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

Program Directors: W. Munar and C. Santos Burgoa

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.

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 45 credits, including 19 credits in core courses (including the culminating experience), 16 credits in program-specific courses, 4 credits in selective courses, and 6 credits in electives courses.