Joint Degree Programs
Medical Doctor/Master of Public Health (MD/MPH) Joint Degree
back to Collaborative Degree Programs
Medical Doctor/Master of Public Health (MD/MPH) Joint Degree
Students with an interest in public health medicine and policy may choose to pursue a joint MD/MPH degree offered collaboratively by the College of Medicine and the College of Public Health and Health Professions. Under the joint degree program, a student can obtain both degrees in approximately one year less than it would take to obtain them if pursued consecutively.
Program description
The MD/MPH joint degree program adds about one academic year to the time
required to complete the MD degree. The MPH, a 48 credit program, usually
takes 2 years to complete. The timeframe is shorter for the joint degree
because the MPH program accepts 12 credits from required medical school
coursework, and the MD program allows 6 credits from the MPH coursework.
Most students will complete the first 3 years of medical school, and then take 1 or 2 4th year electives or requirements. Then, they will complete the majority of their MPH coursework over the next year (4th year of combined degree), followed by a final year that will include mostly 4th year medical school electives, but also some additional MPH requirements.
Admission criteria and process
Candidates for the program must meet the entrance requirements and procedures
for admission to both the Medical Doctor and the Master of Public Health
degree programs. Most students will have already been admitted to medical
school before applying for the joint program sometime during the 3rd year
of medical school. The joint degree program is not open to students who
have already earned either the MD or the MPH degree. Additional information
regarding
admission to each program may be found at http://www.medicine.ufl.edu/admissions/
and http://www.mph.ufl.edu/admissions/.
Note that the MPH program may accept MCAT scores as a replacement for the
GRE, if requested.
Timing of application/admission
Students are encouraged to begin discussions about the combined degree at
any time after admission to medical school. The actual time of application
will typically be during the fall or early spring of the student’s
3rd year of medical school (no later than June 1). Students will typically
begin their MPH coursework in the fall semester after their 3rd year of
medical school, and continue to take a full-time courseload in the spring
semester and first summer session, before returning to the medical school.
Eligible grades
Master of Public Health courses, which are to be credited toward the M.D.
degree, must carry a grade of B or higher but will not be counted in the
College of Medicine grade point average. College of Medicine courses that
are to be credited toward the MPH degree must carry a grade of C or higher
but will not be counted in the grade point average for the MPH degree program
Program completion requirements
A student must satisfy the curriculum requirements for each degree before
either degree is awarded. The MPH, a 48-credit program, will allow 12 credits
of appropriate medical school courses to be credited toward both MPH and
MD degrees. Reciprocally, medical students may receive toward the satisfaction
of the MD degree 6-semester credits for courses taken in the graduate curriculum
for the MPH degree. Students must carry the minimum number of credits required
by either college.
Program withdrawal
Withdrawal from the MPH Program: Students who enroll in the joint degree
program but do not complete the program may receive credit toward the College
of Medicine degree under the graduate level course option for a maximum
of two courses, not to exceed 6 semester credits, taken from the graduate
curriculum of the MPH program of the College of Public Health and Health
Professions. Although the grade is not computed in the student's grade point
average, a grade of B or higher must be earned to receive credit hours for
the course(s).
Withdrawal from the MD Program: Students who enroll in the joint degree program but do not complete the program may receive credit toward the MPH, not to exceed 6 semester credits, taken from the curriculum of the College of Law. Although the grade is not computed in the student's grade point average, a grade of C or higher must be earned to receive credit hours for the course(s). These 6 hours will only satisfy the elective hours in the MPH program unless otherwise approved by the MPH program director.
Teaching assistantships
Students in the joint program are eligible for graduate teaching assistantships
and research assistantships in the College of Public Health and Health Professions
on the same basis as other graduate students, subject to the guidelines
and restrictions set by the MPH Program. If awarded, graduate assistantships
will cover only semesters in which students are enrolled in MPH courses:
Year 4 (fall, spring summer) and year 5 (fall, spring).
MPH Concentrations
Students must choose from one of the six MPH concentrations: Biostatistics,
Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Public Health Management and Policy,
Public Health Practice, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Please visit
http://www.mph.ufl.edu/concentrations/
for a description of each concentration. Many medical students may choose
Public Health Practice, because of its broad flexibility, although they
are free to choose from any of the other concentration options.
Supervisory committee
To facilitate student progress in the joint program, the MPH supervisory
committee is comprised of one MPH faculty member and one faculty member
from the College of Medicine.
Internship requirement
Students enrolled in the joint degree program must complete a public health
internship, as described in the online MPH program description. For most
students, the internship will be completed during the final (5th) year of
the combined degree program.
MPH culminating experience
Students attain a depth in public health knowledge and skills by selecting
one core area for their concentrations. They obtain a broad knowledge base
of public health issues and perspectives through the MPH core courses and
electives. The concepts presented in these courses are integrated and assimilated
through the internship, which provides an opportunity for each student to
apply his or her knowledge in the real world of public health. Students
may engage in many activities during an internship. However, each student
must have one special project which serves as the basis for a major paper
and a presentation. These final activities of the MPH program are intended
to encourage students to understand their projects in the larger context
of public health as a cross-disciplinary field and in relation to the competencies
expected of all MPH graduates. Student presentations are scheduled on one
or two Public Health Days near the end of fall, spring and summer semesters.
The written paper and oral presentation constitute a culminating experience
for the MPH.
Sample MPH curricula
Below are samples of the MPH curricula MD/MPH students may follow during
the year devoted to MPH studies, including a range of electives that students
may choose from. The examples here are for the Public Health Practice and
Epidemiology concentrations, although students may choose from any concentration.
Sample Curriculum for MD/MPH Students
Public Health Practice Concentration
| I. Public Health Core: 16 credits | Credits | *Semester | |
| PHC 6050 | Statistical Methods for Health Sciences I | 3 |
F |
| PHC 6001 | Principles of Epidemiology | 3 |
F |
| PHC 6313 | Environmental Health Concepts in Public Health | 3 |
S |
| PHC 6406 | Psychological, Behavioral, and Social Issues in Public Health | 3 |
F |
| PHC 6102 | Introduction to Public Health Administrative Systems | 3 |
S |
| PHC 6931 | Seminar in Contemporary Public Health Issues | 1 |
F-S |
| II. Choose 2-3 courses from each of 2 Concentration Cores: 12 - 15 credits | |||
| Epidemiology Core: | |||
| PHC 6000 | Epidemiology Research Methods I | 3 |
S |
| PHC 6002 | Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases | 3 |
ss |
| PHC 6003 | Epidemiology of Chronic Disease | 3 |
F |
| PHC 6011 | Epidemiology Research Methods II | 3 |
ss |
| Biostatistics Core: 3 credits | |||
| PHC 6053 | Regression Methods for the Health and Life Sciences | 3 |
S |
| STA 5715 | Survival Analysis | 3 |
F |
| STA 5325 | Fundamentals of Probability | 3 |
|
| STA 5328 | Fundamentals of Statistical Theory | 3 |
|
| PHC 6000 | Epidemiology Research Methods I | 3 |
S |
| Management and Policy | |||
| PHC 6104 | Evidence-Based Management of Public Health Programs | 3 |
F |
| HSA 5177 | Fundamentals of Health Care Finance | 3 |
S |
| HSA 6144 | Introduction to U.S. Health Care System | 3 |
F |
| HSA 6119 | Introduction to Management of Health Services Organizations | 3 |
F |
| HSA 6152 | Overview of U.S. Health Policy | 3 |
S |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | |||
| PHC 6112 | Assessment and Sruveillance in Public Health | 3 |
S |
| PHC 6146 | Public Health Program Planning and Evaluation | 3 |
ss |
| PHC 6700 | Social & Behavioral Research Methods | 3 |
S |
| PHC 6xxx | Public Health Information for Diverse Populations | 3 |
ss |
| Environmental Health | |||
| VME 6602 | General Toxicology | 3 |
F |
| VME 6607 | Human Health Risk Assessment | 4 |
F |
| PHC 6702 | Exposure Measurement and Assessment | 3 |
ss |
| IV. Medical School Credits: up to 12 hours | |||
| BMS 6823 | Evidence-Based Medicine | 3 |
2nd year MD |
| BMS 6828 & 6829 | Interdisciplinary Family Health | 4 |
F |
| BMS | Family Medicine Clerkship | 5 (of 9) |
3rd year |
| Other Medical School Electives... | 3 |
S |
|
| V. Public Health Electives: Optional | |||
| PHC 6917 | Supervised Research | 1-3 |
|
| PHC 6945 | Public Health Practicum | 1-3 |
|
| PHC courses | Public Health coursework offered by the other concentrations | 3 |
|
| VI. Required Internship: 5-8 credits | |||
| PHC 6946 | Public Health Intership | 5-8 |
|
| TOTAL | 48 |
||
Sample Curriculum for MD/MPH Students
Epidemiology Concentration
| I. Public Health Core: 16 credits | Credits | *Semester | |
| PHC 6001 | Principles of Epidemiology | 3 |
F |
| PHC 6313 | Environmental Health Concepts in Public Health | 3 |
S |
| PHC 6102 | Introduction to Public Health Administrative Systems | 3 |
S |
| PHC 6406 | Psychological, Behavioral, and Social Issues in Public Health | 3 |
F |
| PHC 6931 | Seminar in Contemporary Public Health Issues | 1 |
F, S |
| STA 6166 | Statistical Methods in Research I | 3 |
F, S |
| II. Concentration Core: 12 credits | |||
| PHC 6000 | Epidemiology Research Methods I | 3 |
S |
| PHC 6002 | Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases | 3 |
ss |
| PHC 6003 | Epidemiology of Chronic Disease | 3 |
F |
| PHC 6011 | Epidemiology Research Methods II | 3 |
ss |
| III. Biostatistics Core: 3 credits | |||
| PHC 6053 | Regression Methods for the Health and Life Sciences | 3 |
S |
| IV. Medical School Credits: up to 12 hours | |||
| BMS 6823 | Evidence-Based Medicine | 3 |
2nd year MD |
| BMS 6828 & 6829 | Interdisciplinary Family Health | 4 |
F |
| BMS | Family Medicine Clerkship | 5 |
3rd year |
| V. Required Internship: 5-8 credits | |||
| PHC 6946 | Public Health Internship | 5-8 |
|
Contact Us
Robert L. Cook MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics and Medicine
University of Florida
PO Box 100231
Gainesville, Florida 32610
Phone (352) 273-5869
cookrl@phhp.ufl.edu
Mischka Garel, MPH
Associate Director of the MPH Program
College of Public Health & Health Professions
University of Florida
Box 100182
Gainesville, FL 32610
Phone: 352-273-6443 Fax: 352-273-6448
mgarel@phhp.ufl.edu
Richard A. Davidson, MD,MPH
Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor
Director, Office of Interdisciplinary Education
Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Affairs
Box 100291
University of Florida College of Medicine
Phone 352-273-5322
Fax 352-273-5342
Richard.davidson@medicine.ufl.edu
Mary Peoples-Sheps, Dr.PH
Associate Dean for Public Health Development and Practice
College of Public Health & Health Professions
University of Florida
Box 100182
Gainesville, FL 32610
Phone: 352-273-6084 Fax: 352-273-6199
mpeoplessheps@phhp.ufl.edu
