Online Master of Public Health Program

Frequently Asked Questions

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.
• 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.

• 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.

  Find more campus visit information here.

• 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.