At the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, we believe that everyone, everywhere, deserves the opportunity to live a healthy life, and that no one should be the victim of preventable disease, injury, or premature death.

The UC Berkeley School of Public Health is distinguished by a broad-based ecological perspective on health, which focuses on the interaction of biological, behavioral, and environmental determinants of human health. This approach to public health can only be pursued at a campus like Berkeley—one of the worlds finest research universities, with every graduate program ranking in the top ten. Harnessing the intellectual resources of Berkeley enables us to pursue a truly interdisciplinary approach to public health.

Known as “The Berkeley Difference,” this approach is characterized by:

1. A broad-based ecological perspective on health
2. An interdisciplinary, campus-wide resource base
3. An emphasis on applying new and emerging research
4. A sensitivity to multicultural issues informed by social justice and the protection of human rights

Consistently ranked among the leading public health graduate schools in the United States, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health has a 75-year legacy of achievement in helping people live healthier lives in a safer world. Some 12,000 Berkeley graduates have put their education and skills into practice in the public health field worldwide.

Public health education at Berkeley takes place not only through the classrooms of the campus but through active involvement with our communities locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally. We work to ensure that evidence-based public health moves from publication to public action as quickly as possible. We are a community in dialogue about ideas and issues that really matter. We welcome you to join our community and challenge you to put your own stamp on “The Berkeley Difference.”

Degrees Conferred

Biostatistics (M.A., Ph.D.)
The primary concern of the Group in Biostatistics is the development and application of techniques to improve the understanding of data that are relevant to issues in health, medical, and biological sciences. 

Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.)
The Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) degree program is an interdisciplinary, school wide professional degree program training doctoral students to be research leaders, public health policy-makers and public health practitioners.

Environmental Health Sciences (2-yr M.P.H., M.S., Ph.D.)
Environmental Health Sciences focuses on the human health impacts of physical, biological, and chemical agents in the community and workplace; in particular, the quantitative evaluation of these environmental risks and the means of their control.

Global Health and Environment (2-yr M.P.H., M.S.)
Global Health and Environment, housed within the Environmental Health Sciences division, emphasizes the analytical and practical skills necessary to protect the local, regional and global environment, while achieving sustainable development.

Epidemiology (11-mo M.P.H., M.S., Ph.D.)
Epidemiology is concerned with the study of factors that determine the distribution of health and disease in human populations.

Epidemiology/Biostatistics (2-yr M.P.H.)
Students without a prior doctoral or equivalent degree can be admitted into the two-year epidemiology/biostatistics M.P.H. program, where they obtain intensive training in epidemiology, biostatistics, and other related areas.

Health & Social Behavior (2-yr M.P.H.)
The mission of the M.P.H. Program in Health and Social Behavior is to train scholars and practitioners to identify and analyze the major social, cultural, and bio-behavioral determinants of health and health behavior; and to design, implement, and evaluate social and behavioral interventions and social policies aimed at improving community and population health.

Health Policy & Management (11-mo & 2-yr M.P.H.)
Health Policy and Management trains graduates for positions of senior-level leadership in health services policy and management and to conduct research and disseminate knowledge that will advance the organization, financing, and delivery of health and medical services.

Health Policy (Ph.D.)
Health Policy is an interdisciplinary doctoral program whose mission is to prepare students for careers in research, teaching, and public service in university, governmental, and public policy settings.

Infectious Diseases & Vaccinology (2-yr M.P.H. and Ph.D.)
The study of Infectious Diseases focuses on interactions between infectious agents, their hosts, and the environment that may lead to disease in humans.

Interdisciplinary (11-mo M.P.H.)
The Interdisciplinary M.P.H. is an 11-month program designed to meet the needs of mature scholars who have specific public health career goals and a demonstrated ability to work independently.

Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (11-mo & 2-yr M.P.H.)
The Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health program is a multi-disciplinary training program dedicated to developing and training leaders to conduct research and to provide maternal and child health services at international, national, regional, and community levels.

Public Health Nutrition (11-mo & 2-yr M.P.H.)
The Public Health Nutrition program emphasizes the application of food and nutrition knowledge and research to the improvement of the health of populations.

On-Campus/Online MPH (2.5-yr M.P.H.)
The On-Campus/Online MPH is a 27 month (or 2.5 year) program designed to meet the needs of mid-career professionals who want to expand their qualifications and advance their careers while still working.  We offer concentrations in: Interdisciplinary, Health & Policy Management and Global Health.  Our program provides the same quality and rigor of our on-campus program while offering the flexibility working professionals need.  Please note that while the program is designed for the working professional we do have a rigid interdisciplinary curriculum and a mandatory one week on-campus experience over two summers. 

Specialty Areas

Specialty Areas are interdisciplinary, drawing faculty and students across many areas of study. Students in a two-year or doctoral program may elect to complete an additional specialty area as a minor in their curricula.

Aging
One of the nation’s major public health objectives is to enhance and maintain the health, vitality, and independence of its aging population. To meet this challenge, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health has increased its commitment to the field of aging.

Food Systems
Building on UC Berkeley’s strength as a multi-disciplinary pioneer in food systems studies, the Certificate in Food Systems prepares master’s and doctoral students to think critically about the multi-level, multi-system factors that affect food production, distribution and consumption locally, nationally and globally.

Global Health
This specialty area prepares students from different disciplines to work in global health programs. The objective is to produce graduates with a marketable set of skills for entry-level professional jobs abroad or with domestic agencies that do public health research, evaluation, and program development in other countries.

Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health
The Maternal & Child Health program is dedicated to promoting and protecting the health status and well-being of women, infants, children, adolescents, and their families.

Multicultural Health
As the composition of the U.S. population becomes increasingly multicultural, it is critical that schools of public health address these issues through multiple means.

Public Health Nutrition
The Public Health Nutrition program emphasizes the application of food and nutrition knowledge and research to the improvement of the health of populations.

Concurrent & Dual Degrees

• MPH/MBA (Business)
• MPH/MSW (Social Welfare)
• MPH/MCP (City Planning)
• MPH/MPP (Public Policy)
• MPH/MJ (Journalism)

Joint Degrees

• MPH/MD with UCSF (must be current UCSF medical student)
• MPH/MD with Stanford (must be current Stanford medical student)
• MS/MD Joint Medical Program with UCSF
• Occupational & Environmental Medicine Residency with UCSF (must apply for residency through UCSF)
• Preventive Medicine Residency with UCSF (must apply for residency through UCSF)

Non-Academic Resources

Center for Public Health Practice and Leadership

The Center for Public Health Practice and Leadership’s mission is to support students, faculty, alumni and practitioners to achieve excellence in practice as they promote individual and community health. The Center collaborates with academic, practice and community partners to make the link between teaching, research and the practice of public health and provides services appropriate to the needs of its key constituents. We live and promote a commitment to diversity, human rights and social justice in all we do.

We fulfill our mission through the following services:

• Internships
  • Internships are the primary means through which students strengthen their practical knowledge and skills. The Center for Public Health practice provides the academic and administrative structure for the practice component of the MPH program.
• Career Services
  • The Career Services Office assists School of Public Health students and alumni to discover and pursue public health employment that suits their goals and passions and enables them to make a difference in public health. Career service offers Career Counseling, Career Assessment, Jobs & Internships, Workshops & Programs, and various special events.
• Professional Development Opportunities
  • The Center for Public Health Practice and Leadership offers professional development opportunities for students, alumni, and public health practitioners. The center provides students with practice-based project development courses, workshops, events, and experiences. It also grants limited funding for students to attend conferences in their areas of interest.

Through the Center for Public Health Practice and Leadership, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health is unique among accredited schools of public health in that it has a student centered primary focus, rather than research or training. Our goals are to help students:

• Discern or refine what they want to do
• Develop practical skills, experience, and connections to achieve their goals
• Be inspired, get a meaningful job and take action to make a difference in public health

To achieve these goals we offer a centralized internship placement process that provides students from all concentrations with online access to over 130 summer and school year internships. Dedicated CPHP staff members help students find and select an internship that best matches their career interests, skill needs and objectives. Field supervisors and career services then assist students to obtain meaningful jobs that make a difference in public health.

DREAM (Diversity, Respect, Equity, Action, Multiculturalism) Office

The mission of the DREAM Office is to prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in creating a public health workforce that mirrors the demographics of our communities.
 

We understand that communities of color experience persistent systemic inequities that result in disproportionate health outcomes such as higher rates of chronic illnesses, excess deaths and shorter life expectancies.

• We understand that many other minoritized communities such as disabled, LGBTQ, undocumented, formerly incarcerated, and immigrants also experience systemic inequities. 
• We acknowledge that racism and police killings of Black people is a public health issue and is a pandemic. 
• We recognize there is justifiable anger and distrust within the Black community.

DREAM is dedicated to encouraging and supporting students from all communities and especially those who have experienced historical inequities to pursue graduate degrees in public health at UC Berkeley. We advocate to reduce barriers to entry into graduate school at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and we hold the school accountable to any institutional barrier that may exist. We are actively engaged with the students from the time they are “prospective”, all the way through the day they walk across the stage and graduate. Our goal is to support students to achieve success while at Berkeley Public Health and then to be well equipped to enter the workforce to make changes for a better world.

Our services and programs include:
 

• Outreach, education and advising about public health careers and Berkeley Public Health
• Application Assistance
• Advising and Admissions workshops
• Peer mentoring and support
• Recruitment activities
• Support Programs during graduate school (transition courses, tutoring, textbooks and more