The Doctor of Public Health degree is offered by Schools of Public Health and public health programs to prepare researchers, managers, public health leaders and university faculty. It is a research degree for people who already have a Masters in Public Health or in a related field.

Both are degrees that prepare public health researchers and both require substantial independent research and a dissertation. In general, the DPH is focused more on practice-based research while the PhD puts more emphasis on theory and creation of new knowledge. While public health leaders have debated the relative purposes of the DPH and PhD for years, in practice both degrees prepare people for a variety of leadership positions in public health.

Yes. The CUNY School of Public Health is accredited as a School of Public Health from the Council on Education for Public Health and is a consortium of four CUNY colleges: the Graduate Center; Hunter College; Brooklyn College; and Lehman College. The Graduate Center of CUNY awards the DPH degree with the CUNY School of Public Health.

Currently, the Graduate Center of CUNY offers the DPH degree. The four year consortium schools as part of the CUNY School of Public Health offer undergraduate and Master's level degrees in Public Health.

CUNY DPH graduates find employment in public health agencies, voluntary health organizations, medical centers, research institutes, community organizations, advocacy groups, private companies and universities as researchers, senior managers, and faculty members. As the aging public health workforce retires, it is expected there will be strong demand for senior public health personnel with strong research and organizational skills.

Several themes define the unique approaches that distinguish the CUNY DPH Program. These include:

• Focus on urban public health;

• Multi-level analysis, research and intervention;

• Goal is to understand and improve living conditions and health and reduce inequities;

• Interdisciplinary blend of public health and social, behavioral and natural sciences;

• Practice and research-oriented;

• Collaboration with city agencies and public health institutions (e.g. DOHMH, DOE, HHC);

• Diversity -- CUNY programs, students, faculty.

• Community, Society and Health (CSH)
  This track prepares researchers and public health practitioners who can advance scientific understanding of the social determinants of health, health behavior, the delivery of health services and health policy and lead, plan, manage, and evaluate community health interventions in urban settings. The track draws on the methods and theories from multiple disciplines to prepare students to design and implement research studies on health and urban populations.

• Epidemiology (EPI)
  The Epidemiology track prepares graduates to work as senior epidemiologists in research, teaching and public health leadership positions. Graduates of the EPI track will serve as epidemiologists in academia, industry, research institutes, and domestic and international government agencies (e.g. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Its goals are to produce graduates who can advance the scientific understanding of the social, behavioral and biomedical determinants of health and disease with a focus on the health of urban populations; design, implement, and analyze research aimed at understanding the determinants of health of urban populations; and apply, adapt and develop epidemiologic perspectives to the interpretation of ongoing research.

• Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH)
  This track prepares graduates who can advance the scientific understanding of the impact of occupational and environmental conditions on health and disease; plan, lead and manage studies to monitor and evaluate the effect of occupational and environmental health hazards in the urban environment; plan, direct, manage and evaluate occupational and environmental health programs; and teach students and professionals about the impact of occupational and environmental hazards on the health of urban populations and about strategies for controlling such exposures.

• Health Policy and Management (HPM)
  The Health Policy and Management track prepare researchers, teachers and public health practitioners who can contribute to new knowledge about the mechanisms that influence the delivery and funding of health services and public health programs and the development of health policy in urban settings; develop and manage initiatives to strengthen the functioning of health systems, health care organizations and public health agencies and programs; develop, advocate for and implement health care and public health policies; and teach students and professionals about the social determinants of health, health interventions, health policy, health management and health disparities in urban settings.
  
  
  The nutrition concentration prepares students with a prior background in nutrition to conduct research and develop and evaluate interventions on the contribution of food and diet to population health.

Please check the Student & Alumni webpage for information on selected CUNY DPH students and alumni.

March 1st. There is no Spring admission.

The length of time needed to complete the degree will vary as some students work full-time and others attend school full-time.

The degree requires a total of 60 credits post-masters' degree. See the Courses and Curriculum webpage for details.

The Graduate Center of CUNY at 365 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street.
Classes usually start at 4:15PM or 6:30PM.

Please check the Graduate Center Tuition and Fees webpage.

• The Graduate Center Office of Financial Aid makes every effort to provide financial assistance for its students.

• The Graduate Center Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) is the central administrative unit for overseeing GC-CUNY applications for, and awards of, governmental and foundation funding. The RSP is ready to answer questions about proposal preparation, submission, and administration for the entire GC Community including faculty and staff, Research Centers and Institutes, and, of course, students!

• The CUNY DPH program offers periodic awards and fellowships.

Yes. Please check the Graduate Center International Students webpage for details.

Please check the Prospective Students, Admissions Requirements webpage for details on the CUNY DPH program and a link to the Graduate Center admissions requirements.

1) Please join us for an upcoming Information Session;
2) Determine which Track you would like to apply to;
3) Determine if you have the prerequisites to apply to the Track you are interested in;
4) Contact the Track Coordinator of the Track you are interested in and include:

a) Transcripts (unofficial copies are OK for this purpose)
b) CV/Resume
c) GRE scores (if available at time of inquiry) 

For interested CUNY DPH applicants with a Masters or higher level degree in another discipline, the applicant will need to take five core Masters level public health courses. Please check the Prospective Students, Admissions Requirements webpage for details on the CUNY DPH program and a link to the Graduate Center admissions requirements.

Applicants without an MPH degree must be advised by a CUNY DPH Program Track Coordinator to determine what missing Masters Core must be taken before applying to the program. Please check the What are the next steps for learning more about the CUNY DPH program? drop down on this page. Once an applicant has been informed of missing courses, the applicant should:

• Proceed to register for course(s) as a non-degree student to a school outside of the CUNY SPH. Please note: it is advised that the applicant forward the course(s) description to the Track Coordinator of intended course of study to make sure that the course(s) will fulfill the DPH program application requirement.
• If the applicant intends to take a course(s) at the CUNY SPH Brooklyn College or Lehman College campus then the respective campus contact must be contacted with the following documents.  Upon the campus’ approval, the applicant may proceed to register for course(s) as a non-degree student to the CUNY SPH College.  CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College campus contacts http://www.cuny.edu/site/sph/contact.html

  1) Transcripts (unofficial copies are OK for this purpose)

2) CV/Resume

3) GRE scores (if available at time of inquiry)  

• If you intend to take a course(s) at the CUNY SPH at Hunter College you must follow steps 2-7 outlined under the header NON-DEGREE STUDENTS AT CUNY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT THE HUNTER COLLEGE CAMPUS at the below link. Please note that you MUST be registered as a non-degree student at least two months before the start of classes. Additionally, proof of immunizations must go to the wellness center. http://www.cuny.edu/site/sph/hunter-college/admissions.html