Careers
Graduates assume positions in a variety of public health and related organizations. A number of graduates have taken on leadership roles in the global health arena.
Recent graduates hold the following positions:
- Preparedness training and exercise coordinator for a county health department
- Director of a statewide HIV/AIDS education program
- Program director with an international relief agency
- Health coach for a national health insurance and medical provider
- Evaluation and research director for a regional reproductive health program
- Program officer for a local philanthropic foundation
- Research associate with a university-based applied research team
- Health promotion/education coordinator for the local office of a national prevention and advocacy organization
- Director of a center for rural health
- Patient services manager at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- Research and evaluation specialist for a large urban school district
Recent Essay and Thesis Titles
- Labor doula care for survivors of sexual violence
- Inspiring students to pursue science: a program evaluation of Pitt summer science outreach
- Exploring the association between eating a whole food plant-based diet and reducing chronic diseases: a critical literature synthesis
- Components and experiences of doulas working with disadvantaged mothers
- Previously incarcerated transgender women: experiences, needs, and resiliencies
- Effects of LGBTQ-inclusive sex education on mental health and experiences of bullying among U.S. high school students
- Evaluation of Public Health Nursing Recruitment and Retention at a Local Health Department
Competencies
Graduates will be able to...
- Identify strategies for engaging communities and systems in advancing research and improving health through collaboration, partnerships and strengths-based approaches;
- Synthesize and apply established and novel social and behavioral methods and tools to advance research and improve population health;
- Apply health education and health promotion theories to the development of programs that take into account the context in which they will be implemented;
- Develop a mechanism-based causal framework that applies a systems science approach and integraes relevant theory; and
- Apply modeling and simulation to social processes.
All graduates also achieve the core and cross-cutting competencies for Pitt Public Health MPH students.
Requirements
- 45 credits, including coursework, practicum experience, and thesis/essay
- Foundational public health courses
- Advanced courses in health communications, program planning, and health education/health promotion theories
- On-site 200-hours public health practicum experience
- Thesis or essay research in an area of specialization
Full program information
MPH Student Handbook
Community Practicum Handbook
MPH Checklist
Thesis and Essay Checklist
Admissions