When Courtney Coles was growing up in Austin, Texas, she sensed something was amiss with her family’s response to her great-grandmother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. “They didn’t really understand what it meant,” Coles says.
The Department of Epidemiology is home to a number of exciting projects, including the UCLA/Fogarty International HIV/AIDS Training Program, the NCI-Cancer Training Program, and the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund Inter-school Training Program in Metabolic Diseases. The Department has active research programs in cancer, molecular/genetic, environmental and occupational epidemiology, neurodegeneration and aging-related diseases, diabetes, infectious diseases and research methodology.
Epidemiologists contribute to improving public health in a number of ways, including through the study of the variation of disease in relation to age, sex, race, occupational and social characteristics, place of residence, susceptibility, exposure to specific agents or other pertinent characteristics. The one-year MPH in Epidemiology is a professional degree in the field of public health for students with a prior US clinical doctorate degree or currently enrolled in a US medical school. Students obtain broad training in public health as well as in epidemiology.
The degree consists of 56 quarter-credit units.
In addition, the student then chooses electives in Epidemiology selected from the following areas. Elective units are based on the number of units remaining to reach 56 units after units for required coursework are met. Epidemiology electives are selected from the following areas:
MPH students in the one-year program (56 units) will complete a field study by the end of the third term. The field study provides the opportunity to apply the materials from the MPH education in a practical setting. Students will enroll in Epidemiology 400: Field Studies in Epidemiology in the third term when they submit the MPH report for a grade. Field work must be approved before initiating the project. Some, but not all, internships will provide the opportunity to develop an MPH report. Students are advised to consult with their adviser and the Field Studies Director before starting an internship.
The aim of the capstone is to assess each student's ability to select theories, methods, and techniques from across the content matter of a field, integrate and synthesize knowledge, and apply it to the solution of public health problems. The requirement is fulfilled by completing a project that is specifically designed for the concentration. Students must be in good academic standing, with a grade point average of 3.0 or better, before undertaking the completion of the capstone requirement.
The MPH in Epidemiology requires a written Capstone Project and must be satisfactorily completed by the last term of enrollment. This Integrative Learning Experience is a high-quality written cumulative report of the Applied Practice Experience. The topic of the Capstone Project will be determined by the student in consultation with their Faculty Adviser.
Students in the 56-unit Epidemiology MPH program must take Public Health 200A, Public Health 401, Epidemiology 200A, and Epidemiology M403 in the fall quarter. Students will then take Public Health 200B, Epidemiology 200B, Epidemiology 413, and Biostatistics 100B in the following winter quarter. Students will then enroll in Epidemiology 400, Epidemiology 401 and elective courses in the spring.
The typical time to complete the degree is 1 year.
To apply to the 1-year MPH in Epidemiology, students must have a prior US clinical doctorate degree or be currently enrolled in a US medical school. Admission requirements for the MD degree will be different – please consult the appropriate department for their admission requirements.
Applicants are only admitted to the MPH program in the Fall. Applicants who wish to be considered for all financial aid considerations should have their applications, letters, and transcripts here at the School of Public Health by December 1 of the year preceding the desired entrance year.
The application process has three steps. You must:
For complete application instructions and the list of required materials, review the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Admission Application Check List and Submission Instructions.
All applicants must meet the University’s minimum requirements. However, as we receive many more qualified applicants for the program than there are available spaces, meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not ensure admission to the program.
For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the registrar's office.
Please see FSPH Financial Opportunities page for information on awards, scholarships, training opportunities, employment, summer internship funding, and need-based aid. Please note that opportunities listed under 'Summer Internship Funding' are only applicable to MPH students.
An epidemiologist may work in a wide variety of settings, including international health agencies, state and local health departments, federal government agencies and health programs, health maintenance organizations, colleges and universities, and numerous research institutions, both privately and publicly sponsored.
For a list of faculty in this department, please click here.
To search all School of Public Health faculty members by name, department or area of expertise, click here.
For more information, contact Joy Miller at jdmiller@ph.ucla.edu or 310.206.3901.
*This information is intended as an overview, and should be used as a guide only. Requirements, course offerings and other elements may change, and this overview may not list all details of the program. For the most up-to-date information, please consult the registrar’s office.
* Admission requirements listed are departmental requirements, and are in addition to the University's minimum requirements. Many programs receive more applicants than can be admitted, so meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not ensure admission. Every effort is made to ensure minimum admissions requirements are up to date - for the most up-to-date information on the University's minimum requirements, please visit the UCLA Graduate Division.
** Fees are subject to change and should be used as a guide only. For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the registrar's office.
The MPH Program in Epidemiology (1-Year) in Action
When Courtney Coles was growing up in Austin, Texas, she sensed something was amiss with her family’s response to her great-grandmother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. “They didn’t really understand what it meant,” Coles says.
