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About the MPH Program

In 2006 the University of Waterloo (UW) began offering a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, building on the successful MSc and PhD degrees in population health offered by the School of Public Health and Health Systems. The MPH degree program is a course-based, distance format program with a two week on-campus component at the beginning and end of the program. The inaugural class began in late August 2006, with ~50 students, studying on either a full-time or part-time basis. By the end of the decade we anticipate growth of overall enrollment towards a target of 100 MPH students, with the annual intake of 25-50 new applicants each year.

In response to the increased emphasis on population-based approaches to improving public health in Canada and other countries, there is a growing need for greater numbers of suitably-trained public health professionals at all levels of governmental and non-governmental organizations, including international health agencies that are regional and global in scope. In many countries, the MPH degree is recognized as the benchmark academic credential for professionals who require formal graduate education in public health.