The joint MD/MPH program at the Keck School of Medicine is designed for individuals who envision a medical career that combines public health and medical disciplines. Many individuals entering careers as medical doctors or public health practitioners wish to acquire not only medical practice competencies, but also an understanding of the history, organization, goals and philosophy of public health. The joint MD/MPH program offers a broadbased orientation to public health while the student completes medical school requirements. The Master of Public Health degree provides increased knowledge of and sensitivity to the political, historical, economic and social environments of health promotion and health services delivery.
The MD/MPH program can be completed in four or five years. In the four-year curriculum, students begin the core MPH courses in the summer prior to beginning the first year of the medical school curriculum. Additional MPH coursework is taken in the summer between the first and second years of medical school and during the summer before the beginning of the fourth year of medical school. In the five-year curriculum, students begin the core MPH courses following the successful completion of the first two years of medical school. The last two years of the program are devoted to clinical clerkships of the School of Medicine and to the completion of the elective courses and practicum (field experience) of the MPH program. At the conclusion of the joint degree program, students will have completed 42–46 units in the Master of Public Health program and four years of courses in the Keck School of Medicine.
Applicants must choose the four-year MD/MPH option in the AMCAS primary application. A separate statement of purpose will be required as part of the Keck Secondary Application. For the five-year MD/MPH, students who are enrolled in the Keck School of Medicine must apply to the Master of Public Health program no later than January of their third year. All requirements for admission to the regular MPH program must also be fulfilled by dual degree applicants.
All students in the MD/MPH program must meet course requirements, grade point average requirements and program proficiency requirements of both programs. Students must have a grade point average of 3.0 in the MPH curriculum to meet graduation requirements.
The MD and the MPH degrees are awarded simultaneously upon completion of the Keck School of Medicine and the Master of Public Health program requirements. For more information, contact the MPH Program Office at (323) 442-7257.
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