Program Overview
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Advance health equity in a variety of local, state, national, and global health settings, including research, policy-making, and implementation.
Flexibility: in-person*, hybrid, remote
MS in Population Health Management | CAHME Certified
Address the determinants of health using data science and epidemiology, and develop methods advancing health equity.
Flexibility: fully remote and asynchronous
Ph.D. in Population Health
Pursue an independent line of inquiry and develop a robust, self-determined body of Population Health research.
Flexibility: in-person only
Graduate Certificate in Population Health
Flexibility: in-person*, hybrid, remote
Graduate Certificate in Global Health
Flexibility: in-person*, hybrid, remote
*International students who elect to participate in person must be enrolled as full-time students with a minimum of 9 credits.
Ready to Apply?
Applications for the 2025/2026 academic year are now open: APPLY HERE.
4+1 Accelerated Master's Program
Current Lehigh undergraduate students who have achieved junior standing (a minimum of 54 credits) and have earned a minimum overall GPA of 3.5 may elect to be enrolled in the 4+1 accelerated BS/MS program or 4+1 accelerated BA/MS program, whereby they complete the MS program in one year after the completion of their undergraduate degree, and the successful completion (a grade "B" or higher) in twelve (12) credits of graduate coursework. Program requirements and deadlines and can be found on the Admissions website. Students in the 4+1 accelerated program are expected to start the MS program as full-time graduate students immediately following the undergraduate program’s completion.
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Lehigh University's Master of Public Health (MPH) degree prepares graduate students to work in a variety of local, state, national, and global public health research, practice, and policymaking settings. Students gain expertise in the core domains of public health, investigate and address the determinants of health using data science, and develop novel and effective avenues for disease prevention and health promotion. The program combines foundational courses in public health with additional courses in data science, qualitative research methods, leadership, cultural understanding and health, and policymaking. Students gain knowledge and skills through coursework, experiential learning opportunities, research projects, and engagement with traditional and non- traditional partners to pursue a healthier world.
| Course | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements1 | ||
| BSTA 402 | Biostatistics in Health | 3 |
| BSTA 403 | Health Applications in Statistical Learning | 3 |
| EPI 304/404 | Methods in Epidemiology I2 | 3 |
| EPI 405 | Methods in Epidemiology II | 3 |
| POPH 405 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| POPH 409 | Social Determinants of Health | 3 |
| POPH 431 | Environmental Health Sciences | 3 |
| PUBH 401 | Health Promotion and Education | 3 |
| PUBH 402 | Health Services, Administration, Politics, and Policy | 3 |
| PUBH 403 | Health Program Planning and Implementation | 3 |
| PUBH 405 | Program Evaluation Methods | 3 |
| PUBH 410 | Applied Practice Experience | 3 |
| PUBH 411 | Public Health Capstone | 3 |
| Electives1 | One graduate-level course, chosen in consultation with an adviser. Students are encouraged to take a course that will provide them with additional expertise in substantive and/or methodological areas of interest. This course can be taken outside the College of Health, but advisor approval is required.2 | 3 |
| Total Credits | 42 | |
| 1 For students enrolled in the 4+1 accelerated BS/MPH or BA/MPH program, courses taken during the student’s undergraduate degree cannot be applied as an undergraduate degree requirement. | ||
| 2 If EPI 304/EPI 404 Methods in Epidemiology I was completed at the undergraduate level at the College of Health, the student is expected to take EPI 450 Special Topics in Epidemiology instead. | ||
Master of Science in Population Health Management
NEXT INTAKE: FALL 2026
Applications open in Fall, 2025
Lehigh University's Master of Science (MS) in Population Health Management program prepares graduate students to design, implement, and improve systems and programs that enhance the health and well-being of a community or population. Specifically, students will gain valuable knowledge and skills to investigate and address health determinants, and develop novel and effective avenues for disease diagnosis and prevention, health promotion, and intervention.
We have designed our curriculum around a set of core competencies that define professional excellence in population health management. The curriculum combines foundational courses in population health with additional courses in healthcare management, health data science, epidemiology, and qualitative research methods. Beyond coursework, learning activities also include experiential learning opportunities, research projects, and engagement with traditional and non-traditional community partners to pursue a healthier world.
The MS degree requires a minimum of 33 credits. It provides students with a strong conceptual background in population health, healthcare management, and extensive methodological expertise in health data science, epidemiology, and qualitative research. 
The MS in Population Health Management program at Lehigh University is a founding member of the Population Health Management Accreditation Program at The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). Our program is one of the first five programs that received the CAHME certification status in 2022.
As a proud CAHME Certified program, students enrolled in the MS in Population Health program receive no-cost access to American Hospital Association (AHA) Professional Membership, a free Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Student Membership, and a complimentary Modern Healthcare Classic Subscription. These resources provide you with opportunities to network with industry leaders, read up on industry trends via newsletters, magazines, background papers and other publications, discover career opportunities, and more.
| Course | Course Title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements1 | |||
| BSTA 402 | Biostatistics in Health | 3 | |
| CGH 335 | Healthcare Operations Management | 3 | |
| CGH 431 | Healthcare Finance | 3 | |
| POPH 401 | Population Health Concepts and Methods2 | 3 | |
| POPH 403 | Biological Basis of Population Health: Concepts and Methods | 3 | |
| POPH 409 | Social Determinants of Population Health | 3 | |
| PUBH 402 | Health Services, Administration, Politics, and Policy | 3 | |
| Select one other 400-level BSTA course | |||
| BSTA 403 | Applications in Statistical Learning | 3 | |
| BSTA 404 | Data Architecture, Mining, and Linkage | 3 | |
| EPI 404 | Methods in Epidemiology I | 3 | |
| POPH 405 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 | |
| POPH 410 | Population Health Capstone/Thesis Project | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | ||
| 1 For students enrolled in the 4+1 accelerated BS/MS program or BA/MS program, courses taken during the student’s undergraduate degree cannot be double-counted as an undergraduate degree requirement. | |||
| 2 4+1 students who have taken BSTA 101/102 and BSTA 103/104 as undergraduates should not take BSTA 402 but will still need to fulfill those three credits with another quantitative course approved by advisor. | |||
PhD in Population Health
The PhD in Population Health degree prepares doctoral students to investigate, integrate and address health determinants using data science and develop novel and effective avenues for disease diagnosis and prevention, health promotion and intervention. The program combines foundational courses in population health with additional data science, qualitative research methods, population health survey methods, research ethics and policymaking. By providing a strong disciplinary and methodological foundation in population health through coursework, experiential learning opportunities, research projects and engagement with traditional and non-traditional partners to pursue a healthier world, the PhD program prepares students to pursue an independent line of inquiry and develop their own body of research. All PhD students will be fully funded.
| Course | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | 27 | |
| POPH 401 | Population Health Concepts and Methods | |
| POPH 403 | Biological Basis of Population Health: Concepts and Methods | |
| POPH 405 | Qualitative Research Methods | |
| POPH 409 | Social Determinants of Population Health | |
| POPH 412 | Research Ethics in Population Health | |
| POPH 416 | Grant Writing | |
| BSTA 402 | Health Data and Computational Science | |
| CGH 417 | Teaching Community and Population Health | |
| EPI 404/304 | Methods in Epidemiology I1 | |
| Methods or Electives | 27 | |
| Twelve graduate-level courses, a minimum of 36 credits, chosen in consultation with an adviser. Students are encouraged to take courses that will provide them with additional expertise in substantive and/or methodological areas of interest; three of these courses must focus on a methodological area of interest. Courses taken outside the College of Health must be approved by an advisor. | ||
| Population Health Dissertation Proposal2 | 6 | |
| POPH 482 | Population Health Dissertation Proposal | |
| Students will work closely with their doctoral advisor and doctoral committee to develop their dissertation proposal. Students will orally defend their dissertation proposal to their doctoral committee and will need to obtain approval before proceeding to the dissertation phase. | ||
| Population Health Dissertation3 | 12 | |
| POPH 499 | Population Health Dissertation | |
| Students will work closely with their doctoral advisor and doctoral committee to complete their dissertation project. Students will be required to pass their dissertation defense and incorporate feedback from the committee in order to meet the graduation requirements for the doctoral degree. | ||
| Total Minimum Credits | 72 | |
| 1 If EPI 304 /EPI 404 Methods in Epidemiology I was completed at the undergraduate level at the College of Health, the student will be expected to take EPI 450 Special Topics in Epidemiology or a second epidemiology course selected in conjunction with an advisor instead. | ||
| 2 If students complete 72 credits beyond the undergraduate degree and prior to advancing to candidacy, they need to be enrolled in at least 3 credit hours per semester. | ||
| 3 After completion of 72 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree, students are permitted to register for ‘Maintenance of Candidacy’ and will be charged a single credit hour of graduate tuition per semester. | ||
Graduate Certificate Programs
The graduate certificates in Population Health and in Global Health will prepare students to learn and apply graduate-level introductory concepts and methodology in population health and global health. Certificate programs are ideal for students who may not be ready to commit to a Master's program. The 12 credits earned through the certificate program can be applied toward either the MPH or the MS in Population Health.
Graduate Certificate in Population Health
| Course | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POPH 401 | Population Health Concepts and Methods | 3 |
| EPI 404/304 | Methods in Epidemiology I | 3 |
| BSTA 402 | Health Data and Computational Science | |
| or POPH 405 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| Elective chosen in consulattion with the advisor | 3-4 | |
| Total Credits | 12-13 | |
Graduate Certificate in Global Health
| Course | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POPH 413 | Foundations of Global Health | 3 |
| POPH 414 | Global Health Research or Field Experience | 3 |
| BSTA 402 | Health Data and Computational Science | |
| or POPH 405 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| Elective chosen in consultation with the adviser | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Interdisciplinary Policy Certificate
The Interdisciplinary Policy Studies Certificate provides students with a foundation in policy process and evaluation along with a critical analysis of health, education, and public policy. This program is available to anyone with an interest in exploring graduate-level policy studies including current LU graduate students pursuing degrees in other fields.
This certificate is open to anyone interested in exploring grad-level policy studies. https://polisci.cas.lehigh.edu/graduate/graduate-certificate-interdisciplinary-policy-studies
Contact Us!
Request more information or email us at cohgrad@lehigh.edu.