In the U.S. and around the world, urgent health problems require comprehensive and systemic solutions. Columbia University’s Mailman School is leading the way to reshape public health education to tackle these complex challenges.

For 90 years, the Mailman School has been a global leader in the development of science, policy, and programs to improve health and prevent disease and disability. The School’s distinguished faculty continue this strong tradition with pioneering research and path-finding program development around the world. Their projects include: providing arsenic-free water in Bangladesh, reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission in Africa, controlling childhood asthma in New York City and identifying pathogens that may cause the next pandemic. They share this first-hand expertise with our MPH, MS, PhD, and DrPH students.

Each year, nearly 1400 students from around the world and across the nation meet in the classroom and begin to develop a valuable professional network that shares a common purpose to help people live healthy lives. They include MDs, business executives, community activists, statisticians and research scientists. Their experience is enriched by their peers and the School’s many world-renowned research centers, including ICAP at Columbia, the Center for Infection and Immunity and the National Center for Disaster Preparedness.

A Breakthrough MPH Curriculum

Having debuted in Fall 2012, the Mailman School’s new MPH curriculum sets a new standard for public health education. Developed in consultation with faculty, alumni, students, and employers, the ground-breaking curriculum provides the broad systemic understanding, critical thinking skills, and leadership training needed to tackle today’s complex public health challenges. Students have three options for enrolling in this program:

• Columbia MPH (2-year)
• Columbia Executive MPH (24 months) 
• Accelerated MPH (1-year)

These MPH formats take a dramatically different approach. They teach the classic elements of public health–but have been expanded to include essential knowledge and skills that graduates will need to become public health leaders in areas such as life course approaches, systems thinking, leadership and organization theory. These areas are woven together in an integrated interdisciplinary model.

Students enrolled in the Columbia MPH (2-year program) also select from 23 certificate options. The certificate concentrations give students the opportunity to specialize in a specific area – in addition to a student’s departmental discipline. Certificate options include Climate and Health, Global Health, Healthy Policy Analysis, Public Health and Humanitarian Assistance, as well as Toxicology.

MHA for Healthcare Administration 

The Mailman School offers a specialized Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) degree. This program integrates organizational leadership and management, health policy, public health and health systems. It provides students with the management skills of a business school education, but does so in a context that emphasizes the unique nature of the healthcare system.

Students can pursue the MHA in three different formats: the two-year full-time program; the 28-month part-time program; or the two-year Executive MHA program. The curricula in all of our programs offers ongoing professional development activities. In the two-year full-time MHA, students also complete practicum fieldwork which offers valuable professional experience. 

MS Degrees

The interdisciplinary nature of the Mailman School’s educational experience provides students in our MS programs with a broad public health perspective that facilitates successful careers in public health and related areas. The MS degree is offered by the Departments of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Population and Family Health, and Sociomedical Sciences.

Biostatistics MS students can choose from five programs: Clinical Research Methods; Patient-Oriented Research; Pharmaceutical Statistics; Theory & Methods; and Statistical Genetics. 

Environmental Health Sciences MS students can choose from two programs: Toxicology or Radiological Sciences. 

For MS programs in Epidemiology, students can choose between the standard MS or the Executive MS in Epidemiology. The two programs differ in their time-frame and schedule. The Executive MS in Epidemiology is meant for working professionals and meets for one long weekend a month for 20 months within five semesters.

Population & Family Health offers an MS degree which allows its students to develop and refine their technical skills in design, implementation, and evaluation of public health programs throughout diverse settings. 

Sociomedical Sciences offers an MS degree which trains individuals in applying social science theories, concepts, and methods to public health practices and policy making. 

Doctoral Degrees

The Mailman School offers DrPH and PhD programs in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Environmental Health Sciences, and Sociomedical Sciences. The Department of Population and Family Health offers a DrPH only.

The PhD degree is for individuals interested in creating new and innovative knowledge, with research and/or teaching as their career goal. The DrPH degree is for individuals seeking expertise in the application of science to public health practice and program development.

Your doctoral education and subsequent career will be guided and advanced by working closely with Mailman School faculty who share your interests.

Before applying to one of the School’s doctoral programs, applicants are encouraged to review faculty profiles—including their areas of research—to ensure a good fit. Departmental contacts can also provide valuable information.

Dual Degree Options

• MPH/MBA (Business)
• MPH/MIA (International Affairs)
• MPH/MPA (Public Affairs)
• MPH/JD (Law)
• MPH/MSSW (Social Work)
• MPH/MD (Medicine)
• MPH/DDS (Dental)
• MPH/MSOT (Occupational Therapy)
• MPH/MSUP (Architecture)

Faculty Research

Mailman School of Public Health faculty are renowned scientists, practitioners, and educators working on the forefront of critical public health issues in the U.S. and around the world. To learn more about their work, you can view the Faculty Video below or visit our Faculty in the News pages.