Mini-Master of Public Health (MPH)

The world’s health needs are changing—evolving day to day, sometimes even hour to hour. It is the role of the public health professional to stay apace with these changes to protect and improve the health of populations.

Because of the commitment to ensure access to education around pressing public health issues, Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) now offers a free, online Mini-MPH. The Mini-MPH provides foundational knowledge in public health to all interested learners. The program includes six hours of engaging, online content that covers key concepts of public health, with expert faculty, accessible to everyone.

Access Mini-MPH

Each component of the Mini-MPH is free, online, and asynchronous:

  • What is Public Health?—Learn about the foundations of public health with BUSPH Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor, Sandro Galea.
  • Quantitative Methods for Public Health—Learn to evaluate and interpret data to make evidence-based decisions to improve health with BUSPH Associate Dean of Education and Professor of Biostatistics, Lisa Sullivan.
  • Leadership and Management for Public Health—Learn to communicate with, engage, and organize diverse groups in pursuit of change efforts to improve population health with BUSPH Associate Dean of Public Health Practice, Harold Cox.
  • Health Systems, Law and Policy—Examine the constitutional, regulatory, political, and socio-economic bases for policies that determine access, quality, cost and equity in health services and population health programs with BUSPH Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, David Rosenbloom.
  • Individual, Community and Population Health—Understand how program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation improve the health of individuals, communities, and populations with BUSPH Clinical Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences, Sophie Godley.

See below for more information on the Mini-MPH instructors.

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What people are saying about the Mini-MPH

Excellent introduction to, and reminder of, key public health concepts.

I really enjoyed that I could complete the course at my own pace. It was great to be able to rewind and rewatch all of the videos.

Online courses are of great benefit because you are able to study while working, and you don’t have to travel to the country where the courses are taught.

The Mini-MPH is eligible for five CHES/MCHES continuing education contact hours. Details for claiming contact hours can be found on the Mini-MPH content page.

Note: The Mini-MPH does not lead to a certificate or degree.

Other Offerings

Quantitative Review and Primer

Maybe you have never taken a quantitative course before, or maybe it’s been some time and you could use a refresher. This resource includes a self-assessment (pre-test), so you can check your skills.

Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH

a physician, epidemiologist, and author, is Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at BUSPH. He previously held academic and leadership positions at Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and the New York Academy of Medicine. He has published extensively in the peer-reviewed literature, and is a regular contributor to a range of public media, about the social causes of health, mental health, and the consequences of trauma. He has been listed as one of the most widely cited scholars in the social sciences. He is chair of the board of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and past president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science.

Full Bio

Lisa Sullivan, PhD

is the Associate Dean for Education, and a Professor and former chair of Biostatistics at BUSPH. Her scholarship is in development and evaluation of risk prediction models mainly for a range of cardiovascular outcomes in the Framingham Heart Study and include the risk functions for coronary heart disease which featured prominently in the National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III. She also has experience with randomized clinical trials and large, international observational studies of the effects of various exposures and treatments on adverse outcomes of pregnancy.

Full Bio

Harold Cox, MSSW

is the Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and an Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences at BUSPH. Trained as a social worker, he has extensive experience in direct services, administration, and advocacy in a variety of public health care settings, including developmental disabilities, HIV/AIDS, and governmental public health. Dean Cox directs the Activist Lab at BUSPH, which engages the school and community in real world advocacy to drive lasting improvements in the health of our local, regional, and global communities.

Full Bio

David Rosenbloom, PhD

is a Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management at BUSPH where he focuses on US and international health policy and issues relating to substance use disorders. His more than 40 year career spans the public, private, not for profit and academic health sectors. From 1975-1983, as Commissioner of Health and Hospitals for the City of Boston he was the city’s public health officer and CEO of the city’s public delivery system, including Boston City Hospital, 22 neighborhood health centers, and the emergency medical system.

Full Bio

Sophie Godley, DrPH, MPH

is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences at BUSPH. She has been working in the field of public health since 1993, and her areas of expertise include adolescent sexual health, translating public health research to practitioners, effective public health education, and addressing health disparities including adopting a race equity framework in public health programs. Sophie serves as Director of Undergraduate Education in the School of Public Health, advising students enrolled in the public health minor and the innovative 4+1 program, BUSPH’s combined BA/MPH and BS/MPH.

Full Bio