program who have to complete 48 units over 2 years. While some of our clinical fellows can fit in a few monthly shifts on selected days, like weekends or over holiday periods, we do not recommend any kind of regular part-time job or full-time job.
No, the Interdisciplinary MPH program is a full-time 11-month program. For applicants searching for a part-time program, we recommend that you check out our online MPH program.
