Program Overview and Description
Program Overview
The Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program is located within the Department of Community
and Environmental Health in the College of Health Science. The mission of the MPH program is to
prepare recent undergraduate students and established professionals for leadership positions in public
health, other public and private health promoting agencies, and health care institutions.
The program, located in Boise – the financial, political and health care center of the state – offers a
unique opportunity for students in pursuit of advanced training and provides strong foundational
knowledge on the role of public health, the determinants of health, and health policy on health
outcomes and acquire essential skills in research methods, epidemiology, statistics, and program
evaluation.
Emphasis Areas and Graduate Certificate Descriptions
Students in the MPH program can study in one of three concentration areas: (1) Prevention and
Intervention Programming, (2) Systems Analysis and Innovation, and (3) Health Management and
Leadership. Students can also pursue a Graduate Certificate in Health Services Leadership. A brief
description of each includes:
Prevention and Intervention Programming Emphasis
Students will learn to use a problem-focused, multidisciplinary approach to designing prevention and
intervention programs that address pressing public health problems. This concentration prepares
students to design and coordinate interventions with integrated health education and promotion, policy,
and regulatory components focused on multiple levels of influence. It emphasizes working with local
communities to design and deliver programming meant to enhance the health and wellbeing of
individuals, families, priority groups, and the community-at-large.
Systems Analysis and Innovation Emphasis
Students will learn to use systems analysis tools to understand and enhance the social and cultural
conditions, the institutional and organizational capacity, and the policy and regulatory frameworks
necessary to promote community and population health. This concentration prepares students to ensure
the efficiency and effectiveness of all systems necessary to create pathways to health that begin where
people live, work, and play. It emphasizes addressing the broader contextual, structural, and
environmental conditions that influence and affect health.
Health Management and Leadership Emphasis
Students will learn the practical management and leadership skills necessary to effectively lead public
health and other health promoting organizations. This concentration includes strategic planning, human
resource management, budgeting and resource development, coalition building, and public-private
partnerships. It prepares students to lead government, nonprofit, and private health promoting
organizations.
Health Services Leadership Graduate Certificates
The postgraduate Certificate in Health Services Leadership is designed for health professionals
employed in state and local health agencies, health care institutions and in private practice. The goal of
the certificate program is to prepare students for a variety of leadership and management positions in
health-related organizations. Disclosure: The Graduate Certificates in Health Services Leadership is
subject to the gainful employment disclosure requirements as prescribed by federal regulation 34 CFR
668.6(b) (2) (iv).