School of Medicine

MPH Concentrations

Tufts University's Master of Public Health (MPH) program offers six distinct concentrations, allowing you to shape your public health education around your professional goals. Each concentration combines our foundational curriculum with specialized skills and knowledge that empower you to take charge of your future career and make a lasting impact on public health worldwide. 

Whether you aspire to lead global health initiatives or develop data-driven health policies, join the Tufts MPH program to transform your passion into reality.

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Deepen Your Expertise With Six Concentration Options

What sets Tufts apart? Our rigorous MPH curriculum provides foundational knowledge and skills for a well-rounded public health education, and our concentrations offer a structured framework for developing your expertise in a specific field.

What you will get from a specialized Master of Public Health program at Tufts University:

  • Engaged Scholarship — Classroom learning meets real-world application through our Applied Practice Experience and Integrative Learning Experience.
  • Expert Guidance — Develop close mentorship with our diverse faculty of practicing public health professionals.
  • Career-Ready Skills — Increase practical abilities that translate directly to professional success in your chosen field.
  • Flexible Format Options — Choose from on-campus, online, or blended learning to pursue your MPH in a way that fits your life and preferences.

Explore our MPH concentrations and find the path that aligns with your passions.

  • The Epidemiology & Biostatistics concentration has a strong analytical emphasis. It is ideal for those who want to use data to improve population health outcomes. It equips you with powerful quantitative skills to investigate disease patterns, analyze health data, and design studies that drive evidence-based public health decisions. You master advanced statistical methods, learn to design rigorous studies, and develop expertise in translating complex findings into actionable insights.

    Potential Career Paths: Epidemiologists, biostatisticians, data analysts, and research scientists at health departments, research institutions, consulting firms, pharmaceutical companies, and international health organizations.

    Learn more about the Epidemiology & Biostatistics concentration.

  • If you aspire to become a global leader in health equity and justice, the Global Health Science & Practice (GHSP) concentration would be perfect for you! In this specialization, you develop expertise in local and global approaches to health, gain an understanding of diverse health systems, and build skills to design and implement programs that improve health equity worldwide.

    Potential Career Paths: Program managers, policy advisors, and health systems specialists at international NGOs, governmental agencies, multilateral organizations like the WHO, and global health initiatives. 

    Learn more about the GHSP concentration.

  • Want to transform the healthcare system to improve public health equity and quality? Complement your MPH degree with a concentration in Health Management & Policy. You learn how to navigate the complex intersection of health policy and law, the US healthcare system, and healthcare management.

    Potential Career Paths: Healthcare administrators, policy analysts, consultants, and program directors at healthcare delivery organizations, government agencies, consulting firms, and advocacy organizations.

    Learn more about the Health Management & Policy concentration.

  • The MPH Nutrition concentration, in cooperation with Tufts’ renowned Gerald J. and Dorothy J. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, addresses food-related public health challenges. You develop specialized knowledge in nutrition policy, food systems, and intervention strategies to tackle issues like malnutrition, food insecurity, social inequities, and diet-related diseases across the life course affecting populations globally.

    Potential Career Paths: Community nutrition specialists, food policy analysts, and nutrition experts within public health departments, community organizations, food policy councils, international nutrition organizations, and academic research settings.

    Learn more about the Nutrition concentration.

  • Choose this concentration if you want to become a health advocate for your local community. Emphasizing the science of behavior change and real-world application, the program empowers you to improve health outcomes in a population-based environment. You build strong skills in program planning, implementation science, health communication, community engagement, and evaluation to design effective initiatives that address social determinants of health and reduce health disparities.

    Potential Career Paths: Health promotion specialists, program managers, community health coordinators, health educators in local health departments, hospitals, clinics, schools, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.

    Learn more about the Population Health Promotion concentration.

  • The Individualized concentration lets you customize your Master of Public Health degree curriculum to the fullest. Following a generalist approach, the program allows you to complete the core curriculum and select your own electives. Under the guidance of your advisor and faculty mentor, you build a specialized skill set that aligns with your unique career goals.

    Potential Career Paths: Due to the interdisciplinary approach of this concentration, students can pursue diverse roles that span multiple public health domains. 

    Learn more about the Individualized concentration. 

MPH Concentration Availability: On-Campus, Online & Accelerated

The Tufts MPH program offers flexible online and on-campus learning opportunities. You may also opt for the accelerated format and complete your MPH degree in just 12 months. While all six concentrations are available on campus, restrictions apply in other modalities.

Concentration

On-Campus

Online

Accelerated On-Campus

Accelerated Online

Epidemiology & Biostatistics

✔

✔

✔

✔

Global Health Science & Practice

✔

✖

✖

✖

Health Management & Policy

✔

✔

✔

✖

Nutrition

✔

✖

✖

✖

Population Health Promotion

✔

✔

✖

✔

Individualized

✔

✔

✖

✖

For students pursuing an MPH as part of an MD or DVM dual degree, concentration requirements are specifically designed to integrate both fields of study seamlessly. Students pursuing the MPH alongside a JD, PA, or MBS degree are encouraged to choose a concentration based on their individual interests and career goals.

The Value of a Specialization for Your Public Health Master’s Degree

By selecting one of Tufts’ six MPH concentrations, you not only build a strong public health foundation but also develop targeted expertise to make meaningful changes in the areas that matter most to you. Find your purpose in public health and transform your knowledge into viable solutions to complex challenges like global pandemics, climate change, and healthcare disparities. 

Headshot image of Kathrine

My MPH informs my work daily. The Epidemiology and Biostatistics track focused on collaboration and effective data collection, analysis, and dissemination to make useful and enduring change that supports communities (rather than harming or extracting from them). My training made it clear that collaboration is essential, not optional, in building the best possible solution to problems. In my MPH, I was trained in data management and coding skills that supported me in learning subsequent statistical coding languages.

Kathrine Mansfield, MPH22

Tufts MPH graduates have made significant impacts in fields such as epidemiology, global health, and policy, both domestically and internationally. Many of our alumni have assumed leadership roles in public health agencies, non-profit organizations, healthcare systems, and academic institutions. Regardless of your chosen concentration, a Tufts MPH degree prepares you for a rewarding career where you can reshape the landscape of public health.

MPH Student Stories

How to Choose the Right MPH Concentration

Selecting the concentration that best fits your goals is a key step in your public health journey. Here are some considerations to guide your decision:

  • Reflect on your interests and strengths: Which public health topic excites you the most? Think about your undergraduate studies and previous work experience to identify the concentration that reflects your strengths and interests.
  • Align with your career goal: Research potential job titles and career paths to understand the required skills and knowledge.
  • Remember, flexibility exists: The MPH program provides a range of elective classes outside your chosen concentration that allow customization.
  • Consult Tufts advisors: If you need help deciding on your concentration, set up an appointment with our concentration leaders. They can provide insight into the curriculum, outcomes, and student experience specific to each concentration. Email ph.admissions@tufts.edu, and we can connect you with the right person.

Advance Your Public Health Career With a Specialized MPH

Ready to take the next step to becoming a specialized public health professional to promote health equity and social justice? We're here to help you get started and support you on your path! 

Start your application today to pursue a meaningful career improving population health.

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