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MD/MPH Program

The mission of UC Irvine’s dual MD/MPH Program is to train a select group of physicians on the changing public health needs of the world by providing a strategic vision of future societal health needs.

Upon completing this program, graduates will be able to pursue a variety of career opportunities in academics, clinical medicine, research, public policy, health administration and global health.

By training professionals in contemporary public health practice and population-based research and strategies, the program joins the national public health movement to improve the health and life expectancy for many different populations.

With the increasing need for broadly trained public health professionals, graduates will be considered valuable and influential members of the healthcare workforce.


View a welcome message from MD/MPH Program Director Bharath Chakravarthy, MD, MPH ›

About the MD/MPH Program »

The UC Irvine MD/MPH five-year, dual-degree program is aimed at high-achieving and motivated students who are interested in not only improving the health of individuals but also addressing issues that affect the public’s health. UC Irvine’s MD/MPH program was founded in 2013. 

Students of this program are awarded an MD degree from the UC Irvine School of Medicine and an MPH degree from the UC Irvine Program in Public Health.

Interested students apply to the program during their second or third year of medical school. Regardless of when they apply, those who enroll in the program will take a leave of absence from the School of Medicine after their third year to complete coursework for the MPH program.

In keeping with our goal of integrating medical and public health education, we encourage MD/MPH students to maintain connections with both programs throughout the dual degree. For example, while in the MPH program, students attend seminars given by the School of Medicine and vice versa.

After students in the program complete a five-year combined curriculum, they are recipients of an MD from the UC Irvine School of Medicine and an MPH from the UC Irvine Program in Public Health. The two degrees are awarded independently of each other.  Students may receive the MPH before or after their MD degree depending on the pace at which they complete all the requirements, and provided that they remain in good standing according to registration requirements.

Courses for the MPH program begin in the fall of fourth year after summer clinical rotations. After completing three quarters of coursework, MD/MPH students return to medical school for summer rotations and then begin their last year of medical school. Students will enroll in the MPH program again for the required practicum course in the fall or winter of the fifth year.


 

Summer

Fall

Winter

Spring

1st year

MD

2nd year

MD

3rd year

MD

4th year

MD

MPH

5th year

MD

MPH

MD

 

 

Admissions Process »


Applicants apply separately to the MD and MPH programs. In general, applicants must first apply and be accepted to the medical degree by the School of Medicine. During the third year of the medical program, the student would apply for admission to the MPH degree. For the current MPH admission requirements and application prcoess, visit the Program in Public Health website.

Contact:

Graduate Student Affairs
Program in Public Health
phgo@uci.edu
Anteater Instruction & Research Offices (AIRB)
653 E. Peltason Road
Suite 2010, 2nd Floor
University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-3957
949-824-7124

Graduation Requirements »

The Masters in Public Health is a 63-64 unit degree with 16 courses taken over four quarters. All students are required to complete 10 core courses. In addition, each student chooses three courses in his/her emphasis area and three additional elective courses. Information about the emphasis areas and the courses that satisfy the elective requirements can be found in the Electives section.

Sample Program for MPH:

FOURTH YEAR

 

Courses

Units

Fall

PH 200 – Foundations of Public Health

4

PH 204 – Biostatistics I

4

PH 206A – Principle of Epidemiology

4

PH 244 – Health Behavior Theory

4

Elective

4

Winter

PH 204B – Biostatistics II

4

PH 264 – Environmental Health Sciences

4

PH 291B – Graduate Seminar in Public Health

2

Emphasis Area

4

Elective

4

Spring

PH 222 – Health Policy and Management

4

PH 291C - Graduate Seminar in Public Health

2

Emphasis Area

4

Emphasis Area

4

Elective

4

Qualifying Exam and Advancement to Candidacy*

FIFTH YEAR

Winter

PH 295 – Graduate Practicum in Public Health 

8

Spring

Student completes PH 295 project while enrolled in SOM coursework N/A

Full course descriptions are available at the Program in Public Health website.

*The MPH comprehensive exam is the "Certified in Public Health" (CPH) examination. This is a national exam which covers the core areas of knowledge offered in CEPH-accredited schools and programs, as well as cross-cutting area relevant to contemporary public health. Students must pass the CPH examination before they can be advanced to candicacy for the MPH degree.

School of Medicine MD Degree Requirements for Graduation:

THIRD YEAR

Rotation

Weeks

Inpatient Medicine

8

Ambulatory Medicine

4

Surgery

8

Ob/Gyn

6

Pediatrics

6

Psychiatry

6

Family Medicine
Neurology
Clinical Foundations 3
Radiology

4
4
2 (concurrent with Radiology)
2

Vacation& possible electives

6

FOURTH/FIFTH YEAR 

Rotation

Weeks

Senior Sub-I (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery)

4

ICU (Pediatric ICU, Medical ICU and Pediatric ICU)

4

Emergency Medicine

2

Clinical Foundations 4

2

Total Additional Electives

24

*For up to date SOM graduation requirements please refer to the official School of Medicine handbook and registrar information: 

Emphasis and Elective Courses »

Each Student is required to pick one of four areas of emphassis: Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Sociocultural Diversity and Health, or Biostatistics. A minimum of three courses (12 units) makes up an emphasis cluster.

Twelve units of elective courses must also be completed. Students may select graduate level courses in a number of public health related areas based on their own interests and career coals.

Research Opportunities »


The process through which new knowledge is created by our faculty spans a broad range of research activities, including wet- and dry- laboratory science, quantitative and qualitative research, clinical trials, field observations and sampling, population surveys, human subjects research, and animal studies.

Faculty members also engage in rich interdisciplinary collaborations with experts within the program, in other schools on campus, and with national and international experts to address key public health questions.

These activities provide excellent opportunities for students to participate hands-on in research, and to engage in top-notch community-based participatory research. For MD/MPH students who wish to become involved in research, there are many research opportunities including the ones available at the following UC Irvine research centers:

Contact us:

Graduate Student Affairs Office
Program in Public Health
Anteater Instruction & Research Offices (AIRB)
653 E. Peltason Road, Suite 2010, 2nd Floor
University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-3957
Phone: 949-824-7124
Email: phgo@uci.edu

or

Bharath Chakravarthy, MD, MPH
Director, MD/MPH Dual-Degree Program
Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine and Public Health
Office of Medical Education
714-456-6986