Master of Public Health in the Field of Global Health Policy and Systems

Program Director: Wolfgang Munar

The mission of GW’s master of public health (MPH) in global health policy and systems is to prepare future global health professionals to conceptualize, implement, and evaluate health policy and systems solutions in response to complex global challenges. Such skills empower students to address the priorities and needs of national and transnational stakeholders while contributing to improving global health outcomes.

The MPH in global health policy and systems seeks to describe the actors, institutions, and interests that give rise to the global health architecture and explain how such actors, institutions, and interests interact to create global health outcomes. The program also aims to explain why nation-states, intergovernmental organizations, supranational institutions, global corporate and non-state actors, and global issue networks interact and contribute to the emergence of global patterns of health and disease.

This program offers a number of courses on two themes: global health policy and global health systems. The former is focused on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed for developing effective and sustainable health policies and interventions in global health settings. The latter focuses on explaining the performance of health systems and designing transformative changes in global health settings, with a priority on primary healthcare systems.

Visit the program website for additional information.

Visit the Milken Institute School of Public Health website for additional information about academic programs and information about GWSPH. Graduate admissions information, including application requirements and deadlines, can be found on the GWSPH Graduate Admissions website.

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 45 credits, including 19 credits in core courses (including the culminating experience), 15 credits in program-specific courses, 4 credits in selective courses, and 7 credits in elective courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required
Core courses
PUBH 6000	MPH Applied Practice Experience
PUBH 6002	Biostatistical Applications for Public Health
PUBH 6003	Principles and Practices of Epidemiology
PUBH 6007	Social and Behavioral Approaches to Public Health
PUBH 6009	Fundamentals of Public Health Program Evaluation
PUBH 6011	Environmental and Biological Foundations of Public Health
PUBH 6012	Fundamentals of Health Policy
PUBH 6021	Essentials of Public Health Practice and Leadership I
PUBH 6022	Essentials of Public Health Practice and Leadership II
PUBH 6023	Interprofessional Education Experience
PUBH 6418	Global Health Culminating Experience I
PUBH 6419	Global Health Culminating Experience II
Program-specific courses
PUBH 6400	Global Health Frameworks
PUBH 6045	National and Global Public Health Systems
PUBH 6412	Global Health Quantitative Research Methods
PUBH 6416	Ethical and Cultural Issues in Global Health Research and Programs
or PUBH 6423	Ethics in Public Health Practice and Policy
PUBH 6417	Cross-Cultural Approaches for Global Health Practice
PUBH 6441	Global Health Organizations and Regulations
PUBH 6442	Comparative Global Health Systems
PUBH 6450	Global Health Diplomacy
Selectives
4 credits in selective courses are required. Students are strongly encouraged to take all 4 credits in either the global health policy group or the global health systems group.
Global health policy group
PUBH 6440	Global Health Economics
or PUBH 6466	Health Financing in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
PUBH 6447	Global Health Policy Analysis
Global health systems group
PUBH 6476	Theory-Driven Evaluation
PUBH 6478	Health System Quality Measurement in Global Health
Electives
7 credits in EXNS, HSML, and PUBH courses taken at the 6000 level and above and/or pre-approved ECON, ESME, IAFF, and PPPA courses. Example courses can be found in the program guide available from the School of Public Health.

SPH MPH graduation requirements

1. Graduate credit requirement: 45 graduate credits.
2. Course requirements: Successful completion of core and program-specific courses.
3. Practicum Requirement: Students are required to fulfill all requirements of the Applied Practice Experience (Practicum) to receive credit for PUBH 6000 MPH Applied Practice Experience.
4. Interprofessional Education Experience (IPE): Students are required to enroll and participate in an authorized IPE activity (PUBH 6023 Interprofessional Education Experience).
5. Culminating Experience (CE): Students are required to enroll in 2-credits of a culminating experience and produce a high quality written product demonstrating their public health knowledge and skills.
6. Minimum grade point requirement: minimum 3.0 (B) program grade point average.
7. Time limit requirement: The degree must be completed within five years.
8. CITI Training requirement: All students are required to complete training regarding human subject protection regulation and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
9. Integrity quiz and plagiarism requirement: All students are required to review the George Washington University Code of Academic Integrity and take the SPH Academic Integrity Quiz within their first semester of study.
10. Professional enhancement requirement: Students must participate in eight hours of public health-related lectures, seminars, and symposia, related to their field of study.

Combined programs

• Dual Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in various majors and Master of Public Health
• Joint Master of Public Health or SPH graduate certificate and Juris Doctor or Master of Laws