Program Overview
Students with an interest in public health medicine and policy may choose to pursue a combination MD/MPH degree offered collaboratively by the College of Medicine and the College of Public Health and Health Professions. Students who choose to pursue a combination MD/MPH degree will be able to take a step back from the day-to-day activities of medical school to see the bigger picture and what role they will play in the broader medical system. The combination degree program allows students to understand public health issues and tie them into practical medicine while still in school. Under the combination degree program, a student can obtain both degrees in approximately one year less than it would take to obtain them if pursued consecutively.
Graduation Requirements
All students in combination MPH programs must meet graduation requirements of the MPH. A student must satisfy the curriculum requirements for both degrees before either degree is awarded. The MD/MPH combination degree program adds about one academic year to the time required to complete the MD degree. The MPH, a 48-credit program, usually takes two years to complete. The timeframe is shorter for the combination degree because the MPH program accepts 12 credits from required medical school coursework, and the MD program allows six credits from the MPH coursework. Most students will complete the first three years of medical school, and then complete their MPH coursework over the next year (fourth year of combination degree), followed by a final year that will include mostly fourth-year medical school electives.
The MPH, a 48-credit program, will allow 12 credits of appropriate medical school courses to be credited toward both MPH and MD degrees. Reciprocally, medical students may receive toward the satisfaction of the MD degree six-semester credits for courses taken in the graduate curriculum for the MPH degree. Students must carry the minimum number of credits required by either college.
Click here to view the graduation requirements for the MPH program.
Admission Criteria and Process
Candidates for the program must:
- Meet the entrance requirements and procedures for admission to College of Medicine Medical Education (MD) program
- Meet the entrance requirements and procedures for admission to the Master of Public Health
Most students will have already been admitted to medical school before applying for the combination program sometime during the third year of medical school. The combination degree program is not open to students who have already earned either the MD or the MPH degree.
Timing of Application/Admission
Students are encouraged to begin discussions about the combination degree at any time after admission to medical school. The actual time of application will typically be during the fall or early spring of the student’s third year of medical school (no later than June 1st). Students will typically begin their MPH coursework in the fall semester after their third year of medical school, and continue to take a full-time course load in the spring semester and first summer session, before returning to medical school.
Students should feel free to contact Telisha Martin (martints@phhp.ufl.edu; 352-273-6444) or Dr. Robert L. Hatch (hatch@ufl.edu; 352-273-5161) if they have questions regarding the MPH/MD combination degree program.