University of Tennessee Knoxville Online Master of Public Health (MPH)
The University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) offers a master of public health (MPH) program with fully online coursework plus a local 240-hour internship experience through the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. The program is designed to be completed in two to three years on a part-time basis, although it can be completed full-time.
MPH students choose from concentrations in community health education (CHE), health policy and management (HPM), or veterinary public health (VPH). The veterinary concentration is only available to current students enrolled in UTKs dual DVM/MPH program, graduate veterinarians, and licensed veterinary medical technicians (LVMT).
Foundational competencies of the program center on evidence-based practice in public health, healthcare systems, healthcare promotion, planning, and management, and public health policy. Other competencies focus on leadership, communication skills, interprofessional practice, and systems thinking. Foundational courses cover these competencies through topics such as environmental health, biostatistics, program evaluation, epidemiology, and ecological assessment and planning.
As part of the master of public health program, students complete a written comprehensive exam during a five-hour session one of three times per year. This provides an Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) where students respond to case studies or application problems through written essays and complete a multiple-choice portion of the exam. Students may retake the exam once during the next semester.
As a final portion of the program, students complete a local applied practice experience (APEx) in a setting aligned with their concentration and career goals. This experience allows MPH students to demonstrate and further develop learned knowledge and skills. UTK students have opportunities to complete their APEx in over 200 sites in 32 states nationwide and work with the APE coordinator to secure a site. About one-third of graduates gain employment at their APEx site. Others apply their learned skills to employment at other locations or go on to further graduate or doctoral study.
Cohort start dates land in the fall, spring, and summer, with the spring start only for new, part-time students. The program is semester-based and can be completed in two to three years part-time or less full-time. Courses include live, online class sessions and asynchronous coursework outside of class.
Careers may lead to work in organizations aligned with the graduate’s concentration and career goals. The MPH program has a 100 percent employment rate of graduates within one year of graduation, including those who go on to further higher education.
Community health educators seek to help individuals and communities achieve better health by utilizing behavioral and organizational change methods to enact interventions that make this possible. CHE graduates may go on to positions in mental health agencies, schools, community facilities, public health agencies, rehabilitation centers, government or environmental agencies, and medical institutions. CHE graduates are eligible to take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC). Some UTK MPH in community public health graduates have even earned Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) certification.
Health policy and management graduates seek to improve population health by:
- Applying the principles of evidence-based public health to healthcare practice or healthcare policy creation
- Applying learned strategic management principles to improve healthcare organizational performance
- Conducting assessments to determine the value of programs and services
- Applying quality improvement principles to organizational planning and management
HPM graduates may work in local, state, and federal public health organizations, social service organizations, voluntary health offices, and healthcare organizations. Graduates of the MPH with a concentration in health policy and management are eligible to take the Certified in Public Health (CPH) exam administered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE).
The veterinary public health concentration is a collaboration between the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. VPH students study the link between animal, human, and environmental health. They are educated to meet the demands for veterinarians with advanced education in food safety, zoonotic diseases, biosecurity, food and animal production, public policy, and veterinary research methods.
VPH graduates typically work in public health, epidemiology, and food safety specialty areas. They may secure positions with the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service, the Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service, the US Army Veterinary Corps, universities, and state and municipal organizations. Those who hold a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and complete the MPH program with a veterinary public health concentration are eligible to take the Veterinary Preventive Medicine board exam to become certified in Veterinary Preventive Medicine (DACVPM).
The University of Tennessee Knoxville is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The MPH program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
What to Expect from the UTK Online Master of Public Health
Admission Requirements: Applicants to the online master of public health must hold a bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale. No work experience, GRE, or GMAT is required. Applicants must apply and be accepted to the University of Tennessee Graduate School. Application materials include an online application, application fee, official transcripts, and English language test scores (if applicable).
Study Plan: The online MPH program is offered part-time and full-time, although most students complete the degree part-time in two to three years. The program is cohort-based, and classes run by semesters. Start dates land in the fall, spring, and summer. The spring start date is only for new, part-time MPH applicants. Students complete a comprehensive exam and a local applied practice experience as part of the program.
MPH Curriculum: The University of Tennessee Knoxville online MPH program comprises 42 credits, including 240 applied practice experience hours. Core courses include environmental health; health systems, policy, and leadership; biostatistics; fundamentals of program evaluation; epidemiology; assessment and planning; and two graduate seminar in public health sessions. Applied practice experience is also completed by all concentrations.
Community Health Education: Concentration courses include research methods in public health; health and society; and grant proposal writing for health and social programs. CHE students also choose six credits of electives from an extensive list of approved courses.
Health Policy and Management: Concentration courses include financial management of health programs; healthcare organizations: behavior and management; and one additional health policy course. HPM students also choose six credits of electives from an extensive list of approved courses.
Veterinary Public Health: Concentration courses include the One Health journal club in emerging infectious diseases, and either epidemiology of vector-borne, bacterial, and viral zoonotic diseases or epidemiology of parasitic, food-borne, and bacterial zoonotic diseases. VPH students also complete 11 additional credits approved by an advisor.
Online Experience: MPH coursework is fully online, requiring no campus visits. Courses are delivered synchronously through Canvas with live, weekly class sessions via Zoom, and assignments and outside work between live class times. Students also complete a comprehensive exam and an applied practice experience.
Online students can access academic advising, financial aid counseling, the UTK Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration, the Office of Information Technology, the UTK library system, online faculty office hours, and an alumni network.
On-Site Requirements: No on-site requirements exist for the University of Tennessee Knoxville online MPH. All courses are 100 percent online, with no campus visits required. The applied practice experience involves 240 local work hours with an approved facility.
Paying for the University of Tennessee Knoxville Online MPH Program
The University of Tennessee Knoxville online MPH tuition numbers are listed in the tables below, and do not include additional fees. Tennessee residents pay less per credit than do non-residents. Prospective students should contact the University of Tennessee Knoxville Graduate School for full cost information.
UTK may offer financial aid through scholarships, grants, and unsubsidized graduate federal student loans. Students can apply for federal financial aid through the FAFSA, noting that loans may only be secured for those taking six credits or more per semester. Other funding options include employer tuition reimbursement programs, tuition discounts, private loans, or outside scholarships and grants. For further financial aid information, prospective students can contact UTK One Stop Student Services.
University of Tennessee Knoxville Online Master of Public Health (MPH) - Community Health Education (CHE)
| Degree Level | Master's Degree |
| Program Start Dates | Fall, Spring (new, part-time students only), and Summer |
| Credits Needed to Graduate | 42 |
| Time to Complete? | Graduate in two to three years part-time or less for full-time |
| 100% Online? | Yes, plus a 240-hour local Applied Practice Experience (APEx) |
| Program Accreditation | CEPH |
| Level of Education Required? | Bachelors degree or higher |
| GRE or GMAT Required? | No GMAT/GRE required |
| Work Experience Required? | No work experience required |
| Credit Hours | 42 |
| Average Cost Per Credit | $775.00 |
| Estimated Program Tuition * | $32,550.00 |
University of Tennessee Knoxville Online Master of Public Health (MPH) - Health Policy and Management (HPM)
| Degree Level | Master's Degree |
| Program Start Dates | Fall, Spring (new, part-time students only), and Summer |
| Credits Needed to Graduate | 42 |
| Time to Complete? | Graduate in two to three years part-time or less for full-time |
| 100% Online? | Yes, plus a 240-hour local Applied Practice Experience (APEx) |
| Program Accreditation | CEPH |
| Level of Education Required? | Bachelors degree or higher |
| GRE or GMAT Required? | No GMAT/GRE required |
| Work Experience Required? | No work experience required |
| Credit Hours | 42 |
| Average Cost Per Credit | $775.00 |
| Estimated Program Tuition * | $32,550.00 |
University of Tennessee Knoxville Online Master of Public Health (MPH) - Veterinary Public Health (VPH)
| Degree Level | Master's Degree |
| Program Start Dates | Fall, Spring (new, part-time students only), and Summer |
| Credits Needed to Graduate | 42 |
| Time to Complete? | Graduate in two to three years part-time or less for full-time |
| 100% Online? | Yes, plus a 240-hour local Applied Practice Experience (APEx) |
| Program Accreditation | CEPH |
| Level of Education Required? | Bachelors degree or higher |
| GRE or GMAT Required? | No GMAT/GRE required |
| Work Experience Required? | This concentration is only available to current veterinary students, graduate veterinarians, and Licensed Veterinary Medical Technicians (LVMT) |
| Credit Hours | 42 |
| Average Cost Per Credit | $775.00 |
| Estimated Program Tuition * | $32,550.00 |
Tuition is calculated based on credits, at the published tuition rate. For programs with variable tuition rates, we use the rates for part-time students. Tuition number represents the cost of tuition for the entire program, not per semester or year. Estimated total tuition does not include additional fees, unless otherwise specified. Please check here for any tuition updates.
