Berkeley Public Health’s renowned 27-month Online Master of Public Health is designed to deliver a rewarding educational experience to all, regardless of where they are geographically and in their public health career. Customization truly sets the program apart — the online MPH lets students customize an interdisciplinary program of study or specialize in Health Policy and Management; Food, Nutrition and Population Health; or Epidemiology and Biostatistics — all routes that lead to improving health outcomes for the most vulnerable.
Online Master of Public Health Program
Berkeley Public Health Online is a 27-month program designed for working people interested in improving their knowledge and practice in public health. We provide a top-notch, flexible, practice based graduate education to professionals around the globe.
90%
Online7
Semesters2
Campus VisitsCreate Your Path: Our Concentrations
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Interdisciplinary Concentration
Our Interdisciplinary program offers a specialized, customizable curriculum designed to meet the needs of working professionals with diverse cultural and professional backgrounds and 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.
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Epidemiology & Biostatistics Concentration
Students in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics concentration study the factors that underlie health and disease in human populations, including the analysis of data to develop and evaluate strategies for disease prevention and control. In this online program, students will acquire proficiency in both epidemiology and biostatistics and will be able to immediately apply these skills to improve the effectiveness of public health programs.
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Food, Nutrition and Population Health Concentration
Our Food, Nutrition and Population Health Concentration trains current and future leaders in food and nutrition research, policy, and practice to identify current and emerging public health nutrition challenges and solutions. The program is structured to provide the skills needed to contribute to scientific understanding of public health nutrition challenges, create healthy food systems, identify and advocate for effective food policies, and plan, implement, and evaluate programs to improve population nutrition and health. You will learn to lead at local, state, national, and global levels to tackle nutrition challenges and to improve population diet and health.
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Health Policy & Management Concentration
Our Health Policy & Management coursework serves a variety of professionals — from clinicians to managers to policy leaders — across a range of healthcare areas, including hospitals and health systems, pharma/biotech, medical devices, health insurers, government agencies, think tanks, consulting firms, and digital health. Whether you seek to advance in your current organization or pivot into the health policy and management space, the Health Policy & Management (HPM) concentration will support you! As Berkeley Public Health MPH students you will gain the knowledge and skills to become a high impact performer. You will develop relationships with both fellow students and key partners and foster the adaptability needed to work across the healthcare sector. You will enjoy experiences in and out of the classroom that challenge convention, set new trends, and help you grow as a healthcare leader.
Admissions
We invite dynamic mid-career professionals to join our diverse community of change-makers. Together, we’ll address pressing issues such as healthcare access, food security, policy reform, and maternal health.
Visit our online programs admissions and financial information page for application details.
Please note that the Online MPH program does not utilize the SOPHAS application.
Program Fees and Scholarships
The current tuition for the program is $1,552 per credit unit, with a minimum requirement of 42 units. The total cost is approximately $70,000 for all students including campus fees.
The UC Berkeley online MPH program is a self-supporting degree program (it receives no state funding), the options for financial aid include FAFSA (federal funding), fellowships offered specifically for the online MPH program, and external funding via scholarships or fellowships not affiliated with UC Berkeley.
Online MPH Program financial information
On behalf of the School of Public Health and the Graduate Division we are pleased to offer 3 scholarship opportunities, including the Rural Health Innovation program.
Practice-Based Learning
Our Careers & Leadership Office aims to help elevate the impact of our students and community partners through practicum, career services and leadership development.
We provide wraparound support to Online MPH students for the required applied practice experience. Online MPH students will complete 130 hours (subject to change) of practicum experience starting in semester 2 and completed by semester 6. Dedicated staff members and Field Consultants help students find and select an internship that fits with your current employment and future career goals. Learn more about Public Health Practicum here.
Faculty Leadership
Online MPH Ambassadors
Our Online MPH Ambassadors are current students and alumni who are available to answer your questions about being an UC Berkeley Online MPH student. They can share their experiences with coursework and balancing student/personal/work life. Take a look at our ambassador profiles to see who may be a good fit to chat with. If you have any questions specific to cost or admissions, please email our admissions team at online.mph@berkeley.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What can I expect from Berkeley’s program? What are the classes like?
Our program is ~90% online and ~10% on-campus. Most of your coursework will be online and asynchronous but you will also have opportunities to access faculty/GSI’s in real-time remotely during office hours. Many courses are built around group activities that help foster a sense of community, even in an online setting.
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What’s the typical workload per week?
On average a student is expected to spend 15–17 hours per week on his/her course work on top of their full-time professional work hours. Those hours include watching video lectures, doing problem sets, and engaging in group projects.
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Do employers perceive the online degree differently? Where does “online” show up in my record?
Our graduates have not reported to us any negative attitude towards an online degree by employers. We’re often recommended by employers due to our flexible learning environment. Many of our students are mid-career professionals who want to move forward in their careers while earning an MPH. The program is highly regarded and is much more practice-based than theoretical so that our students can apply their skills to the real world immediately. Also, when you’re applying for jobs, students list the degree as an “MPH” not an “online MPH”. Your diploma will only state “Master of Public Health”, the only place where “online” is displayed is on your transcript.
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I have taken some of these courses somewhere else, can I transfer those course credits to the Berkeley online MPH?
Currently, you’ll be able to transfer up to 4 semester units of course(s) that were not used towards any degree. The transfer will have to be reviewed and assessed by the program and the final decision about whether or not units can be transferred rests with the Graduate Division. So, we are unable to guarantee whether or not a credit transfer would be approved prior to enrolling in the program. In addition, students cannot transfer units for required courses (i.e. our breadth/core courses), which may be similar to the courses they are taking in their first year. The review/ approval process will only happen after you’ve been admitted and enrolled to the program.
Other criteria:
- The student must have an overall GPA of 3.3 or higher from the previous university and earned at least a “B” in each course.
- The student must have a current GPA of 3.3 or higher while at UC Berkeley, which means you cannot apply for transfer credits until after your first semester at UC Berkeley.
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Can online MPH students take on-campus courses?
Yes, all online MPH students may take up to two residential MPH courses at the same cost per credit unit as online MPH courses.
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Do I get campus visits to UC Berkeley?
You’ll visit campus twice during the program, these campus visits are mandatory as you will be fulfilling 2 of 6 required Public Health and breadth courses during these visits:
The first visit will be for 5–6 days in June of your first year as part of the PHW200E: Health Policy and Management breadth course. This first visit is not an orientation, the program orientation will take place online a few weeks before the actual start of the program.
The second visit will be 10 days in June of your second year as part of the PHW289: Interdisciplinary Seminar breadth course.
On-campus visits include 8 hour days Monday through Saturday (no instruction on Sundays) full of learning activities. During your time on campus, you will attend guest lectures, participate in class discussions and work on team projects. While here you will meet with School of Public Health librarians and have access to Career Counseling/Leadership Development Services.
Our goal is to strengthen connections among online students and with BPH faculty through these popular on-campus visits.
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Can I transfer from the Online MPH program to an On-Campus MPH Program?
There is no process by which a student can directly transfer from the online MPH program to the residential program or vice versa. However, current online MPH (OOMPH) students can apply for admission to the residential MPH program. Any residential MPH student who would like to pursue the online MPH program must also reapply.
To apply to the residential MPH program, you must:
- Meet with your assigned academic faculty advisor and express interest in transitioning to a different MPH program
- Have good academic standing with a 3.0 or higher
- Apply to the residential MPH program for the next academic year* (residential programs accept applicants only in Fall)
- Be accepted to a residential MPH program
Prior acceptance to the OOMPH program does not guarantee acceptance to a residential MPH program and vice versa. Please contact sphadmit@berkeley.edu to inquire about the residential application process.
Student Outcomes
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Average Salary
Average salary of graduates (2023) – $111,830
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Top Industries
- Healthcare Organizations
- Non-Profit Organizations
- Academic Institutions
- Government Agencies
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Top Employers
- Contra Costa County Public Health Department
- County of Ventura
- Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting
- Dignity Health
- Gilead Sciences
- Harvard University
- Hepatitis B Foundation
- Kaiser
- La Clinica de La Raza
- National Center for Farmworker Health
- Salinas Valley Health
- San Mateo county
- Stanford University
- Sutter Health
- UCSF
Online MPH Faculty
Renee Clarke
Hildy Fong Baker, PhD
Eric Gebbie, DrPH, MIA, MA
Anoop Jain, DrPH
Kira Jeter, DrPH
Andrew Mertens, PhD, MS, MA
Adrienne Mocello
Lauren Nelson
Sharon O’Hara, DrPH, MPH, MS
Lecturer, Doctor of Public Health Program; On-Campus/Online MPH Program
Eva Raphael
Sheila Sabahat Baxter-Lamb
Grace Marie Scott
William Wheeler