Public Health and Medicine: Earning an MPH While Pursuing a Medical Degree

Are you interested in cross-disciplinary work in public health? Consider completing a Master of Public Health in addition to your MSU medical school curriculum!

  • MSU Medical Doctor (MD) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
    • Public health is an important part of effectively serving patients. Public health affords physicians an expanded understanding of health disparities and promotion of health equity, which paints a larger picture when diagnosing patients, and leads to unique insight into illness and treatment. 
    • Additionally, we encourage MD students who are part of the Leadership in Rural Medicine and Rural Community Health programs to consider our Rural Public Health concentration.
  • MSU Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
    • Public health and veterinary medicine are both an integral part of the One Health approach to education and innovation. Producing DVMs with public health backgrounds contributes to the One Health initiative by enhancing practice and research surrounding the relationship among animal and human health and the health of their mutual environment. This multidisciplinary approach helps the One Health initiative achieve its goals of enhanced prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases (including zoonotic diseases), antimicrobial resistance, food safety, and environmental hazards.

Students can use one of their clinical clerkships/experiences as their MPH Applied Practice Experience as long as it is sufficiently public health related and approved by the MPH program prior to beginning the clerkship/experience. Enrollment in PH 892 is still required.

Visit the Information for Applicants page to review the MPH application requirements, process, and deadlines.

MedicalDoctor Degree

College of Human Medicine MD Degree

View sample curriculum plans for completing the MPH in addition to your MD curriculum. Actual curriculum plans may vary.

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College of Osteopathic Medicine DO Degree

View sample curriculum plans for completing the MPH in addition to your DO curriculum. Actual curriculum plans may vary.

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College of Veterinary Medicine DVM Degree

View sample curriculum plans for completing the MPH in addition to your DVM curriculum. Actual curriculum plans may vary.