Online Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree
Gwynedd Mercy University’s Master of Public Health (MPH) degree is an online program that will prepare you to become a public health leader in a critical, growing, and rapidly evolving field.
Complete our MPH degree in as few as 20 months. Attend as a full-time or part-time student to fit your schedule. No GRE required to apply.
Find Your Calling
Our MPH program is ideal for:
- Public health professionals or students who want to work in a non-clinical healthcare setting, seek career advancement, or enhance their knowledge of the field
- Healthcare educators, professionals, or students interested in working in a public health setting
- Business professionals or students who want to work in health administration
Program begins
Fall 2025 (no GRE required)
Format
100% online
Ideal for
Full-time or part-time students
Unique focus
The only Health Equity Concentration of its kind in the area
Affordable Tuition
One of the least expensive local options
10% tuition grant for GMercyU grads
Program Details
Gwynedd Mercy University is an applicant for accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). The accreditation review will address the Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Science in Public Health degrees. Other degrees and areas of study offered by this institution will not be included in the unit of accreditation review. See https://ceph.org for more information.
The only program of its kind in our area to offer a Health Equity Concentration, GMercyU’s online MPH degree will prepare you to identify underlying causes of health disparities in disadvantaged communities in the U.S. and abroad, and develop effective strategies to address them.
The program includes a focus on developing public health skills relevant to the breadth of public health practice. Courses address epidemiology, program planning and evaluation, environmental health, policy, advocacy, and public health leadership.
Other benefits of GMercyU's Online MPH degree include:
- Courses taught by public health experts
- A flexible full-time or part-time program, offered online
- Research and internship opportunities in the field
- Optional service trips abroad to build your experience and add to your resume (see example here)
And, you will learn at an institution whose history and mission is rooted in service – at GMercyU, we have been developing change-makers and social justice advocates for decades.
Master of Public Health (MPH) students must complete 42 credits in public health courses. Courses are designed to help students become competent and confident in the application of skills used in the field of public health.
The initial courses focus on an integrated core curriculum that addresses the knowledge and competencies foundational to public health:
| PUB 600 | Foundations of Public Health and Health Equity |
| PUB 610 | Public Health Analytic Methods I |
| PUB 620 | Health Equity: Policy & Advocacy |
| PUB 630 | Public Health Analytic Methods II |
| PUB 640 | Planning and Managing Public Health Interventions |
After completing these foundational courses, students will have the opportunity to utilize these public health skills in an Applied Practical Experience (PUB-700) with a public health organization in their community.
The onlien MPH degree at Gwynedd Mercy University includes a concentration in Health Equity. While health equity is central to all our courses, students will take three concentration courses to further develop public health skills in courses that address specific strategies for addressing health disparities and achieving health equity in domestic and international populations.
| PUB 650 | Environmental Health Equity |
| PUB 720 | Structural Barriers to Health Equity |
| PUB 750 | Global Health Equity |
Students will also have the opportunity to select electives, such as the following:
| PUB 710 | Communication Strategies for Health Promotion |
| PUB 730 | Collaborative Design of Health Education Programs |
| PUB 740 | Applied Epidemiology |
| PUB 760 | Qualitative Research Methods for Public Health |
Producing a final, high-quality, written product developed during the Integrative Learning Experience (PUB-790) in the last semester will allow students to synthesize the skills learned throughout the program.
For all Master of Public Health course descriptions, please refer to the Graduate Course Catalog.
Sharla Willis, DrPH, CHES
Position: Founding Program Director and Assistant Professor
Did You Know? Dr. Willis completed a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Health Scholars postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan focused on community-based participatory research.
Read bio
Victory Osezua, PhD, MPH
Position: Assistant Professor
Did You Know? Dr. Osezua also works as an independent public health consultant for various non-profit organizations across the country.
Read bio
Maria Warnick, PhD, CRNP FNP-BC
Position: Assistant Professor
Did You Know? Dr. Warnick completed a doctoral program in public health with a focus in epidemiology after years of experience as a family nurse practitioner.
Read bio
The MPH program at Gwynedd Mercy has been instrumental to my career. The program's emphasis on health equity has equipped me with the knowledge to better understand the multifaceted disparities impacting the communities I serve. The unparalleled support from the faculty, coupled with the exceptional resources available through the Keiss Library, has greatly enriched my academic experience. This degree will not only help me advance my career, but it has given me a greater perspective on the interconnectedness and significance of public health.
—Tori McQueen, Montgomery County Office of Public Health
Campus Learning Garden
The first graduating cohort of GMercyU's Public Health program wanted to leave a legacy on campus that allowed them to practice public health and apply the skills they learned.
Students (both undergraduate and graduate) helped construct the garden's raised beds and planted several hardy varieties of fruit, vegetables, herbs, and pollinating flowers to get the garden started.
Produce from the garden will be harvested by students and go directly to Catherine's Cupboard.
Learn more
Advance Your Career
Today, job opportunities in this field are expected to increase nationally by 7% through 2033, more than double the national average, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.
According to a 2017 survey of state and local public health workers, 22% planned to retire in the next five years (de Beaumont Foundation, 2019). In the Philadelphia area, those with a public health bachelor's degree earn a median salary of about $68,000 – more than twice the average wage for the region, according to a survey conducted by Burning Glass Technologies.
Public health is a broad and diverse field. Experts are needed all over the world to work for government health departments and agencies, private corporations, non-profit organizations, community clinics, schools, and more. Meet GMercyU Public Health graduates here to see where the field can take you.
With an MPH degree, public health professionals can advance into management positions and enjoy a career in which they can make a difference and a living, while benefiting from increases in job opportunities.
Here are just a few examples:
| Position | Median Annual Salary 2023 | Expected Growth through 2033 |
| Medical and Health Service Managers | $110,680 | 28% |
| Environmental Specialists | $78,980 | 6% |
| Epidemiologists | $81,390 | 27% |
| Occupational Health & Safety Specialists | $77,580 | 13% |
| Social and Community Service Managers | $77,030 | 9% |
| Health Educators | $62,860 | 7% |
The expected job growth rate for all occupations in the U.S. is 3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
