Public Health, Certificate of Graduate Study

The 12-credit Certificate of Graduate Study in Public Health can augment a student’s previous academic training and facilitate advancement in a variety of private health and service organizations as well as public agencies. Alternatively, the certificate can serve as a strong introduction and preview to the field of public health prior to committing to a formal Master of Public Health (MPH) program. The program provides individuals from diverse backgrounds with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in public health, health systems, and epidemiology, and with the opportunity to pursue interests in evaluation, planning, or quality improvement.

Certificate students who apply for, and are admitted to, the MPH degree, may transfer in the credits from their certificate course work.

To meet the diverse needs of our students, all public health graduate courses can be taken online. The three required certificate courses and some electives are accessible both in-person and live-at-a-distance via two-way audio/video through Zoom. Courses meet once a week on the USM Portland campus (with Zoom option) and are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening for the convenience of working students. Additional electives are offered using weekly, asynchronous online technology.